Theme of the conference 2015 - connecting the local, the regional and the global in the Arctic

When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity.

Today, the pressures originating outside of the Arctic make us to appreciate even more the path chosen in Rovaniemi over two decades ago, marked by close science collaboration, people-to-people connections as well as networks of business and arts. It is exactly this nature of circumpolar co-operation that has allowed the regional governance to be, so far, relatively little affected by the tensions taking place elsewhere. However, the Arctic certainly does not remain outside of international interest. It has come into global spotlight due to climate change and the world’s demand for Arctic resources, bringing about the region’s transformation as well as challenges for all levels of governance, from the global to the local.

In the global discourse, the Arctic is often presented as a uniform region, sharing common features of cold climate and socio-cultural settings. However, when considered at the sub-regional and local levels, the circumpolar North is clearly a diverse space. Today, efforts to bridge these local and global perspectives are more topical than ever.

Apart from the Arctic Council, institutions like the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, or the European Union all enhance interlinks between Arctic stakeholders such as indigenous peoples and other inhabitants of the Arctic, scientists, parliamentarians, cities, municipalities, businesses as well as actors from outside of the region. In a setting of these networks, the key questions for Arctic governance include:

How the local perspective is, or should be, seen in global and international context in the Arctic? Does Arctic international co-operation truly support sustainable development at a local level? How do local perspectives and values translate to regional and global context? Finally, how do the structures of Arctic regional co-operation fit between global and local forces that shape Arctic realities?

The second international conference “In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process: Local and Global Arctic” (24-26 November 2015, Rovaniemi, Finland) will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.