The 9th Conference of Arctic Parliamentarians was attended by over 130 representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament; observers from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations; as well as representatives from Indigenous organisations, the University of the Arctic, and other relevant international organizations.
In the Final Conference Statement, the elected representatives of CPAR have given UArctic their support to strengthen education, enhance understanding of traditional forms of knowledge, help open dialogue between th science community and policy makers, and increase circumpolar student and staff mobility.
© Photo European Union.
For example, in discussions on the Sustainable Management of Living Resources in the Arctic; Danish MP Sofia Rossen (Inuit Ataqatigiit party), noted that the sustainable hunting of seals and whales is "an essential part of Arctic society which attracts international attention" and urged that hunters and researchers work together on this issue. Thus leading to the adoption of statement clause #4 [Commissioning the University of the Arctic to strengthen education, including traditional knowledge, related to the sustainable hunting of marine mammals and establish a network between educational institutions in this field, as well as increase the number of grants to PhD fellowships and research into marine mammals].
In his presentation to conference participants, UArctic's President, Lars Kullerud highlighted the important role that education and outreach have as IPY legacies, while underlining the challenges in disseminating the knowledge from IPY out to a broader audience, including northern communities.
Furthermore, he urged all Arctic parliamentarians to actively engage their respective governments in supporting education and research activities that will help address the needs and challenges facing the peoples and communities in the north.
Participating in the conference were members of UArctic's Board of Governors, who's Chair, Barry Scherr, said that "UArctic has had well functioning partnerships with Arctic governments’ right from its founding, and these strong links were in evidence here. This conference and its final statement demonstrate that Arctic Parliaments are committed to supporting higher education and research in the Arctic. We are extremely pleased with these partnerships and the outcomes of this conference, but must continue to generate the support needed to create capacity building instruments that will help give the region a sustainable future."© Photo European Union.
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