​​Nordic foreign ministers to meet for Arctic discussion at Nordiska museet

Climate change and melting ice are affecting the living conditions for the four million people who live in the Arctic, as well as people in the Nordic countries and for the rest of the world. On October 30, the Nordic foreign ministers will meet at Nordiska museet for a panel discussion on the role of Nordic cooperation and the common challenges we face in the sustainable development of the Arctic. The panel discussion is arranged by Nordiska museet in cooperation with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Nordic embassies in Sweden.

Sustainable economic development and the broader climate issue affect everyone living and working in the Arctic, but the challenges for the Arctic have also become Nordic and global issues. Within the framework of Nordic cooperation, there are clear, concrete measures and ambitions for sustainable development in the Arctic. In conjunction with the Nordic Council’s October session in Stockholm, the Nordic foreign ministers will be meeting at Nordiska museet to discuss the role of the Nordic countries in the Arctic.

Nordiska museet recently opened “The Arctic – While the Ice is Melting”, the first exhibition of its kind, and continues its information-gathering efforts on life in the Arctic. There will be an opportunity to see the exhibition in conjunction with the panel discussion.

The panel consists of:

Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod

Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto

The Government of the Faroe Islands’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Culture Jenis av Rana

The Government of Greenland’s Minister for Education, Culture, Church and Foreign Affairs Ane Lone Bagger

Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson

Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be represented by State Secretary Jens Frølich Holte

Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde

Björn Dahlbäck, former Director of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, will moderate the panel.

The panel discussion will be held on Wednesday October 30, at 16.30 at Nordiska museet, Djurgårdsvägen 6–16 in Stockholm.

The press is welcome to participate. Please send your request to attend to: sofia.hiller@nordiskamuseet.se

Read more about the exhibition “The Arctic – While the Ice is Melting” at nordiskamuseet.se/arktis