GEA Lunch-Meeting at the Arctic Council Assembly
By Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson
After participating in a very successful Breakout Session on Leadership, Arctic Gender Equality and Diversity, the GEA team met for a lunch meeting to discuss next steps and brainstorm. At the meeting, the team decided to facilitate the formation of a Youth Advisory Board to the Editorial Committee, which would have a representative in the Committee. The GEA will also be seeking feedback and advice of the SDWG´s Social, Economic and Cultural Expert Group in the project´s efforts to engage Indigenous Peoples, Arctic communities and decision-makers.
The meeting was attended by Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN), Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson, Project Manager, Gender Equality in the Arctic Phase III, IACN, Federica Scarpa, Communications Manager, IACN, Andrii Gladii, Research Assistant, IACN, Jennifer Spence, SDWG Executive Secretary, Andrey Petrov, President of the International Arctic Social Sciences Association, Malgorzata (Gosia) Smieszek, Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland and Anastasia Ulturgasheva, Researcher, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, Stefansson Arctic Institute, Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit, Saami Council, Sara Olsvig Head of Programme, UNICEF Denmark’s office in Greenland and Eva-Maria Svensson, Department of Law, Gothenburg University, who were all on the Breakout Session Panel. The meeting was very productive and possible themes and approaches discussed.
Another important and exiting development at the meeting was the recruitment of Andrey Petrov and Sara Olsvig to the Editorial Committee for the Pan-Arctic Report on gender in the Arctic.
Current members of the Editorial Committee
AAC representative (TBC)
Andrey Petrov, President of the International Arctic Social Sciences Association
Erika A. Hayfield, Associate Professor / Director of Studies, University of the Faroe Islands
Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network,
Eva-Maria Svenson, Department of Law, Gothenburg University
Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit, Saami Council
Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson, Project Manager, Gender Equality in the Arctic Phase III, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
Sara Olsvig, Head of Programme, UNICEF Denmark’s office in Greenland
Sarah Cox, Director, Circumpolar Affairs Directorate & Head of Canadian Delegation for the Sustainable Development Working Group.
Youth Council representative (TBD)
The meeting was a great team-building event and a very productive brainstorming session that served well to propel the project forward.