The primary components of the GEA IV are: 

1. Mainstreaming gender-based analysis in the work of the Arctic Council to advance gender equality in the Arctic, including both procedural and data related workshops and outputs.  

2. A workshop and subsequent podcast series on ´Sharing wisdom and knowledges´, an Indigenous-led component focusing on thematic in-person events and interviews for dissemination of topics of particular interest to GEA Indigenous partners.

Anticipated Phase IV Completion Date:  May 2025 

Component I.

Hybrid Workshop on Gender and Disaggregated Data in the Arctic Region

Initially, an online workshop on Arctic Council gender mainstreaming and gender-based analysis was organized and set to take place in late February 2022. Due to the Arctic Council's pause of activities the workshop was postponed.

Thankfully, activities resumed somewhat, allowing for a hybrid workshop on gender and disaggregated data to be held in Akureyri, Iceland, on the 15-16th of March 2023. This was made possible by the support of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. The workshop saw some 35 in-person participants with an additional 25 participants online. These included representatives from academia, governments, statistical agencies, Indigenous experts, youth, LGBTQIA, and two-spirit experts, as well as lead authors of the GEA report, data study researchers, and a representative from the UN Women Data Division.

A Study on Existing Data and Challenges to Gender and Sex Disaggregated Data in the Arctic Region is currently in development, jointly funded by Canada and Finland.

Component II.

• Decolonization and Indigenization from Cultural and Spiritual Perspectives;

• Governance and Decision-Making Processes;

• Human Rights of Arctic Indigenous Peoples;

• Human Security and Social Justice from a Gendered Lens.

Workshop on Sharing Wisdom and Knowledges

Whaèdǫǫ̀ Nàowoò K’e Xanı̀ɂah K’ęę̀ Goxè Hodı, best translated from Dene into English as ‘Oldtimers knowledge way of thinking and wisdom to us - sharing stories’, was a workshop which offered a safe space and platform for a holistic knowledge-sharing gathering to explore gender equality through lived experiences and ancestral knowledge. In particular, it fostered inter-generational knowledge transfer between Indigenous elders, youth, and community leaders across the Arctic to share Indigenous perspectives on a range of gender related topics—such as governance, security, and human rights.

It took place at the McEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, in March 2024, and was organized by the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, under the leadership of Bridget Laroque of the Arctic Athabaskan Council, and made possible through funding from Crown-Indigenous Relations Northern Affairs Canada.

The results of the workshops were compiled into a summary report which you can access below.

Stories from the North - Podcast Series

The ‘Sharing Wisdom and Knowledges’ (Whaèdǫǫ̀ Nàowoò K’e Xanı̀ɂah K’ęę̀ Goxè Hodı) workshop brought together esteemed Indigenous knowledge-holders, experts, youth, and elders to discuss methods of generational and inter-communal transfer of traditional sources of knowledge. Such transfer often takes the form of enriched storytelling steeped in cultural tradition, making the realm of podcasting an opportune platform for traditional knowledge sharing.

In a format of engagement referred to as ‘visiting’, Amber Dion and Terri Cardinal of the ‘Two Crees in a Pod’ podcast took to interviewing some of the workshop’s participants in a special mini-series entitled ‘Stories from the North’. This series explores various facets of the Indigenous experience - it’s ways of life, challenges, blessings, and unique perspectives.

Below you may find the episodes recorded for the GEA ph. IV project:

Project related events 2022 - 2024