The Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Belfer Center) and the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University Business School have entered into a cooperation agreement. Among the topics are the development of knowledge about sustainability, management and governance in the Arctic.
Will meet on Iceland
Norway currently has the chairmanship of the Arctic Council, and sustainable economic development as well as the work to secure settlement and living conditions in the Arctic are key areas that Norway wants to focus on. This an area where the High North Center have a lot of expertise. Not least through the Business Index North projects, where they have developed methods to measure the economic development in the Arctic. In addition they have the InnNord project, which looks concretely at what is needed to turn the tide of migration to the south.
Before the Arctic Circle conference in Iceland in October, which is one of the most important international Arctic conferences, with visits from both prime ministers, presidents and royalty, the Belfer Center and the High North Center will have a workshop where they will look into finding the best ways to to exchange information and research results.
Perspectives from indigenous and local people
– In order to strengthen sustainable development in the Arctic, we need more knowledge, not least related to the topics on which we will collaborate, says director Frode Mellemvik.
– One of the topics we will focus on is management, and we will try to develop knowledge about management in the Arctic based on a broad and open approach. This includes developing knowledge about management from indigenous and local perspectives, as well as from the approaches used by business and community leaders in the Arctic regions. The High North Center has a national responsibility for developing knowledge about the opportunities for business and social life in the Nordic areas, and the collaboration with the Belfer Center at Harvard will strengthen us in this work.
