The Arctic region is undergoing rapid change and the challenges this poses are more and more visible. Global climate change has had a huge impact on both the natural environment and the people who live in the Arctic. Glaciers and sea ice are melting due to rising average temperatures, making natural resources more easily accessible. This has consequences – good and bad – for people, society and nature, and also provides new opportunities. New shipping routes and new technology make it possible to extract natural resources from the harsh Arctic terrain and help meet the growing global demand for energy. The Nordic countries would like this potential to be exploited in a manner respectful of the unique and vulnerable Artic nature and environment. It is also important to safeguard the way of life of the Arctic people and provide them with opportunities via a sustainable economic model and the development of a modern welfare state designed to benefit the population as a whole.

Since 1996, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Co-operation Programme has given rise to several hundred projects, artistic activities and political initiatives on topics ranging from climate change, nature, the environment and sustainable development to health, culture and skills enhancement. These initiatives share one common goal: sustainable development that respects nature and looks after the welfare of the Arctic people.

The Arctic Co-operation Programme supplements other Nordic Council of Ministers’ programmes, strategies and initiatives that address issues relevant to the Arctic.