New report on Gender Equality in the Arctic
The Pan-Arctic Report "Gender Equality in the Arctic" was released in May 2021. The Report is a part of the Gender Equality in the Arctic project (GEA III) undertaken under the auspices of the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG), the Icelandic Chairmanship Programme 2019-2021 and under supervision of the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network.
Project leader is Iceland with co-leadership from Canada, Finland, Sweden, the USA, the Aleut International Association, and the Saami Council.
The Report presents results of collaborative work of 10 lead authors and nearly 80 contributors from across the Arctic involving academics, representatives of Arctic stakeholders and rights holders (e.g., Indigenous organizations, including the Arctic Council's Permanent Participants and gender-oriented NGOs in the Arctic), Indigenous knowledge holders, and public officials.
The Pan-Arctic Report "Gender Equality in the Arctic" is aimed at deepening the understanding of gender issues in the Arctic region as well as providing policy-relevant highlights to promote gender equality in policy- and decision-making processes in all spheres and at all levels.
The Report sheds light on the most pressing issues in gender equality highlighted in six thematic chapters:
· Law and Governance
· Security
· Gender and Environment
· Migration and Mobility
· Indigeneity, Gender, Violence, and Reconciliation
· Empowerment and Fate Control
On May 20, 2021, at the Twelfth Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council, the Report was acknowledged and included in the Reykjavík Declaration 2021 that emphasized “the importance of gender equality and respect for diversity for sustainable development in the Arctic and welcomed the Pan-Arctic Report, Gender Equality in the Arctic, Phase 3, encouraged the mainstreaming of gender-based analysis in the work of the Arctic Council and called for further action to advance gender equality in the Arctic.” (Reykjavik declaration (2021) (arctic-council.org)). Gender was also included in the new Strategic plan of the Arctic Council, marking an important milestone as equality is considered a prerequisite of sustainable development in a future Arctic.
Read the report here.