Listen to the Arctic Council at 30, told by the people who built it
The Arctic Council turned 30 in September, and its podcast, This Way Up, has marked the anniversary with a special episode. It looks back at how the forum was built, how it has worked and how it has held up under pressure. The most serious test came when the seven Western member states paused cooperation with Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Behind the Scenes: The Arctic Council at 30” is not a chronological history. It is built around the recollections of people who were in the room. The guests include:
- Mary Simon, former governor general of Canada, who was the lead negotiator in establishing the Council
- Chief Bill Erasmus of the Arctic Athabaskan Council
- Gunn-Britt Retter of the Saami Council
- David Balton of the United States and Morten Høglund of Norway, both former chairs of the Senior Arctic Officials
- Benjamin Strong, chair of the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group
- Taylor Jobin of the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship Youth Committee
- Jennifer Spence of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center
The episode, available below, is hosted by Jessica Cook of the Arctic Council Secretariat and Rosa-Máren Magga of the Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat. Extended interviews with each guest are available on the Arctic Council’s website.
