Arctic Mayors' Forum: A New Seat at the Arctic Governance Table?
Urban life in Tromsø, Norway, a member municipality of the Arctic Mayors’ Forum. Photo: Mark D
Over the past four years, a new forum has increasingly made its mark on Arctic-related gatherings, conferences, and discussions – the Arctic Mayors’ Forum (AMF). Despite gaining recognition among those working in and with the Arctic, little has been written about the forum.
The AMF comprises mayors and elected leaders from some of the world’s northernmost cities, with participating mayors collectively representing approximately one million Arctic inhabitants. The forum seeks to advance “local values, goals, and interests” while providing “local governments a voice in Arctic development.”1) Despite its local anchoring, it is emerging within an international context.
Since the AMF’s inception in 2019, a central theme has been that discussions of the region’s future are often being held outside of the Arctic. On the day of AMFs establishment, the mayor of Sermersooq, Greenland, brought the issue to the forefront, pointing out that she had become aware of then-American president Donald Trump’s desire to buy her country through an article in The Guardian.2) Subsequently, mayors from northern Norway have underscored the balancing act between national and local needs within Arctic countries, portraying Arctic communities’ position as navigating a “tightrope between geopolitics and alliance affiliation on one hand and national district and local politics on the other hand.”3) Thus, the mayors in the forum are highlighting the gap between local Arctic interests and those at both the international and national levels.
The AMF is a recent addition to a region already rich in regional cooperations, forums, and councils. Its creation prompts several questions: What is the AMF? What are the underlying factors driving its establishment? And what does the forum bring to the Arctic governance table?
Local seat at the international table
Formal cooperation among local governments across the Arctic region was initially proposed by mayors from Arctic cities in 2017 in Fairbanks, Alaska. The initiative resulted in the signing of a declaration emphasizing the need for involvement of local communities in Arctic policy and decision-making.4) Two years later in Akureyri, Iceland, in 2019 mayors from eleven cities across seven countries signed the funding document that officially established the AMF. These cities included Akureyri (Iceland), Oulu, Kemi, Rovaniemi (Finland), Sermersooq (Greenland), Tórshavn (Faroe Islands), Anchorage (USA), Iqaluit (Canada), Arkhangelsk (Russia), Bodø, and Tromsø (Norway).
The AMF has a twofold goal. Firstly, it serves as a platform for cooperation and debate among Arctic communities, aiming to ensure sustainable development and resilient communities. Despite the diversity in the communities and population of the region, Arctic cities and local communities face similar challenges such as remoteness, fast transforming economy, and a rapidly changing climate. Consequently, the AMF asserts that collaboration among Arctic communities can yield benefits through cooperation with other local governments in various fields, including sustainable development, youth programs, depopulation, climate adaptation, infrastructure, transportation challenges, energy efficiency, and access to education and healthcare services.5)
Secondly, the AMF seeks to promote the role of the local level in Arctic cooperation and governance. The stated goal of the forum is to serve as a direct channel between local communities and actors at higher levels, enabling the local communities to influence national, regional, and international actors when Arctic issues are on the agenda. The AMF identifies the EU, regional bodies, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academia as relevant actors to engage with.6) Initially, obtaining observer status in the Arctic Council was an explicit goal, but it has been deprioritized due to the Council’s instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Permanent seat?
Since its establishment, the AMF has continued to evolve. Cooperation with Arkhangelsk7) ceased after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but several new (Western) member cities have been incorporated since then, such as Umeå, Luleå (Sweden), Harstad (Norway) and Yellowknife (Canada). The AMF has stated that it aims to be an inclusive platform and in continuously open to new members, whether it be larger cities, towns, villages, or Indigenous communities.8) This is illustrated by the membership of the Finnish municipality of Salla, which has a population of just over 3,000 residents.
In May 2022, Canadian Patti Bruns was appointed as the forum’s first Secretary-General, and in January 2023, a permanent secretariat for the AMF was established in Tromsø.9) The secretariat is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, funded for a three-year period. The AMF has established communication channels with the Arctic Council and was mentioned as a partner for cooperation in the opening remarks of the Norwegian government on priorities during its chairmanship of the Council.10) Furthermore, the EU includes the AMF as an actor with which it aims to collaborate with in its Arctic Policy from 2022, and the AMF is supporting the Arctic Urban and Regional Cooperation (AURC) network, currently funded by the EU.11)
The lack of local voices in Arctic governance
Why establish a new forum in a region already characterized by a patchwork of various soft law forums facilitating dialogue on different issues across the Arctic? One answer could be that regional cooperation is primarily led by the Arctic states, through the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC), and the Northern Dimension. Moreover, these governance mechanisms have faced significant challenges since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Arctic Council is experiencing turbulence,12) and BEAC has had to redefine its mandate following the breakdown of ties with its eastern neighbor and former member. Furthermore, although there are some Arctic cooperation mechanisms among subnational entities, none of them cover members and issues as extensively as the relatively newly established AMF.
Furthermore, in the patchwork of Arctic governance, the Arctic Council has been emphasized by the Arctic states since its establishment in 1995 as the foremost forum for regional cooperation. The Council not only facilitates scientific collaboration but also serves as the key political forum for Arctic affairs. High-level politicians and diplomats regularly convene, making the Council the primary international arena for Arctic matters. Here, the Arctic states, the six permanent Indigenous organizations, and the observers can promote their Arctic interests, set agendas, and assert the perspectives of their respective state or organization. Since the Council’s establishment, the number of non-Arctic states and international organizations observers has increased. However, one group notably absent from direct representation in the Council is the local governments in the Arctic.13)
One implication of the current situation is that representatives of the local population in the Arctic have limited influence in promoting their interests on the international stage through the Arctic Council. The increasing participation of external actors in recent decades has also affected the balance between the interests promoted by the newcomers and the local population through the state representatives in the Council, where the balance has shifted in favor of the former.
Another implication is that only a portion of the Arctic population – Indigenous peoples – are directly represented in the Arctic Council. The state representatives in the Council do aim to represent all residents within the states, including the local inhabitants. Furthermore, Indigenous peoples have a distinct need for representation that acknowledges their unique knowledge and concerns. Thus, a substantial part of the interests of the Arctic majority population is likely advocated for by both states and Indigenous representatives at the international level, as several interests and priorities overlap. However, examining debates at the national level, some disparities in interests become apparent, both between local and state governments and between the local majority and the Indigenous minority. Regarding the former, it is undeniable that the northern regions in the Arctic states are situated often hundreds of kilometers away from the capitals where the national policies are made. Regarding the latter, differing interests are particularly apparent on the development/conservation axis.
The limited formal role of local and regional governments in the Arctic Council, and thus at the international level, arguably played a role in the rationale for the establishment of the AMF. While the Council has become more inclusive for external actors over time, local communities have had limited opportunities to participate in discussions concerning their own region.
New Arctic perspectives?
Another explanation for the emergence of the AMF is the desire to represent the entire Arctic population and, potentially, to address other Arctic interests beyond those primarily addressed in the Arctic Council, which focuses mainly on environmental and climate challenges.
In alignment with this perspective, the forum can also be seen as a response to the oversimplified narratives about the Arctic often perpetuated by external actors. As expressed by the mayor of Umeå, the “EU tends to put Indigenous peoples and polar bears on all the pamphlets. But we have so much more to offer.”14) However, it is crucial to emphasize that the AMF does not solely represent the interest of the Arctic majority population. The forum actively seeks to include communities with a majority of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, climate and environmental protection are indeed focal points, but the forum also emphasizes economic development, infrastructure, and addressing depopulation.
The latter areas of focus could indeed be the essence of AMF’s input to the Arctic debate. The Arctic is not merely a remote, uninhabited place beneath the northern lights. It’s home to people whose livelihoods and community resilience depend on sustainable economic conditions and infrastructure. Beyond the simplified portrayal lies a reality of cities and communities striving to thrive. This perspective is a contribution that the AMF brings to the larger Arctic discussion.
Bringing Arctic local governments together
The AMF is emerging as a local cross-border initiative in the Arctic, aiming to involve local communities in national, regional, and international discussions on Arctic issues. As the forum consists of local governments, it remains to see how it will implement its goals while its influence is likely limited to setting agendas and participating in the Arctic discourse. Nevertheless, the forum is part of a broader trend where local forces in the Arctic call for a greater voice and greater representation.
Furthermore, cooperation between local entities in the Arctic has long faced significant challenges due to the vast geographical distances and limited human and financial capacities in many communities, including larger cities. The AMF can be viewed as an initiative to bridge this gap, despite currently lacking sufficient funding. Its establishment can still be a crucial first step towards bringing Arctic local governments closer together.
Therefore, the AMF’s most significant contribution to Arctic governance might not necessarily lie in the specific issues it addresses, but rather in the representation it offers by promoting local perspectives.
Iselin Németh Winther is a Junior Researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Lysaker, Norway.
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