Mayors and representatives from Member municipalities recently met in Reykjavik and online to discuss shared challenges, emerging priorities, and where joint action can make a difference. Together, they reviewed current priorities and identified issues that should be elevated on the Arctic Mayors’ Forum’s agenda. They also explored tighter collaboration with the Arctic Council and advanced planning on the Forum’s first thematic Working Groups.
Local communities and Indigenous Peoples are moving closer to the center of Arctic discussions, both regionally and internationally. One example is the EU’s new Arctic Strategy, which places Arctic communities at the heart of its vision for “Europe’s Northern Neighborhood.” As local voices gain greater recognition in discussions on a secure and resilient Arctic, the timing of AMF Members’ strategic meeting in early October could hardly have been better.
A strategic shift with continuity
“It is, without a doubt, an exciting moment for our Forum,” said Patti Bruns, AMF Secretary General. The meeting, she emphasized, marked an important strategic shift. Since the last strategic planning process in 2023, AMF membership has grown, funding has increased and diversified, and the Forum has become a trusted partner in many projects addressing issues at the heart of community needs.
“Our Membership convened to determine where the momentum we have built over the past years will be put to work. We openly discussed which challenges and opportunities Members want to focus on over the next four years.”
Members discussed longstanding priorities such as community attractiveness and sustainable development, alongside emerging concerns related to emergency preparedness and community resilience. Two themes stood out during discussions: the importance of mental health and well-being, and youth as a cross-cutting priority. Members stressed that thriving Arctic communities depend on young people having opportunities to remain in the North and participate in shaping their communities.
Throughout the meeting, participants highlighted the value of consistent knowledge sharing. Challenges in retaining youth, ensuring sustainable development, and building resilience in face of growing risks, reflect the realities of local communities. Sharing experiences across borders and learning from each other’s best practices was therefore reaffirmed as one of AMF’s unique strengths. Members also underscored the Forum’s role in ensuring local communities have a collective voice in decisions that affect people living in the North.
Strong partnerships for local implementation
Building close relationships with partners remains another key priority for AMF. These partnerships include the EU, the Arctic Council, the Nordic Council of Ministers, Global Affairs Canada, Harvard’s Arctic Initiative, the University of Ottawa and many others. Cooperation with the Arctic Council was a particular focus of the meeting.
Hosted in the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Hlynur Gudjónsson, Iceland’s Arctic Ambassador and Senior Arctic Official, welcomed AMF Members to Reykjavik, while Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, Kenneth Høegh, shared the Kingdom of Denmark’s perspective on opportunities for closer collaboration between the two organizations.
“The relationship between the Arctic Council and the Arctic Mayors’ Forum matters because Arctic cooperation is closely connected to the communities it serves,” Høegh emphasized.
He highlighted several areas where AMF and Arctic Council Working Groups could work more closely together, including community preparedness, tourism, waste management, and youth wellbeing.
Members shaping the agenda
The final objective of the meeting was to advance the establishment of AMF’s first two thematic Working Groups. With the launch of the EU-funded BRIDGE project (“Building Resilient International Dialogue and Governance for Arctic Engagement”), AMF is able to develop more permanent structures and better support Members in bringing local perspectives into Arctic policy discussions.
A central part of this effort is the creation of two permanent thematic Working Groups, which will provide municipalities with a structured platform to advance local priorities. The Working Groups will be member-led, bringing together municipal leaders, technical staff, and subject-matter experts to address municipal needs and develop projects with tangible outcomes.
