Human Security in the Arctic

The Leiv Eirikssons Mobility Program provides the crucial step from the stage of agreement between researchers to the planning and implementation stage. The rationale for our work is that it is becoming clear that recognition of human security issues in n orthern contexts is imperative to the development of the concept of human security as a whole, as well as to bringing arctic issues to the fore within a new research arena. As such, a working group composed of Canadian and Norwegian researchers has been e stablished to address the neglect of human security issues in the Global North, in this case with a focus on the Arctic region. The Arctic has long been a peripheral region of the north. As a region devoid of open armed conflict, the region has not been t he focus of human security researchers. However it is becoming more apparent that to take human security seriously, issues of the Arctic need to be taken into account. In this region we find a particular and intricate blend of security issues: ·environmen tal (eg. persistent organic pollutants, global environmental change, effects of invasive non-indigenous species, struggles for biodiversity and biosecurity); ·health (suicide, addiction, increases of breast cancer, neurological damage due to pollutants f rom the southern, industrialized regions); ·food (toxins in traditional foods, starvation, access and health problems associated with southern foods); ·economics (traditional economies struggling against market economies, reduced access to market economie s, exploitation of natural resources) ·cultural and identity (high rates of suicide associated with loss of culture/identities among indigenous peoples, gender identities - western vs indigenous, family and sexual violences) During the crucial planning st age the project leaders will 1. apply for funding from Canadian and Norwegian sources, apply to participate in IPY, complete our first edited volume on Human Security in the Arctic (published through CCI).