“Cooperation Across the Arctic” Became the Keyword at Panel Debate at Westnordic Day

Calvin Pedersen, a fourth-generation ranger with SAR Nunavut, shared experiences from the Canadian Arctic. He highlighted how search and rescue operations are deeply interconnected with the strong sense of community that characterizes many Indigenous populations in the Arctic regions. 

“As a volunteer, you often know the people reporting someone missing, or you know the person who is missing,” he explained. 

Calvin Pedersen noted that recruiting volunteers for SAR operations is rarely difficult because helping one another is a deeply rooted value in these communities. At the same time, local volunteers possess extensive knowledge of the land, making them indispensable in SAR.  

This perspective Lars Borris Pedersen of Qamutit SAR agreed with. He stressed that trust in local expertise must remain a cornerstone of effective emergency response: 

“There should be a great trust in local knowledge, as the local volunteers often are those, who know how to operate in Greenland most quickly and effectively.”
 

A Stronger Arctic Cooperation Effort is Needed 

The need for closer cooperation and stronger coordination emerged as ongoing themes throughout the debate. These priorities also lie at the core of the Nordic Arctic Programme, which for the past 30 years has worked to strengthen collaboration between Arctic regions. 

The panel agreed that the challenges facing Arctic preparedness cannot be reduced to financial resources alone. Several speakers emphasized that effective coordination is often one of the most important, yet least visible, elements of a resilient emergency response system. 

Ingibjörg Ómarsdóttir pointed out that successful coordination often goes unnoticed: 

“Coordination is incredibly important, but good coordination is often invisible. When it works well, people hardly notice it, yet the consequences and damage are significantly reduced.” 

The discussion also touched upon the possibility of establishing a national coordinating body for voluntary response efforts and civil preparedness in Greenland, something that does not currently exist. 

Major General Søren Andersen of the Joint Arctic Command noted that any initiative to strengthen national coordination in Greenland would need to come from national authorities. However, he emphasized that the Joint Arctic Command would be able to support such efforts with its expertise.