Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme funds distributed: Sustainable projects in Greenland receive support
The Nordic Council of Ministers’ pool for the Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme, which aims to promote Nordic international cooperation in – and for the benefit of – the Arctic, has allocated funds for a number of exciting projects, including Siu-Tsiu and MIO.
The Nordic Council of Ministers’ Nordic Arctic Cooperation Programme, administered by NAPA – the Nordic Institute in Greenland and Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland, has granted funds for 22 projects this year. NAPA received a total of 56 applications this year, which is more than in 2022 and 2023, and thereby shows an increased interest in promoting sustainable and cultural projects in the Arctic.
Two examples of the supported projects are:
Siu-Tsiu – Arctic-Art-Works
The Siu-Tsiu project in Qaqortoq aims to create a platform where vulnerable young people can grow in a safe environment. By establishing a print shop in Qaqortoq, the project will support and promote Greenlandic artistic talent, while offering young people opportunities to develop skills in artistic production and printing. This initiative will contribute to creating job opportunities and strengthen the young people’s skills and independence. Siu-Tsiu collaborates with organizations such as Grennessminde in Denmark and Daiddadallu in Northern Norway to create a development space of security for young people through art and cultural exchange.
The project receives DKK 350,000 in support.
MIO – Preliminary study on the Complaints Board for Children in Greenland
MIO, Greenland’s children’s rights institution, is working on a preliminary study that will pave the way for the establishment of a complaint body for children in Greenland. The project aims to ensure greater compliance with children’s rights by seeking out knowledge and experience from Nunavut, Iceland and Denmark. The goal is to create direct access to complaints for children in Greenland, which can ensure that their rights are respected and that they get the necessary help. This project will contribute to strengthening children’s rights and creating better conditions for children in Greenland.
The project receives DKK 300,000 in support.
In total, the funds have been distributed to projects from several different Nordic countries, including Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Greenland.
NAPA is proud to support these projects, which not only promote art and culture in the Arctic, but also strengthen the opportunities and rights of young people. We look forward to following the development of the projects.
While it is the Nordic cooperation ministers who have overall responsibility for the pool, and the Nordic Advisory Committee for the Arctic (NRKA) who are responsible for distributing the funds, it is NAPA and Ilisimatusarfik who are jointly responsible for managing the pool. An evaluation panel consisting of PhD researchers and experts from the Arctic labor market, in the form of business people, cultural figures and economists, has helped assess the applications. The Nordic Council of Ministers finances the pool.
Here is the list of which projects have been granted funding through the Arctic Cooperation Programme:
| Applicant | Project | Country | |
| Jarvik Geoconsulting AB | The Ikaite columns – past and future, and prospects in a changing Arctic – 3rd year | Sweden | |
| Copenhagen Business School | Towards a socially just transition in the Arctic: Exploring, theorizing and disseminating best practice in meaningful stakeholder engagement for communities | Denmark | |
| University of Oulu | Arctic Healthy Aging communities: Safe and inclusive outdoor environment and public spaces (The Nordic AHA-Communities) | Finland | |
| International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) | Monitoring Indigenous Peoples’ rights in Sápmi – Phase 3 | Denmark | |
| University of Lapland | Sustainable Indigenous Tourism in the Nordic Arctic | Finland | |
| Greenland Institute of Natural Resources | Enhancing narwhal conservation for sustainable Arctic development through innovative monitoring technologies | Greenland | |
| Børnerettighedsinstitutionen MIO | En forundersøgelse om muligheden for at etablere en klageinstans for børn i Grønland | Greenland | |
| University of the Faroe Islands | Genetic diversity in fish species in the Arctic ecosystem | Faroe Islands | |
| Aileen Espiritu (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway) | ARCSUS+SDG: Governing Arctic Urban Sustainability through the lens of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals | Norway | |
| Old Friends Industries | YOUR STORY OUR FUTURE – Defining Arctic Leadership | Denmark | |
| The Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) | Cape Town Agreement: Safety of fishing vessels in the Arctic | Iceland | |
| Hrimfare HB | Sailing4Science Arctic-Sustainable arctic sailing tourism with cocreation of citizen science for benefits of local communities and the arctic research agendas | Sweden | |
| The Arctic Council’s Working Group on the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) | Arctic Biodiversity Monitoring Toolkit Phase III | Iceland | |
| University of Iceland, Department of Geography and Tourism | Tourism Employment in the Arctic: Towards Decent Work | Iceland | |
| In futurum | Stemmer i Norden: Et kunstnerisk sprog for retfærdighed & inklusion | Denmark | |
| Fonden Den Selvejende Institution Siu Tsiu | Arctic Art Works | Greenland | |
| Tænketanken for Digital Infrastruktur | Infrastrukturel udsathed i Arktis / Infrastructural deprivation in the Arctic | Denmark | |
| Arctic Mayors’ Forum | Strengthening Local Voices in Arctic Governance | Norway | |
| PAME | Sixth meeting of the Arctic Shipping Best Practice Information Forum | Iceland | |
| Aarhus University | Flushwatch: An educational program on litter flushed from the toilet to the sea | Denmark | |
| PAME | A 10-year trend in Arctic Tourism vessels | Iceland | |
| NORDTING – Amund Sjølie Sveen | PanArcticVision 2024-26 | Norway | |
Other news
Arctic perspectives and Nordic tones at Arctic Sounds in Sisimiut
A travelogue from when NAPA participated with workshops, networks and Nordic notes at Greenland’s largest music festival Arctic Sounds in Sisimiut. Arctic Sounds 2021 took place over two weekends in April. Greenlandic and Arctic artists gathered in Sisimiut to celebrate music, interaction and the artistic
A look back at Suialaa Arts Festival 2025
Suialaa Arts Festival 2025 took place in Nuuk from 23–26 October. The festival is Greenland’s largest recurring cultural event, held every two years. NAPA is proud co-owner of the festival together with Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq. his year, Suialaa unfolded throughout Nuuk with concerts, theatre, dance performances, exhibitions, literary events, seminars, workshops and shared meeting spaces for artists and audiences. Thank you to all artists, volunteers and partners for contributing to an open, inclusive and inspiring festival. We already look forward to next time! Until then, you can view images from this year’s festival in our gallery.
Citizens in Disko Bay met with NAPA
NAPA’s employees are now back in Nuuk after the trip to the five towns of Disko Bay in June 2021We met with fresh students, teachers and school inspectors at the schools to talk about their Nordic opportunities, including Nordplus and Vi er Vestnorden. In the
Nordic strings in Greenland
The Nordic string group Unison Strings has made workshops for children and young people and played concerts in Greenland Since 2014, the inter-Nordic classical string festival, Unison Strings Festival – Greenland, has been inviting string students and professional string players from Greenland, the Faroe Islands,