On the proposal of the Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President Lennart Meri gave his consent to become a member of the Northern Research Forum.

The first forum will be held on November 4-6, 2000, at the University of Akureyri; more than 100 scholars and politicians from the Nordic Countries, the Baltic States, Russia, the United States of America, and Canada will participate. The programme includes a wide-range discussion and a presentation of a number of papers by world-known scholars.

The idea of the Northern Research Forum was first proposed by Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the President of Iceland, in Rovaniemi, Finland, on the occasion of his speech commemorating the official opening of the twentieth academic year of the University of Lapland, in September 1998. There is a worldwide growing interest in the northern regions, their environment, inahbitants and cultural heritage, as well as their economic, political and social progress. The Northern Research Forum (the NRF) could become a foundation for intensive dialogue focusing on problems and and opportunities which face the peoples in the northern regions. The Forum's objective is to increase understanding of and contribute effective, practical solutions for critical issues as sustainable development and community viability, peace and security, social and environmental policy, and the impacts of global change. It is to provide a framework where research on northern issues can be shared and discussed in regular meetings of a wide variety of scientists, politicians and community leaders, students and representatives of other stakeholders.

The secretariat for the NRF is jointly managed by the University of Akureyri and the Stefansson Arctic Institute on Iceland. The Board of the Nordic Research Forum consists of Professor Andrei Golovnev from the Institute of Archaeology and History, Russia, Thorsteinn Gunnarsson from the University of Akureyri, Iceland, Senior Scientist Lassi Heininen from the University of Lapland, Finland, Professor Peter G. Johnson from the University of Ottawa in Canada, and Professor Oran Young, from the Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, USA. In addition to Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the President of Iceland, also the Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and former Finniish President Martti Ahtisaari, as well as Yuri V. Neyolov, Governor of Salekhard, Russia, and Thor Heyerdahl, explorer and scholar, and the Estonian President Lennart Meri, are members of the Honorary Board.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, November 6, 2000

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