A 2026 Arctic Council Update from the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

February 12, 2026

We sat down with Kenneth Høegh, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, to get a status update about the Arctic Council and the Kingdom of Denmark’s Chairship plans for the year ahead.

Arctic geopolitics have come into focus globally. How does this affect the work of the Arctic Council?

The geopolitical landscape that has been evolving over the last year has put the Arctic Council in a challenging situation. Of course, we are not living in a bubble. But the Arctic Council is resilient. Diplomatic channels are open and dialogue continues.

Meetings at the political level have been on pause since 2022, while scientific and Working Group level meetings have resumed virtually. In the absence of traditional large-scale diplomatic meetings, my job as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials is to facilitate cooperation between all States and Indigenous Permanent Participants to make sure that all voices are heard and that the Council’s work can move forward. I regularly meet with all Arctic States, Permanent Participants and Working Groups to make this happen. In fact, I just held the latest round of meetings with Permanent Participants, Working Groups and Observers the first week of February.

It was decided when the Council was founded 30 years ago to keep issues of security and defence outside of the Council. This has been an extremely good thing, and I think that’s part of the resilience that we still see today. The Arctic Council has been through hard times before. The important thing is that all States and Permanent Participants remain committed to and focused on our core work addressing human, social and environmental issues.

How do you see Arctic Council cooperation evolving moving forward?

The challenges and opportunities that we share in the Arctic will always be there. We are talking about an Arctic that is interlinked in so many ways, not only in terms of nature and environment, but also in terms of human activity, such as shipping.

Over 30 years ago, there was a need to bring together Arctic States and Arctic Indigenous Peoples to tackle these common issues. This is the same need we have today, and I’m sure it will be relevant for generations to come.

So far, what have you enjoyed most in your role as Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials? What has been most challenging?

What I've been enjoying the most is actually the good cooperation and good atmosphere we have among all Arctic States and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations. We talk to each other constructively. Everyone is committed to open and productive dialogue, and this is both motivating and rewarding.

In terms of challenges, it's no secret that the Arctic Council has been going through difficult times for some years now. But we are working on it. We are finding a path in these uncharted areas. Arctic States have diverging priorities, but this is nothing new. The Arctic Council has always been a forum that adapts to what the States and Permanent Participants want it to be. There are a lot of different projects and topics addressed in the Arctic Council, and States can select which projects they are involved in. Through our efforts to improve working modalities for the Working Groups, we can initiate more projects that appeal to everyone and have a real impact in the Arctic.

This year the Arctic Council marks its 30th anniversary. From your perspective, what achievements stand out as most significant?

The fact that Indigenous Peoples are sitting around the table together with States – we have nothing like that elsewhere. This is what makes the Council special. They also contribute their knowledge to the many projects and reports that the Council produces. The fact that this is a core value of the Arctic Council is something that is quite significant and not seen so commonly elsewhere.

It's also the ability for the Council to continue work on our core mandate through 30 years. We have been able to communicate with each other for three decades now and achieve results, even through difficult times. Even when we are running into challenges from time to time, we are still able to continue the good work.

Another accomplishment worth mentioning is the Council’s contribution to international treaties and conventions. Our work has fed into the Polar Code, the Stockholm Convention and others. Through its reports, the Council sounded the alarm about how changes in the Arctic have an impact around the world. It essentially put the Arctic on the international world’s radar. So, I like to share that as a good example of how the Council’s work not only has influence in the Arctic, but also globally.

What are your plans for the year ahead that people can look forward to?

Coming up very soon at the end of March is the annual Arctic Science Summit Week 2026, where our Chairship will host a full day event with sessions on climate change in the Arctic and the work of the Arctic Council in relation to this topic.

From 26-28 May the Chairship is hosting the Ocean Connectivity Conference, which will be part of UArctic Congress 2026 in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. This will be a flagship event where we focus on connectivity between the High Arctic and Sub-Arctic. There are sessions being arranged on topics like biodiversity, pollutants, climate change, marine governance and more. If I were to recommend one event to attend, this would be it.

Then in the fall we have a number of Chairship events. We are in the planning stages of an event dedicated to cruise and passenger ship incidents in the Arctic. We will also host an expert-led workshop on advancing sustainable economic development within the Arctic Council, which will take place before the end of October in Ilulissat, Greenland. So there are a lot of important events and meeting touchpoints to look forward to this year.