Building on engagement and collaboration in the Circumpolar North – the GHO becomes a member of UArctic

Held in Quebec City, Canada, the 4^th University of the Arctic University of the Arctic (UArctic) Assembly hosted by Université Laval inspired dialogue and collaboration between members from countries in the Circumpolar North and outside of the region.

With a focus on sustainable development, climate change, and cross-cutting priorities of Arctic youth and Arctic Indigenous Peoples, discussions were centred around increasing opportunities for participation and engagement.

A key activity during the Assembly meeting was to welcome new members to the UArctic. Of the 17 new members, we are delighted to announce that building on our engagement in the region, the Global Health Office at McMaster University is now an official member.

“UArctic membership brings tremendous opportunity to build our Arctic networks and collaborate with other like-minded institutions. It was wonderful to represent McMaster University at this prestigious International event, in beautiful Quebec City,” remarked Alex Drossos, who represented the Global Health Office at the UArctic Assembly.

In honour of the 25^th anniversary of the Iqualuit Declaration, Her Excellency the Right Honourable, Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada and Commander-in-Chief of Canada gave a video address. Her Excellency was part of the delegation in Iqaluit in September 1998, when the Arctic Council’s Iqaluit Declaration announced the “establishment of the University of the Arctic, a university without walls.”  The full address can be viewed here.

As a network of universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations, UArctic provides a framework for knowledge generation and sharing across the North. Empowered by local knowledge and international expertise, the network facilitates the development of multidisciplinary solutions for challenges in the Arctic.

Arctic Health, also referred to as Circumpolar Health, is an emerging and growth field of interest within our Global Health offerings at McMaster University. Despite documented health disparities between the circumpolar north and other regions, the Arctic remains an underrepresented area in global health scholarship.

In response, the Global Health Office has initiated offerings to inspire dialogue including a 10-week Speaker Series, which explored diverse perspectives on Arctic Global Health.  The Series brought together professionals from Norwegian and Canadian universities, the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group, and the Canadian Northern Development Agency,

In addition, the new graduate course first offered in Winter 2022, Circumpolar Health: A Global Health Perspective, explores interdisciplinary perspectives on global health issues in the circumpolar north. Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to examine key health issues relating to the Arctic through the lens of health equity and the social determinants of health.

Check out the link to the Global Health Office – Arctic Hub to learn more about the Hub’s activities, collaborations, and the Circumpolar Health Course.

If you have any questions or wish to collaborate or connect, please email our Arctic Coordinator, Professor Alex Drossos, at drossos@mcmaster.ca.