Science Diplomacy Center

The Science Diplomacy Center has diverse synergies among members of the Founding Board of Directors (Drs. Jenny Baeseman, Paul Arthur Berkman, Bob Corell and Oran Young), who have long-standing UArctic connections. The focus of these synergies involves the triangulation of education, research and leadership with science diplomacy. This triangulation – involving informed decision-making and common-interest building skills, methods and theory – has been accelerating with UArctic since the 2017 Science policy forum on The Arctic Science Agreement Propels Science Diplomacy, in advance of the 2018 UArctic Congress Declaration:

“To move towards an Empowered North – with Shared Voices, we delegates of the UArctic Congress, representing the membership of UArctic, assembled Oulu and Helsinki, Finland from September 3-7, 2018, declare the following:

1. We continue to work in close partnership with the Arctic Council to support science-
informed decision-making, science advice, and science diplomacy.”

UArctic membership of the Science Diplomacy Center contributes to the UArctic Science Diplomacy Thematic Network that was initiated in 2017 by Prof. Berkman with diverse initiatives, reflected most recently with the:

• GLOBAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE (GIYSCC) that was hosted in 2023 and 2024 as a global dialogue by, for and among global Indigenous youth – in 2023 involving over 1300 registrants from more than 112 nations across 88 languages, in 2024 with over 800 registrants from 100+ nations across nearly 240 languages, and circling the Earth across three 8-hour time zones in 24 hours on the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES;

• Panel dialogue and publication about the Arctic Science and Technology Advice with Ministries at the Arctic Circle
Japan Forum from 4-6 March 2023 with Prof. Berkman and Dr. Baeseman as co-conveners;

• February-March 2022 webinar series on ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION: ARCTIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVICE WITH MINISTRIES that was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) with Prof. Berkman and Dr. Baeseman as co-conveners;

• Springer book series on INFORMED DECISIONMAKING FOR SUSTAINABILITY with Profs. Berkman and Young as series co-editors, involving diverse UArctic contributors in VOLUME 1 (2020) and VOLUME 2 (2022).