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SECTION 2. INSTITUTES TO PROMOTE
LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Jan Henry KESKITALO
Vice-President Indigenous, University of the Arctic;
Member, Commission of Norway for UNESCO;
Executive Chair, World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium
(Alta, Norway)
University of the Arctic’s Contribution
to Maintaining Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Arctic:
Improvements Through Networking and Partnership
What is the University of the Arctic
The University of the Arctic, or as referred to in popular form: UArctic, is a
cooperative network consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations
in the Arctic committed to higher education and research in the North.
The UArctic members through their network share resources, facilities, and
expertise to provide post-secondary education that is relevant, and accessible
to students as well as communities of the North.
For this particular presentation, I will combine general information about the
University of the Arctic; its vision, goals, priorities and strategy with more
specific focus on UArctic priorities regarding the indigenous peoples of the
Arctic. This will cover how indigenous peoples in the Arctic involve with the
network, and what UArctic services and activities could possibly support the
further development of the priorities of the indigenous peoples. The linguistic
and cultural integrity of the indigenous peoples, and how this is served by the
higher education system, is what contributes to a true linguistic and cultural
diversity from the viewpoints and needs of the indigenous peoples.
UArctic is founded partly by initiative of, and strongly in principle supported by,
the Arctic Council. UArctic already from the early initiative of establishment
works in close partnership with indigenous peoples recognizing their integral
role in northern education, in training, in knowledge generation and transfer.
UArctic practices involvement of indigenous peoples in its governance,
in planning, and seeks to engage indigenous principles, perspectives and
participation in its operations. Our overall goal is to create a strong, sustainable
circumpolar region by empowering northerners in general, and indigenous
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