In March each year politicians and outstanding representatives of research and business get the opportunity to meet the future leaders of the High North – and vice versa. It happens during the conference High North Dialogue in Bodø. This year the conference will be held on 17-19 March 2015.
From 2015 the Arctic Dialogue Conference is changing name to HIGH NORTH DIALOGUE.
The Arctic Dialogue has been organized and initiated by the High North Centre for Business and Governance at Bodø Graduate School of Business, University of Nordland, and up to 2012, supported by HBW Resources (USA), to foster dialogue and increase information sharing between stakeholders in the Arctic.
The Dialogue series offers a unique and intimate scene and was at the beginning in 2006 a departure from a traditional conference setting. All stakeholders are equal participants and help in constructing the directional content of the Dialogues. The circum-Arctic-Dialogue offers valuable lessons for all communities that are currently examining the prospects of expanding offshore oil and gas production in an environmentally sustainable manner. The roundtable seminar series endeavours to foster discussion, develop dialogue on sustainable development and sound environmental practices as well as share regional experiences from such diverse locations as the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark in Norway, North Aleutians and North Slope, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, the Beaufort and Labrador Seas in Canada and Yamal Peninsula and Sakhalin, Russia to fully examine the benefits and challenges associated with offshore commercial fishing, oil & gas activities and other industries located in the Arctic.
The whole concept started in 2006 when Jan Terje Henriksen and Jan-Oddvar Sørnes were flying back from a opening of a new NGO (involving David Holt and Andrew Browning) in Houston, US and discussed the possibility of making something similar here in Bodø, building a forum for energy and petroleum related networking.
They were also involved with the new Master Programme «Energy Management» (recruiting started autumn 2005) and saw an opportunity to combine these ideas with the new Programme.
After their trip to USA Jan Terje and Jan-Oddvar had been working hard to connect with institutions in America and through Andrew Browning of HBW Resources in Houston, they got in touch with School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University (Manhattan, NY) (Shirley Neff og David Nissen), and Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, Washington DC. Based on this network a course on Geopolitics, conducted by Andrew Browning was designed. At the same time, Jan-Oddvar and Jan Terje had been to Houston to meet David Holt, a colleague of Andrew, who became a strong contributor and supporter financially and professionally. A programme for student internship was also agreed, and two students from Energy Management have every year been a semester in Houston/Austin for their final thesis.
The American link was strong for a long time. When the cooperation with Russia through MGIMO and later Rosneft was introduced the focus had to be somewhat balanced. The American network is still working well through research and other R&D related activities, while the direct connection to the Master programmes has been reduced.
Petter Nore and Johan Petter Barlindhaug were involved from the beginning and Petter Nore is still an Adjunct Professor with the Business School.
In 2010 the students from the new Master Programme "Sustainable Management" were included in the conference.
From 2013 a Master course was developed and all Master students at the Energy Management and Sustainable Management have to fulfill the course as part of their degree. From 2014 the course was opened to other external students as well, and an Arctic Bridge PhD course was included. From 2015 the plan is to offer a specific High North Dialogue PhD course as well.
Source: High North Dialogue 2015
Check out the 2015 HND here.