The NSPA Forum 2022, Sklefteå, Sweden!

The NSPA Forum, organized by the Northern Sparsely Populated Area network, has organized a two-day intensive workshop at Sklefteå in Sweden on 24-25 March 2022. The NSPA network represents the northernmost regions of Finland, Norway, and Sweden, aiming to address and tackle regional challenges. The region is sparsely populated with harsh climatic conditions having long distances between population settlements.

The Forum has attracted over 80 participants, including actors from regional governments, municipalities, academics and scholars, business actors, the European Union stakeholders, etc. Prof. Kamrul Hossain from the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law of the Arctic Centre has attended the Forum. The Forum started by providing essential background and the opportunity the Area may bring for its inhabitants and the overall regional development. Then, speakers highlighted the region's attractiveness and strategies for promoting sustainable regional development by integrating greener energy productions and supplies to support business and industry-sector developments. Finally, the workshop discussed four thematic agendas in four working groups. The four working group-agendas were: Arctic Resources – Bio-economy; Arctic resources – Minerals; Arctic Advantages and Arctic Attractiveness.