Statement by Ms Rigmor Dam,
Minister of Education, Research and Culture, Faroe Islands
(Theme 4: Arctic Science as a Vehicle for STEM Education and Citizen Empowerment)
Mr Chairman, fellow research ministers, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking the US Government and the White House for taking the initiative to organize this important event.
It is an honour for me as Minister of Education, Research and Culture in the Faroe Islands to join the discussion here today, together with our neighbours and partners.
Faroese participation and expertise in Arctic research and monitoring covers a range of areas, from flora and sea birds, marine biology, oceanography and climate change, to environmental pollution and radiation monitoring, as well as human health, social development and governance.
Like other nations and communities in the Arctic, the Faroese economy, society and very way of life is closely connected to, and highly dependent on the natural environment.
The commonalities we share with other circumpolar communities provide an excellent basis for focused and effective international research cooperation in our region. And such cooperation is not only necessary, but absolutely vital for small countries - like ours.
We have specialized and highly relevant contributions to make, through collaborative and comparative projects. And it is precisely through this collaboration, that we can develop and expand our limited resources, in ways that reach far beyond individual research projects.
The Faroe Islands are proud to be partner in the EDU-ARCTIC project. Its focus and aim is to use Arctic research to contribute to the science education curricula all across Europe. It aims to encourage students aged 13 to 20 to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). EDU-ARCTIC uses interactive, innovative online tools that allow everyone to use Arctic research as a teaching tool in secondary school education in Europe. The possibilities for distance learning and online education are becoming more and more relevant to the Faroe Islands as well as to the rest of the Arctic region.
Faroese institutions of higher education offer several educational programmes relevant for Arctic cooperation, in fields such as natural sciences, the social sciences and maritime affairs. The University of the Faroe Islands takes part in a number of international cooperation agreements with Arctic partners.
Last year, as part of the University of the Arctic network, the new international and interdisciplinary master program called West Nordic Studies, Governance and Sustainable Management, was launched. This new master program provides students with a unique opportunity to take part in shaping our region.
The EDU-Arctic project and the West Nordic Studies program are just two of the many programs and projects with strong Faroese participation.
Mr. Chairman, Ministers, ladies and gentlemen
I would like to end by emphasizing that the Faroe Islands have both a lot to gain and a lot to give through active research collaboration across the Arctic.
Our country may be tiny in terms of population and land mass. However our maritime area is very large, placing us among major coastal states.
Our location in the Northeast Atlantic, where the cold waters from the high Arctic converge with the warm currents from the Gulf stream, has long since been recognized as globally important for observing and modelling climate change.
We are pleased to provide scientific expertise to the international research and monitoring efforts related to oceans and climate change.
On a daily basis we learn frightening news about a changing climate and the consequences of a thawing arctic. This plants fear and shakes our democracy. Our heritage to our young generations must be to maintain a high level of general education as a base for citizen empowerment for a sustainable governance of our environment. We must incite hope and pass on the gift of science and education so our young generations obtain a strong resilience to cope with change.
We do not want our participation in Arctic research to focus on how small or remote we are. We want to show the world and our own future generations that size and distance are not our disadvantage. They are a reality allowing us to contribute with science and knowledge of vital importance to the future of our planet.