Arendal Week 2023

On Monday, the foreign ministers of Norway and Sweden – Anniken Huitfeldt and Tobias Billström – meet to discuss the Ukraine crisis and the way forward. The head of the Norwegian armed forces, Eirik Kristoffersen, is also part of a strong panel.

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel – the official Nordic ecolabel – names the buyer of the year.

Every young person deserves to be part of something. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. There are signs of growing dissatisfaction and loneliness in the Nordic Region. We bring together young people, experts and civil society to address an important challenge facing all of the Nordic countries: How do we include more young people? 

A great deal of work is being done in the Nordic Region on the use and sharing of health data and ethical AI. Here is a taster.

While we wait for the EU, the EU is coming to Arendal. Consumer power is strong, but the myriad of eco-labels and green claims make it challenging.

What will it take for the Nordic Region to benefit from the world’s best health data in a safe, secure and user-friendly way? 

It's time to find the best Nordic health app.

We talk about a vision of a zero-suicide rate, but what do we actually do about it? Nordland County Council, Mental Helse, LEVE and Vivat believe that suicide prevention is more than a health issue. It should be included in schools and education, in neighbourhoods and families. And useful programmes already exist! 

How can venture capital and a good welfare society support each other? Nordic Innovation and Venture Capital Challenge discuss a Nordic ecosystem for venture capital. How can we increase the amount of private capital that goes into creating Nordic businesses?  

We should eat more vegetables and less meat for the sake of both our health and the climate. For the first time, the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations are about what food is good for your health and for the environment. The issue raises many questions and triggers fierce debate. 

For many years, the Nordic Region has enjoyed relatively low electricity prices and a secure energy supply. Now, prices are high, energy security is under threat and we are in the midst of the green transition. 

Quality in education and schools has been a recurring theme in policy debates in recent years – the quality of teacher training, of the applicants and, in particular, of the actual teaching in the classroom. 

Save the Children and the Nordic Council of Ministers invite you to a political conversation about what needs to be done to maintain a strong welfare state and combat poverty in Nordic families.  

Nordic Media Days invites you to two thought-provoking lectures on disinformation and populism in the Nordic Region. 

We have invited leading figures in their respective fields to updates us on the state of disinformation and populism in the Nordic Region. 

KPMG and the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Freedom of Movement Council welcome you to a panel debate on the way forward for integration in the Nordic Region.   

The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, extreme weather events, migration, disinformation, inflation and polarisation – the crises are piling up. And that is a threat to trust – our Nordic ‘superpower’. 

Entrepreneurship is an important part of innovation, but its full potential is not being realised in the public sector.

The Nordic Region must prioritise hard and make major changes in mobility and transport in order to achieve it climate targets and vision. Should we do a little bit of everything, if that is possible, or should we focus on specific areas?  

How do we encourage young people and those already in work to train for green jobs? The Nordic Council of Ministers, the Nordic Council, Samfunnsbedriftene and ANSA invite you to a discussion about the future of working life.  

Climate change is happening faster in Svalbard and the Arctic than anywhere else in the world. The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Barba expedition, AgderXR and Arendalsuka Ung invite you to experience an extraordinary VR voyage to the Arctic.

The energy transition in Norway and the Nordic Region requires massive increases in generating capacity and both land and sea areas are under pressure. At the same time, we are also committed to following up on the UN’s new nature agreement and are dependent on the population, especially indigenous groups, having confidence in expansion and supporting it.

How will we live in a future that does not put a strain on the Earth's balance and resources? What will characterise the “good Nordic life” in the carbon-neutral society of the future? With the support of the New Nordic Bauhaus initiative, we bring creative and cultural values and dimensions into the discussion.

Artists have always been at the forefront of big social changes. How do we make it easier for them to lead the way, and how should society catch up with these pioneers?

The Nordic Council of Ministers, the Norwegian Genetic Resource Centre and NordGen invite you to a workshop on seeds and food security for children and young people.

Scientists used to build climate models, now they add model to model and come up with a supermodel! 

How do climate models work? And how do we come up with a supermodel?