This weekend, Norwich School hosts the sixth ever NORMAC conference, the world's only stand-alone Model Arctic Council event. L6 pupil Bibi reports:
Norwich Model Arctic Council (NORMAC) is one of the very few Model Arctic Councils held at secondary-school level, and still the world’s only stand-alone Model Arctic Council event. It is pupil led, with the Secretariat being composed of fifteen Norwich School pupils. This is the sixth iteration, following the launch of NORMAC in 2016.
NORMAC is a simulation of the real-world Arctic Council. Established in 1996 as a high-level international forum, the Arctic Council is devoted to advancing international cooperation and good governance across the Circumpolar North. What makes the Arctic Council unique amongst intergovernmental organisations is also what makes the NORMAC unique amongst diplomatic simulations—the full participation of Arctic Indigenous peoples alongside Arctic states, and the rule of consensus for all decisions.
This weekend, Norwich School welcomes over forty delegates from four schools across the UK and from Bilbao in Basque Country, North-Western Spain. Two or three delegates represent a delegation, and there are eight Arctic States: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and USA; and six Indigenous Permanent Participants organisations: Aleut International Association (AIA), Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC), Gwich’in Council International (GCI), Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and Russia Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON); that are represented.
The Opening Ceremony was held on Thursday 3 March, including an opening speech from Mr Griffiths and Dr Speca, and opening statements from the Heads of Delegations. This was followed by the Welcome Dinner in the Norwich School Refectory.
On Friday, the Working Group meetings will be held at the Norfolk Club and the day will finish with debriefings for the Arctic States and for the Permanent Participants. On Saturday the Senior Arctic Officials meetings will take place in the Blake Studio, again followed by debriefings. On Saturday evening, the formal dinner, keynote speech and Arctic ‘pub quiz’ will be held at the Assembly House. On Sunday, the Senior Arctic Officials meeting will continue until midday, again in the Blake Studio. After lunch, the Ministerial meeting, Plenary debriefing and Closing Ceremony will take place to end NORMAC 6.
The conference will focus on two issues: thawing Arctic permafrost and passing Indigenous knowledge from elders to youth. The first will be considered by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), and the latter by the Sustainable Working Development Group (SWDG) during the Working Group meetings on Friday.
Information can be found on their website: normac.polaraspect.com, and updates and information will be posted via our Instagram and Twitter at @PolarMACs.