United Nations Development Programme CHALLENGES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN THE ARCTIC

This paper examines past and current development trends in the Arctic from the viewpoint of human development. It is an attempt to see how these trend affect the present state of human development in the region, and what future opportunities are possible, particularly for the wellbeing of indigenous peoples living in this region. The purpose here is to encourage debate and raise questions for further research and policy debate. The main conclusion—or, more appropriately, hypothesis—emerging from the discussion is that a change in perspective may be required if development in the Arctic is to become more sustainable and people-centered. To date, policy analyses and debates have tended to look at the circumpolar region from the outside--with an interest in how the region relates to more southern policy concerns and endeavors. Fostering sustainable human development, however, requires matching outside interests in the region with an insiders ' perspective, focusing on the development needs and resources of Arctic communities and territories, and on how they could, towards this end, cooperate with actors outside the region. Although considerabl