HSH Prince Albert Invited to Kautokeino by ICR to Open Institute

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Written by Philip Burgess

Wednesday, 01 September 2010 21:36

The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and their partners have invited Albert II, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco, the head of the House of Grimaldi and the current ruler of the Prinicipality of Monaco to attend the official opening of the UArctic EALÁT Institute for Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry which is to be held at the end of March, 2011 in Kautokeino, Norway.

During his reign, Prince Albert has put sustainable development, the protection of the environment and the challenges raised by climate change at the centre of his reign.

In 2006, he visited the North Pole as part of a Russian Arctic expedition making him the first incumbent head of state to reach the Pole. This was the same year that HSH Prince Albert created the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation which continues the Principality of Monaco's commitment by supporting sustainable and ethical projects around the world which focus on three main challenges: climate change and developing renewable energies; combating the loss of biodiversity; and water management (improving universal access to clean water) and fighting desertification.

HSH Prince Albert has also been an active participant in the IPY – both at the official opening in Paris, and the closing ceremony at the IPY Oslo Science Conference in 2010.

The UArctic Institute EALÁT Institute for Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry will be a unique addition to the academic landscape of the Arctic, with its focus on a circumpolar reindeer husbandry, a livelihood specifically adapted to the North and practiced by over 20 different indigenous peoples. The institute aims to increase the educational and research capacity of reindeer herding and other Arctic peoples and increase the public understanding for Arctic issues and the challenges facing indigenous peoples and reindeer husbandry.

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HSH Prince Albert II (2nd from left), UArctic President Lars Kullerud (Centre), UArctic Vice President of Indigenous Affairs and new ICR Board Member Jan Henry Keskitalo, Uni of Lapland Rector Mauri Yla Talo, and Outi Snellman, UArctic International Office Vice President).

The Institute is an important legacy of the International Polar Year and a direct legacy of the IPY EALÁT Network Study that has significantly raised the profile of reindeer husbandry and the impacts of climate change and loss of pastures on the circumpolar livelihood. Importantly, the Institute aims to be a tool for recruiting indigenous youth to scientific work thereby building competence locally in reindeer herders’ societies, signaled by its establishment in Kautokeino, the largest centre of Sami reindeer husbandry.

This makes HSH Prince Albert an excellent fit for the newly established UArctic Institute and ICR and its partners hope that he will be receptive to the invitation as at the IPY Oslo Science Conference in 2010, The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the University of the Arctic signed an agreement for cooperation concerning issues in the Arctic, such as education, research and knowledge transfer. Through the partnership, the two entities aim at replicating to other regions threatened by climate change the knowledge gained by the Arctic people. They also wish to increase understanding of northern environmental issues and examine the possibility of creating stipend programs for students at a UArctic member institution.

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