Guidance for Ethical Arctic Research

Database of Indigenous (Co)-Created Arctic Research Guidelines and Guidance Document for Researchers and Indigenous Communities: Ethical Collaborations in Arctic Research

The work featured on this page are outcomes of NJUOLLA->QARJUK, a collaboration between the Saami Council (Sápmi, northern Europe), Ikaarvik (Mittimatalik, Nunavut, Canada), and the Research Institute for Sustainability (Potsdam, Germany). The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Read more about the project here.

Despite often having good intentions, contemporary Arctic research continues to reproduce the extractive and colonial structures embedded in dominant science, such as engaging with Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Knowledge in unethical or tokenistic ways,even among those framed as co-creative. In response to the fail to meet community-defined demands for research engagement within their homelands, many Indigenous communities and organizations across the Arctic have developed research guidelines to assert their rights over research conducted with and by them. These guidelines support the transition toward more ethical, community-led research practices.

The Database of Indigenous (Co)-Created Arctic Research Guidelines

The Database of Indigenous (Co)-Created Arctic Research Guidelines brings together publicly available Arctic research guidelines from regions in which our organizations operate: Sápmi (northern Europe), North America, and Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). It aims to help researchers to practice more ethical research that upholds Indigenous rights. It reflects the understanding that all Arctic research, regardless of discipline or location, impacts Indigenous Peoples. Even work conducted remotely or in uninhabited areas generates knowledge that informs decisions with consequences for Indigenous rights, livelihoods, and futures.

We therefore encourage all Arctic researchers to treat their work as relational and guided by reciprocity.

Go to Guidelines Database

Ethical Collaborations in Arctic Research: Guidance for Researchers and Indigenous Communities

For researchers and communities who are taking steps to develop project specific guidelines, or working in context where no written guidelines currently exist, we recommend checking out Ethical Collaborations in Arctic Research: Guidance for Researchers and Indigenous Communities. We co-created this supportive resource with the intention to provide guidance for researchers and Arctic Indigenous communities seeking to establishing ethical, respectful and mutually beneficial research collaborations.

Go to Research Guidance Document