Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
Join the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative for an exploration of key issues facing Greenland in light of the recent Greenland-Denmark-United States security agreement.
Jacob Isbosethsen, Head of Representation, Greenland Representation to the United States and Canada, will offer remarks on the new Greenland-Denmark-United States security agreement, Arctic geopolitics, Greenland’s aspirations for development, and the future of U.S.-Greenlandic relations. Sara Olsvig, Senior Emissary for the Central Arctic Ocean, Arctic Circle, will then join Isbosethsen virtually for a fireside chat. Finally, Halla Logadóttir, Member of the Icelandic Parliament, and David Balton, Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative, will provide Nordic and U.S. views of current Arctic geopolitics.
Audience Q&A to follow.
RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome to attend on Zoom.
Recording: The seminar will be recorded and available to watch on the Belfer Center's YouTube channel.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or for questions about access, please contact Elizabeth Hanlon-Warren (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu) in advance of the session.
Jacob Isbosethsen is the head of the Greenland Representation to the United States and Canada. He previously served as Head of Representation at the Greenland Representation in China, based in Beijing, with official side-accreditation to Japan, Korea, and Singapore. Prior to that, he served as Head of Representation in Iceland (2018–2021), Acting Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in Nuuk (2017), and Head of Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (2015–2017). He also served as Legal Advisor in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (2013–2015), Secretary to the Greenland Representation to the EU in Brussels (2011–2013), and as Head of Section at the Ministry for Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture (2008–2011). Born and raised in Nuuk, Greenland, Isbosethsen holds a Master of Laws (Cand.jur., LLM) from Aarhus University, completed in 2008. He has also undertaken advanced training in national and international security and defense at the Royal Danish Defense Academy and has completed specialized courses on UNCLOS and Continental Shelf procedures.
Sara Olsvig is the Senior Emissary for the Central Arctic Ocean, Arctic Circle. She has served as member of the Parliament of Denmark (2011–2015) and the Parliament of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) (2013–2018). Olsvig was the Chair of the international Indigenous Peoples’ Organization Inuit Circumpolar Council from 2022 to 2026, and Vice Premier and Minister for Social Affairs, Families, Gender Equality and Justice from 2016 to 2018. As a parliamentarian, she served as leader of the party Inuit Ataqatigiit and as Chair of the Arctic Parliamentarians Committee. Olsvig contributed actively to the work of Greenland’s Constitutional Commission and the Greenland Human Rights Council. She holds a Ph.D. in Arctic studies – culture, language and social studies from Ilisimatusarfik, an MSc in Anthropology from the University of Copenhagen, and a BA in Cultural and Social History from Ilisimatusarfik.
Halla Hrund Logadóttir is a member of Icelandic Parliament and teaches the Arctic course at the Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, Logadóttir served as the Director-General of Iceland's National Energy Authority and co-founded and co-directed the Arctic Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School where she now serves as an affiliate. Earlier, Logadóttir was the director of the Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavík University where she lectured on Energy policy.
David Balton is a Senior Fellow with the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative. During the Biden Administration, Balton served as the Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee, which advances and coordinates and U.S. policies and activities in the Arctic region. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries in the U.S. Department of State, attaining the rank of Ambassador in 2006. Balton was responsible for coordinating the development of U.S. foreign policy concerning oceans and fisheries, and overseeing U.S. participation in international organizations dealing with these issues. He functioned as the lead U.S. negotiator on a wide range of agreements in the field of oceans and fisheries and has chaired numerous international meetings. He was also a Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
