Imagining a New North: Lessons from Sapmi and Northern Norway

Sven-Roald Nysto (born 1956) has worked on Sámi and other Indigenous peoples’ issues in various capacities for more than 40 years. He was appointed to the Norwegian Government’s Sámi Rights Committee 1984-1997. Elected to the Sámi Parliament in Norway in 1993 representing Norwegian Sámi Association (NSR), he was appointed as President for two subsequent four-year terms, 1997-2005. Among several tasks, it included internationally being a member of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentarians for the Arctic Region, participating in Norway’s delegation to the Arctic Council, Barents Euro-Arctic Council and take part in governmental bilateral meetings particularly with other Nordic Countries, Canada, and Russia.

 Nysto started to work at Árran Lule Sámi Centre (situated in his community Ájluokta/Drag, Northern-Norway) in 2006 as Special Adviser, where Arctic- and High North Affairs became his main responsibility. By virtue of this, he became a member of the Norwegian Government’s Expert Committee on High North Affairs 2007- 2009. Nysto worked at Árran until Spring 2022, when he retired. He is a member of Norwegian Mineral Industry’s TSM Community of Interest Panel, was a member of the Advisory Council at the Centre for the Ocean and Arctic, UiT the Arctic University of Norway 2020-2024. He became a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group in the “Consolidation of Four Responsible Mining Standards” collaboration process between The Copper Mark, International Council on Mining and Metals, The Mining Association of Canada’s Toward Sustainable Mining Standard and World Gold Council, 23 June 2023.

 Since 2006 he has given 69 lectures and addresses and published 57 feature articles. He held an MPhil in Polar Studies from Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK. Nysto’s expertise is related to Arctic Indigenous peoples’ communities and their rights and opportunities in terms of governance, resource extraction, sustainable development, and business.