I am a Government of Greenland civil servant currently posted as First Secretary to the Greenland Representation in Washington, D.C. working for a strengthened relationship with North America, with whom Greenland shares close ties – not only geographically, but also through the Indigenous culture and language shared with Inuit across Canada and Alaska.

I have worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Greenland since January 2015, but started my career with the Government during my studies, as an intern at the Representation to the EU in Brussels, back in 2011. I have a Bachelor of Arts in the Spanish language and American Studies and a Master’s degree (MSc) in International Development.

Prior to coming to DC, I was Head of Section for Greenland’s trade policy and responsible for coordinating Greenland’s participation in international program cooperation, hereunder as Greenland’s representative to the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme. In addition, in 2016 Rebecca was appointed as the Kingdom of Denmark’s Head of Delegation (HoD) to the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG). In this function I had the overall coordinating role within the Kingdom of Denmark across agencies, ministries, communities, and governments to secure successful engagement and output of projects aimed at advancing sustainable development in the Arctic. During my time serving as HoD, I formed part of the team that developed the 2017 – 2030 SDWG Strategic Framework.

During this time, I was responsible for formulating, presenting and defending the Government of Greenland’s interests in the Council, both within the Delegation of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as in representing the joint positions of the Kingdom of Denmark in relation to other Arctic States. During this period, I have therefore frequently handled negotiations at the highest non-political level on issues of significant importance to Greenland.

During my period serving in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Nuuk, Rebecca was also given responsibility for representing Greenland on indigenous peoples’ rights and policy, working to achieve the goals of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). I represented the Government of Greenland at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) in follow-up to the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. Specifically, I was involved in the negotiations on the review of the mandate of the Expert Mechanism and improved participation opportunities for indigenous people at United Nations bodies on issues affecting them.

Since February 2017 I have been posted to the Greenland Representation in Washington, DC. Here I act as an Arctic voice in the U.S. capital, responsible for presenting and defending the Government of Greenland’s interests in North America. My work focuses on raising awareness, putting Greenland and Arctic issues on the agenda and cultivating relevant partnerships and networks within research, cultural and commercial sectors, to foster cooperation to improve the environmental, economic and social conditions of Arctic communities as a whole.

If you would like to learn more about me and my work, please visit:

Work website: https://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Groenlands-repraesentation-Washington

Linkedin: Rebecca Lynge

Twitter @rebecca_lynge ~ also check out Twitter account for the
Greenland Representation to the U.S. & Canada @GreenlandRepDC

Published by Women in the Arctic and Antarctic