Experts, community leaders, and other relevant stakeholders from all countries and regions addressed economic challenges and explored sustainable development opportunities for North Atlantic island communities. Participants exchanged experiences and ideas aimed at strengthening sustainable futures for small island communities.
Through sessions, panel discussions, and group work, key themes emerged, including community-led development, youth engagement, and the need for long-term planning and resilience.
Working groups highlighted the need for place-based, long-term policies reflecting the realities of island life, rather than top-down approaches. There was broad support for strengthening community ownership models, including improved access to funding and relevant incentive structures. Housing challenges were also identified as a key factor affecting depopulation and youth retention.
The importance of early and meaningful youth involvement in decision-making was emphasised, including through representation, mentorship schemes, and entrepreneurial networks. In addition, there was a call to complement traditional economic indicators with measures of wellbeing, sustainability, and cultural value.
Conference presentations, the synthesis report, and group session notes are available at nora.fo/stornoway-2025. The conference was organised by NORA in collaboration with the Islands Book Trust.
From Stornoway to Reykjavík
The discussions in Stornoway were continued at a breakout session during the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík in October 2025, organised by NORA in collaboration with the EU, Orkney Islands Council, and Nalik.
The session aimed to translate the conference outcomes into concrete recommendations for future cooperation across the North Atlantic and Arctic regions. It brought together stakeholders from policy, research, and regional development, including EU Arctic Envoy Claude Véron-Réville and representatives from Greenland, Iceland, and Orkney. The discussions reaffirmed key themes such as youth engagement, community-led development, and strengthened cross-regional cooperation.
The dialogue contributed to identifying priorities and forming a basis for continued work on actionable recommendations for sustainable island development.