Programme

Registration

Opening Keynote Speeches

Following a welcome from a member of the Board of Directors of the International Polar Foundation, a series of opening keynote speeches from notable Arctic stakeholders will be delivered.

Speakers

• Piet Steel

  Member, Belgian Polar Secretariat; Former Ambassador of Belgium to Vietnam

• Veronica Veits

  Director, Directorate on International Ocean Governance and Sustainable Fisheries, DG MARE, European Commission

• Lars-Gunnar Wigemark

  Ambassador at Large for the Arctic, European External Action Service

• Einar Gunnarsson

  Ambassador for Arctic Affairs for Iceland; Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

• Elle Merete Omma

  EU Coordinator, Sámi Council

• Jean-Pascale van Ypersele

  Professor at UCLouvain (Belgium), Former IPCC Vice-Chair, Co-author of the UN Global Sustainable Development Report 2019

Coffe Break

The Arctic Council in a Changing Arctic

This session will be a roundtable discussion with Arctic State Representatives, Arctic Indigenous Peoples, and the European Union.

Moderators

• Malgorzata (Gosia) Smieszek

  Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland/ co-lead of a non-profit "Women of the Arctic"

Speakers

• Einar Gunnarsson

  Ambassador for Arctic Affairs for Iceland; Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials

• Petteri Vuorimäki

  Ambassador, Arctic and Antarctic Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

• Thomas Winkler

  Senior Arctic Official of Denmark

• Björn Lyrvall

  Ambassador for Arctic Affairs and Senior Arctic Official of Sweden

• Bård Ivar Svendsen

  Ambassador/Special Adviser for the Arctic and Senior Arctic Official of Norway

• Tove Søvndahl Gant

  Policy Officer and Expert member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (as of 1 January 2020)

• Elle Merete Omma

  EU Coordinator, Sámi Council

• Margretha Jacobsen

  Representative of the Faroe Islands to the Arctic Council

• Bob Paquin

  Head, Canadian International Arctic Centre

• Terkel Petersen

  Senior Expert, Arctic Affairs, European External Action Service

• André Gattolin


  Senator, Vice-President of the Commission on European Affairs, French Senate

Lunch

The Overlap Between Safety and Security in the Arctic

This session will explore issues related to safety and security in the Arctic.

Moderators

• Andreas Østhagen

  Senior Research Fellow, Fridtjof Nansen Institute; Senior Fellow, Leadership Group, the Arctic Institute

Speakers

• Harri Mäki-Reinikka

  Ambassador and Special Adviser on northern policies at Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ Arctic Team

• Heather Exener-Pirot

  Research Associate, Observatoire de la politique et la sécurité de l’Arctique

• Gjert Lage Dyndal

  Colonel (PhD), Royal Norwegian Air Force; Deputy Head, Strategic Assessment Capability (SAC) to NATO HQ in Brussels

• Kathleen Larkin

  Arctic Security Officer, Office of Nordic, Baltic, and Arctic Affairs, U.S. Department of State

• Neil O’Rourke

  Assistant Commissioner, Arctic Region, Canadian Coast Guard

• Natalia Markushina

  
Professor, School of International Relations, St. Petersburg State University

• Jari Vilén

  Senior Advisor for Arctic Policy, European Political Strategy Centre, European Commission

Coffee Break

Gender Considerations in the Arctic

This session will cover often-overlooked gender-related issues Arctic residents encounter such as domestic violence within indigenous communities, gender pay gap, etc.

Moderators

• Rósa Rut Þórisdóttir

  Associate Scientist, Stefansson Arctic Institute

Speakers

• Erika Anne Hayfield

  Associate Professor in Social Sciences, Faculty of History and Social Sciences, University of the Faroe Islands

• Ellen Marie Jensen

  Guest Researcher at the Center for Women's and Gender Research, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway

• Laura Churchill

  Youth Board Member, Pauktuutit

• Malgorzata (Gosia) Smieszek

  Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland/ co-lead of a non-profit "Women of the Arctic"

Arctic Labour Force and Demographics

This session will explore his Arctic communities can adequately train their residents to have the skills needed to compete in a globally competitive modern economy.

Moderators

• Federica Scarpa

  Communications Manager, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)

Speakers

• Verena Gisela Huppert

  Ph.D. Fellow Aalborg University, Arctic Consensus, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq and Greenland Business Association

• Tonje Nermark

  Vice-President Strategic Communications and Public Affairs, Mo Industrial Park

• Odile Joannette

  Executive Director, Wapikoni Mobile

• Marita Vang Rasmussen

  CEO of the Employers Association in the Faroe Islands, House of Industry

Coffee Break

Sustainable and Innovative Uses of Arctic Biological Resources

This session will look at using bio-organic resources from the oceans and land in the Arctic in innovative and sustainable ways.

Moderators

• Christian Prip

  Senior Policy Analyst, Fridtjof Nansen Institute

Speakers

• Nikoline Ziemer

  Business Development Manager, Royal Greenland

• Li Skarin

  Project Manager, PIKAB, Piteå Municipality Group

• Jean-Sébastien Moore

  Professor, Université Laval; Coordinator, Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Northern Aquatic Resources, l'Institut nordique du Québec

• Tanja Lepistö

  Special Advisor, East and North Finland EU Office

Closing Statements

A keynote speaker will close the symposium.

Speakers

• Nils-Olov Lindfors

  Councillor, Region of Norrbotten; Chair of the Northern Sparsely Populated Areas (NSPA) network