Programme
Sustainable Economic Development in a Changing Arctic Landscape
Registration and Welcome Coffee
Welcome Day 1
Welcome to the 16th Arctic Futures Symposium from the International Polar Foundation and their many Arctic stakeholder partners!
Speakers
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Nicolas Van Hoecke
Managing Director, International Polar Foundation
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Piet Steel
Vice-President, Belgian Polar Secretariat; Director, IPF Board; Former Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam
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Patrick Renault
Belgian Ambassador to the Arctic and Antarctic
Opening Keynotes Day 1
Keynote speeches will open the symposium.
Speakers
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Costas Kadis
European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, European Commission (DG MARE)
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Minninguaq Kleist
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greenland
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Claude Véron-Réville
EU Special Envoy for the Arctic
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Sara Olsvig
Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
Sustainable Economic Development Priorities of the Kingdom of Denmark Arctic Council Chairship
The Arctic Council Chairship has a dedicated focus on the need for sustainable economic development in the Arctic, including the need for a North-to-North approach on collaborative efforts. It is important that sustainable economic development in the Arctic is conducted according to frameworks determined by the peoples of the Arctic. The panel will discuss how the specific needs for sustainable economic development in the Arctic can be advanced in a balanced manner with respect for different Arctic ways of life. The panel will also explore how to ensure that initiatives are being led by the Peoples of the Arctic for the benefit of all Arctic inhabitants, with a particular focus on Indigenous Peoples.
Moderators
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Patti Bruns
Secretary-General, Arctic Mayors Forum
Speakers
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Kenneth Høegh
Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials (Arctic Council), Kingdom of Denmark
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Claude Véron-Réville
EU Special Envoy for the Arctic
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Hans Ellefsen
Associate Professor and Vice-Dean, Faculty of History and Social Sciences, University of the Faroe Islands
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Camilla Aviaja Olsen
Chair, Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group
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Edward Alexander
Co-Chair, Gwich'in Council International; Head of Delegation to the Senior Arctic Officials, CAFF and EPPR AC working groups
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Coffee Break
Presentation of the Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award
Given by the International Polar Foundation and the Trân Family, the Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award is an annual prize given to a young entrepreneur based in the Arctic to help them move their business forward.
Speakers
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Nicolas Van Hoecke
Managing Director, International Polar Foundation
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Piet Steel
Vice-President, Belgian Polar Secretariat; Director, IPF Board; Former Belgian Ambassador to Vietnam
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Mads Qvist Frederiksen
Executive Director, Arctic Economic Council
Arctic Investment Scenarios towards 2040
This panel will present and discuss the results of the scenarios workshop, organised by the High North Center for Business and Governance at Nord University, on investment futures in the European Arctic over the next 10–15 years, placing them in context for local, national, and EU policymakers. Drawing on scenario methodology, the workshop explores key uncertainties shaping Arctic development, from geopolitical rivalry and resource strategies to the role of indigenous knowledge and the prospects for sustainable growth. Against a backdrop of shifting US–Greenland, US–EU, and Europe–Russia relations, participants examine what kinds of investments may emerge in this geopolitical and economic hotspot, who will drive them, and how competing visions for the Arctic’s future could unfold. The panel will share these alternative Arctic investment scenarios up to 2040 and discuss their implications for policy and strategic planning.
Moderators
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Andreas Raspotnik
Director, High North Center, Nord University; Senior Researcher, Fridtjof Nansen Institute
Speakers
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Andrey Mineev
Researcher, Nord University Business School
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Mads Qvist Frederiksen
Executive Director, Arctic Economic Council
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Kalle Kankaanpää
Ambassador for Arctic Affairs and Senior Arctic Official, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
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Carina Sammeli
Mayor of Luleå, Sweden
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Erika Tizya-Tramm
Manager of Community Partnerships with Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon University; Vuntut Gwitch'in First Nation
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Larisa Lorinczi
Policy Officer, European Commission (DG RTD)
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Gustav Vestlie
Chief Strategy Officer, Marine Spark X
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Cocktail hosted by Kingdom of Denmark
Registration and Welcome Coffee
Welcome Day 2
Welcome to the second day of the 16th Arctic Futures Symposium
Speakers
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Nicolas Van Hoecke
Managing Director, International Polar Foundation
Opening Keynotes Day 2
Keynote speeches will open the second day of the Arctic Futures Symposium.
Speakers
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Jonas Andersson
Chair for the Network of Northern Sparsely Populated Areas
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Johan Armstrong Støver
CEO, Marine Spark X
The Power of Culture in the Arctic’s Future
Three Arctic European Capitals of Culture are presenting the importance and power of culture in the Arctic region and how culture brings regional development, tolerance and diversity. Covered in this panel may include culture as a means to attract a skilled population to live in the Arctic, culture as a way to encourage entrepreneurship, culture as a way to reaffirm identity, and sustainable tourism.
Moderators
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Henrik Sand Dagfinrud
Programme Manager, Bodø2024
Speakers
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Piia Rantala-Korhonen
CEO, Oulu Culture Foundation
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Sofia Lagerlöf Määttä
Cultural Strategist, Kiruna 2029
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Maria Svonni
Artistic Leader, Konstfrämjandet Norrbotten and Verdde
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Anatoli Bourmistrov
Professor, Nord University Business School
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Elena Kavanaugh
Expert on Indigenous Rights, School of Law, University College Cork; Advisor, Arctic Youth Network
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Coffee break
Cross-Border Collaboration on Renewable Energy
The green transition in energy presents significant opportunities to society, but also challenges. We face numerous unresolved issues that must be addressed to reduce emissions and meet climate goals. For people residing in the Arctic, these challenges are particularly pressing, as climate changes are occurring rapidly and locally across the region. Actors in the Arctic – from local communities to businesses – have a vested interest in these developments. The Arctic Six aims to contribute to solving these issues, by uniting companies and universities in the Northern-Nordics Arctic to identify and initiate research and development projects that will accelerate value creation and social progress in our region.
Moderators
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Charlotta Söderberg
Associate Professor, Political Science, Luleå University of Technology
Speakers
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Anna Krook-Riekkola
Professor, Energy Science, Luleå University of Technology
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Antonio Calò
University Lecturer, Water Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu
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Marit Magelssen Vambheim
Cluster Manager, Energi i Nord
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Erika Tizya-Tramm
Manager of Community Partnerships with Northern Energy Innovation, Yukon University; Vuntut Gwitch'in First Nation
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Monica Paulsen
Cluster Manager, Arctic Cluster
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Lunch
Arctic Resources on Our Own Terms
The Arctic is a geopolitical hotspot. A region of natural resources and energy in a world of increasing demands. The EU is no exception for the interest in the Arctic assets, with its critical raw material act, net zero industry act and the clean industrial deal. This, in turn, increases tensions in the region. The question is how the checks and balances are to be upheld? How to assure both the local and global needs? The Arctic is also a place where people live. The Arctic paradox is the lack of critical mass in the local communities to release the full growth potentials, at the same time as the return of the industrial investments in raw material facilities goes elsewhere. This session will explore those imbalances and how the exploitation and investments to the gain of the EU and others can go hand in hand with local needs of investments and development opportunities, while respecting the local communities’ interests and Indigenous Peoples rights, addressing the different land-use interests and need of long-term sustainable local development.
Moderators
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Mikael Janson
Director, North Sweden European Office
Speakers
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Kenneth Høegh
Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials (Arctic Council), Kingdom of Denmark
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Bjørn Olav Megard
Director General of Department for Indigenous Peoples and National Minorities at the Ministry of Regional and Municipal Policy
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Jonas Andersson
Chair for the Network of Northern Sparsely Populated Areas
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Justin Langan
Indigenous Canadian Activist, Social Entrepreneur and Policy Leader
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Andres Sanabria
Coordinator, OECD Mining Regions and Cities Initiative
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Maria Martisiute
Policy Analyst on Europe in the World, European Policy Centre (EPC)
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Coffee Break
Mohn Prize Keynote
Keynote speeches will introduce the winner of the 2026 Mohn Prize for excellence in Arctic research followed by a video address by the winner.
Speakers
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Dag Rune Olsen
Rector, UiT - the Arctic University of Norway
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Nils Christian Stenseth
Professor of ecology and evolution, University of Oslo; Mohn Prize Scientific Committee
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John P. Smol
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Biology, Queen’s University
Arctic Monitoring: Understanding Current and Future Challenges through Examining the Past
The winner of the Mohn Prize is renowned for his/her studies on historic variations in Arctic climate and environment which contributes to our understanding of current and future challenges related to climate change in the Arctic and beyond. Through multi-disciplinary and innovative assessment methods, the Mohn awardee has underscored the importance of knowledge of the past to better equip ourselves for the future - and that time and tempo matters.
Moderators
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Dag Rune Olsen
Rector, UiT - the Arctic University of Norway
Speakers
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Guillaume Lamarche-Gagnon
Researcher, IC3, UiT - the Arctic University of Norway
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Maria Grigoratou
Executive Secretary, European Polar Board
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Edward Alexander
Co-Chair, Gwich'in Council International; Head of Delegation to the Senior Arctic Officials, CAFF and EPPR AC working groups
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Nils Christian Stenseth
Professor of ecology and evolution, University of Oslo; Mohn Prize Scientific Committee
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Summary and Closing Remarks
Summary and closing remarks to wrap up the symposium.
Moderators
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Marie-Anne Coninsx
Former EU Ambassador at Large for the Arctic; Board Member, IPF; Senior Fellow, Egmont Institute