The Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network has organized and contributed to a number of sessions at the Arctic Circle conferences.
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2019
LEADERSHIP, ARCTIC GENDER EQUALITY, AND DIVERSITY.
The Arctic Circle Conference, October 2019
Description
The geopolitical and global economic significance of the Arctic region has been growing fast, inter alia because of climate change as well as resource and economic development. The changes we witness in the Arctic – ecological, social and economic – affect both men and women although sometimes in different ways. Responsible policy making for sustainable development in the Arctic requires diversity in perspectives, leadership, and policy and decision-making processes. Addressing key issues such as control over resources, representation in decision-making, political participation, and material and cultural well-being becomes increasingly important including through promoting an extensive, policy-relevant dialogue on issues of gender equality in the Arctic region.
Organized by: Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, the Nordic Council of Ministers, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Icelandic Directorate of Equality, Centre for Arctic Policy and Security, University of Akureyri
Speakers
- Sara Olsvig, Head of Programme, Greenland at UNICEF Denmark
- Hjalti Ómar Ágústsson, Project Coordinator, Gender Equality in the Arctic Phase III, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
- Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit, Saami Council
- Eva Maria-Svensson, Deputy Head, Department of Law, Gothenburg University
- Anastasia Ulturgasheva, Researcher, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, Stefansson Arctic Institute
- Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Associate Professor of International Affairs, Faculty of Political Science, University of Iceland
CHANGING FRESHWATER RESOURCES: SOCIAL, ETHICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
The Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík October 2019
Description
Global freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, including in Arctic regions where climatic influences are manifesting in the form of melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, declines and changes to arctic flora and fauna, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. Further, ecosystem changes are as of yet unknown in many regions due to evolving long-term impacts from water resource variability. There lacks a dialogue on the social, ethical and environmental implications of changing global freshwater resources with respect to the Arctic and its peoples. Such dialogue is necessary to bring to realization the potential questions and stakeholders needed to identify solutions. This session proposed to create discourse on the physical, ecological and ethical bases of future freshwater resources, where physical manifestation of climate change include melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, thawing of permafrost, declines and changes to arctic flora and fauna, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. The topic of freshwater is not only a question for natural or social sciences but requires a holistic approach to questions of adaption, social- and environmental justice, rights, access and ethics.
Organized by Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Icelandic Meteorological Office; Marine & Freshwater Institute; University of Akureyri; and Rif Research Station, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)
Speakers
- Jón S. Ólafsson, Senior Scientist, Marine & Freshwater Research Institute "State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity"
- Jónína Sigríður Þorláksdóttir, Station Manager, Rif Field Station "Freshwater monitoring at the edge of the Arctic – the case of Rif Field Station"
- Jill R. Welter, PhD., Program Coordinator and Instructor, Masters Program in Climate Change and Global Sustainability,School for International Training, Graduate Institute, University Centre of the Westfjords, Iceland "Nutrient Transport and Cycling in Arctic Freshwaters: Potential Trajectories and Implications for Food Webs"
- Skúli Skúlason, Professor, Hólar University College "The value of biodiversity in northern freshwaters: implications for society and ethics of nature"
- Þorvarður Árnason, Director, University of Iceland´s Research Centre in Hornafjörður "Picturing the Climate Crisis: 3D visualizations of glacier recession as a vehicle for environmental communication"
- Victoria Rose Buschman, CAFF; University of Washington: "Indigenous connections to changing freshwater resources"
- Halldór Björnsson, Climatologist
SAFETY AT SEA IN THE ARCTIC
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, October 12th, 2019
Description
- Sverrir Konráðsson, Maritime Specialist - Legal Coordination and Translations, Coordination and Facilitation Division, Icelandic Transport Authority "Enhancing Maritime Safety in the Arctic to Save Lives".
- CDRE Ásgrímur L. Ásgrímsson, Chief of Operations, Icelandic Coast Guard "Icelandic Coast Guard and Safety at Sea in the Entrance to the Arctic".
- Jens Peter Holst-Andersen, Chair, Arctic Council Working Group on Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR), Arctic Council, Danish Ministry of Defence "Emergencies – Prevention, Preparedness and Response".
- Soffía Guðmundsdóttir, Executive Secretary, Arctic Council Working Gtoup on the Protection of Arctic Marine Environment (PAME).
- Eydís Líndal Finnbogadóttir, Acting Director General National Land Survey of Iceland "Enabling Access to Arctic spatial data - Arctic SDI cooperation"
ARCTIC GLACIERS AND ICE CAPS: RECENT LOSS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO GLOBAL SEA-LEVEL RISE
The Arctic Circle Conference, October 11th 2019
Organized by: Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Icelandic Meteorological Office and International Science Committee (IASC).
Speakers:
- Paul Morin, Director of Polar Geospatial Center, University of Minnesota: ArcticDEM: How the Arctic Leads the Way in Understanding Topographic Change
- Martin Sharp, Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Alberta, Canada: Recent Glacier Mass Loss in Arctic Canada and its Drivers
- Barbara Barzycka, PhD candidate, Centre for Polar Studies, University of Silesia, Poland: Melting and Crumbling Arctic – Example of Svalbard’s Glacier
- René Forsberg, Professor, Geodynamics group, DTU-Space, Denmark: The Current Challenges of the Greenland Ice Sheet as seen from Space and Airborne Campaigns
- Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir, Professor, University of Iceland: Mass Balance of Icelandic Glaciers in the Past and Future Projection
ART & THE CREATIVE SECTOR: AMPLIFYING THE WORK OF THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
The Arctic Council Conference, Reykjavík, October 12th, 2019
Organizer: Anchorage Museum
Speakers
- Bruce Farnsworth, Founding member of Track & Field, Co-Lead Artist, 8Boxes Project: A Global Overview of Important Examples of Partnerships Between Artists and a Variety of International Organizations as well as Scientific and Policy Initiatives
- Bodil Kjelstrup, Curator, Anchorage Museum and Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum: What are we Learning about Art as an Instrument of Circumpolar Change and Innovation? The Accumulating Experience of the SEED Lab Experiment
- Shyanne Chulyin Ch'ivaya Beatty, Alaska Native Heritage Center: Art and Culture at the Heart of Pan-Arctic Planning and Engagement
- Embla Eir Oddsdottir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network: The Lessons and Importance of Arctic Cooperation from a Cross-Sector Perspective. Can the Arctic Council Benefit from Broader Perspectives on Arctic Futures?
- John Hirst, Co-Lead Artist, 8Boxes Project: How the 8Boxes Project Provides a Pan-Arctic Opportunity to Connect Northern Artists with the Work of the Arctic Council and its Sub-Bodies to Enhance its Mission
2018
ARCTIC LEADERSHIP: GENDER AND DIVERSITY IN POLITICS, SCIENCE AND INDUSTRIES
Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, October 18th, 2018
Description
Responsible policymaking for sustainable development in the Arctic requires diversity in perspectives and knowledge, a clear understanding of the larger context and solutions built on creative imaginings of the future. This, in turn, requires greater diversity in leadership and within decision-making processes. The session addressed themes specifically relevant to gender, Indigenous Peoples and diversity in political representation and participation in decision-making processes. Also, the status of diversity at different levels of leadership and decision-making processes within the Arctic region, contributing to a dialogue on how diversity is ensured.
Organized by: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland; the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; the Icelandic Centre for Gender Equality, University of Akureyri; Centre for Arctic Policy Studies, University of Iceland
SPEAKERS
• Sarah Cox, Director, Circumpolar Affairs at Department of Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Head of Delegation for SDWG, Arctic Council: Perspectives on Arctic Leadership: Curiosity, Storytelling and Mindful Innovation
• Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Nansen Professor, University of Akureyri/Professor Peace and Conflict Studies, UiT The Arctic University of Norway: The Gendered Arctic: Perspectives on Security and Migration
• David C. Natcher, Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada: Gender and Climate Change Research in the Arctic
• Liza M. Mack, Interim Executive Director, Aleut International Association, Anchorage, Alaska: Unangam Ayagax: Aleut Women in Leadership
• Elle Merete Omma, Head of the EU unit at the Saami Council
• Kirt Ejesiak, Chairman and CEO of Arctic UAV, Iqaluit, Nunavut: Mapping our Future with Remotely Piloted Systems Combined with Indigenous Traditional Knowledge
Chair: Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Assistant Professor, University of Iceland
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS, FRESHWATER & ETHICS
Breakout session. The Arctic Circle Conference, October 19th, 2018.
Organized by the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; the Icelandic Meteorological Office; the Marine and Freshwater Institute; University of Akureyri; and Rif Research Station
Description
Ecological, social and economic impacts of Climate Change are evident in the Arctic region today and adjusting to such transformational processes requires significant adaptive capacity and high levels of resilience. Changes in the dynamics of freshwater - a finite and vulnerable resource – will affect physical and social infrastructure, availability and demand. This includes Arctic regions where physical manifestations of climate change include melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, thawing of permafrost, declines and changes to arctic flora and fauna, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. The topic of freshwater is not only a question for natural or social sciences but requires a holistic approach to questions of adaption, social- and environmental justice, rights, access and ethics.
Speakers
- Halldór Björnsson, Head of the Atmospheric Research Group, Icelandic Meteorological Office: Emerging Signs of Climate Change in the Hydrology of Iceland
- Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, Professor, Environment and Natural Resources, University of Iceland: The Impact of Climate Change on Infrastructure and Fresh Water Resources
- Jón Ólafsson, Senior Scientist, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute: Climate-Induced and Anthropogenic Drivers of Biodiversity in Icelandic Freshwaters
- Hrönn G. Guðmundsdóttir, Director,Rif Field Station: Freshwater Monitoring at the Edge of the Arctic: The Case of Rif Field Station, NEIceland
- Skúli Skúlason Professor, Hólar University College: The Impacts of Climate Change on Arctic Freshwaters Highlight Serious Ethical Concerns
2017
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES OF GENDER IN THE ARCTIC
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, October 2017
Organized by the Northern Research Forum, the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network and the Centre for Arctic Policy Studies at the University of Iceland
Description
The purpose of the session was to further promote an extensive, policy-relevant dialogue on gender in the Arctic and to continue to raise awareness of the situation of men and women in the region. The session builds on themes addressed at the conference “Gender Equality in the Arctic: Current realities Future Challenges” – held in Iceland in October 2014 - and includes topics such as Political Representation and Participation in Decision-Making: Gendered Dimensions; Regional Socio-Economic Development and its Gendered Impacts; Climate and Environmental Change, Natural Resource Development, and Gender; (Re-)Construction of Gender in the Arctic; Human Security: Gendered Aspects; and Human Capital and Gender: Migration, Mobility, Education and Adaptation, Indigenous peoples and underrepresented minorities of the Arctic. The session is one of the NRF Panel organized together with the Northern Research Forum (NRF), the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN), the GlobalArctic Project and the University of Iceland.
Speakers
- Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir, Director, Centre for Gender Equality Iceland: Gender Equality in the Arctic - Diversity is Key
- Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, Adjunct Lecturer, University of Iceland: Full and Substantive Gender Equality - How to Get Away from Symbolic Representation and Counting Heads
- Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, Nansen Professor, UNAK/Professor, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway: The Role of Trust In Human Security In The Arctic: A Gender-Based Analysis
- Henri Myrttinen, the Head of Gender, International Alert, Peacebuilding Organisation, London: Gender Champions and Feminist Foreign Policies: Bringing in Critical Masculinities Perspectives into Gender Policy in the Arctic Region
Chair: Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit of the Saami Council
ARCTIC FRESHWATER RESOURCE DYNAMICS AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES: TOWARDS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, October 2017
Organized by Western Kentucky University, the University of Akureyri, the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the Marine and Freshwater Institute, and the Icelandic Centre for Research
Description
Global freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, including in Arctic regions where climatic influences are manifesting in the form of melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, declines and changes to arctic flora and fauna, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. Further, ecosystem changes are as of yet unknown in many regions due to evolving long-term impacts from water resource variability. Building on previous Arctic Circle breakout sessions on Fresh Water the purpose of this session is to initiate a discussion on how a concrete, international and interdisciplinary project could emerge from dialogue between panelists and audience participants. What type of project could be developed based on the expertise and resources available? To what extent can the natural and social science elements be integrated? What should be the key components and priorities in such a project? The objective is to create a framework for a policy-relevant research project which can be developed into a joint proposal with engaged stakeholders from the panel and audience.
Speakers
- Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Glaciologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office: The Global Cryosphere Watch in the Arctic
- Jason S. Polk, Associate Professor of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University: Insights from Melting Ice: Using Glacial Rivers to Understand Climate Change, Weathering, and Water Resource Issues
- Jill R. Welter, Associate Professor of Biology Endowed Chair in the Sciences, St. Catherine University: Human Activities in the Arctic: Consequences for Freshwater Ecosystems and their Connection to the Sea
- Jónína S. Þorláksdóttir, Rif Field Station, Northeast Iceland: Learning by doing: Using experience for establishing, implementing and harmonizing freshwater monitoring efforts in the Arctic
- Steingrímur Jónsson, Professor, University of Akureyri; Scientist, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Iceland: The Ocean Around Iceland; How is it Affected By Climate Variability and Climate Change
- Leslie A. North, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Western Kentucky University, Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES), Department of Geography and Geology: Misconceptions and Realities of Freshwater Resources in a Changing Climate: Engaging Community Through Effective Communication
- Halldór Björnsson, head of the Atmospheric Research Group at the Icelandic Meteorological Office
Chair: Embla Eir Oddsdottir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN)
2016
CHINA-ICELAND JOINT AURORA OBSERVATORY (CIAO) AND ITS SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík October 2016
Organized by The Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC) and the Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNÍS)
Chairs
- Hallgrímur Jónasson, Director, RANNÍS
- Zhu Jiangang, Deputy Director, PRIC
Speakers
- Yang Huigen, Director General, PRIC
- Hu Hongqiao, Head of Atmosphere and Space Physics Division, PRIC
- Gunnlaugur Björnsson, Research Scientist, Science Institute, University of Iceland
- Thorsteinn Gunnarsson, Senior Adviser, RANNÍS
- Halldór Jóhannsson, Director, Arctic Portal
- Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
2015
ARCTIC FRESHWATER REWOUCE DYNAMICS AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE
Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, October 2015
Organized by the Western Kentucky University; University of Akureyri; Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; Icelandic Meteorological Office; Institute of Freshwater Fisheries and the Icelandic Centre for Research.
Description
Global freshwater is a finite and vulnerable resource, including in Arctic regions where climatic influences are manifesting in the form of melting glaciers, increased flooding and hydrological variability, and changes in ocean water composition from freshwater inputs. Additionally, these processes impact other regions, such as the Caribbean, in the form of drought, extreme storm events, and the migration of water-borne diseases. Ecosystem changes are as of yet unknown in many regions due to evolving long-term impacts from water resource variability. There lacks a dialogue on the environmental implications of changing global freshwater resources with respect to the Arctic, which is necessary to bring to realization the potential questions and stakeholders needed to identify solutions. Collectively, this session proposes to create discourse on the physical and socio-economic bases of future freshwater resources, including groundwater and surface water, vulnerability from climatic and human impacts, the socio-environmental dynamics of water resource resilience, scarcity issues, quality and quantity, equity, perception, and education. A key component is determining mechanisms for communicating between stakeholders to couch this topic in an interconnected, broader social and policy context.
Speakers
Opening remarks: Dagfinnur Sveinbjörnsson, CEO, The Arctic Circle
Chair: Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
Speakers
- Dr. Jason Polk, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University: Freshwater Resources with Regard to a Changing Climate.
- Dr. Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Glaciological Research, Icelandic Meteorological Office: Glaciers and ice caps in the Arctic region: Present status and future scenarios.
- Dr. Jón Ólafsson, Senior Scientist, Institute of Freshwater Fisheries: Freshwater Ecosystems in the Arctic.
- Dr. Steingrímur Jónsson, Professor at the University of Akureyri and Scientist at the Marine Research Institute: Fate of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean and its climate significance
- Dr. Leslie North, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University: Problem-solving: Engaging community and stakeholders through effective education and communication about regional freshwater resource dynamics and socio-environmental challenges, both existing and projected.
Closing remarks: Dr. Bernie Strenecky, Scholar in Residence at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky
BUSINESS AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTH ORGANIZED BY THE NORTHERN FORUM AND ARCTIC PORTAL
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, October 2015
Speakers
- Anders Oskal, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry
- Mikhail Pododaev, Northern Forum
- Halldór Jóhannsson, Arctic Portal
- Egill Þór Níelsson, PRIC, China
CHAIR: Embla Eir Oddsdottir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
ARCTIC TRADITIONAL MUSIC AND CULTURAL INTEGRITY
Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, October 2015
Organized by the University of Akureyri Research Centre, the Northern Research Forum (NRF), ÞjóðList ehf, the Iceland Academy of the Arts, and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
Description
Does continued practice, knowledge and understanding of traditional music promote a sense of belonging and lead to a more viable society? Does our perception of sound and music derive from "cultured listening" over a long period of time and if so, how does that affect our aesthetic preferences and choices, unconscious and/or conscious? The presentations in this session sought answers to these questions while attempting to rediscover and understand the realities as well as (mis)representations of arctic traditional music.
Chair: Guðrún Ingimundardóttir, Composer and ethnomusicologist, ÞjóðList ehf.
Speakers:
- Guðrún Ingimundardóttir, Composer and ethnomusicologist, ÞjóðList ehf.: Arctic Traditional Music and Cultural Integrity.
- Kimberly Cannady, Lecturer in Ethnomusicology, New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington: Off the Wall and Out of the Archives: Bringing Drumsongs into Everyday Life in Greenland.
- Helga Rut Guðmundsdóttir, Professor, University of Iceland: The Icelandic tradition of public participatory group singing
- Rósa Þorsteinsdóttir, Folklorist, The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies: A hollow box and a horsehair string: Attitudes towards musical instruments in Iceland.
- Þorbjörg Daphne Hall, Musicologist and Programme Director, Iceland Academy of Arts: The Icelandic sound?
ARCTIC GOVERNANCE AND DOMESTIC PRACTICES
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, October 2015
Organized by Polar Law Institute
Description
When discussing Arctic Governance scholars usually refer to treaties and other international instruments, domestic legislation and governance, indigenous rights and the Arctic Council. In this breakout session, the focus was on all these issues, with an emphasis on the possibilities of the West-Nordic Countries Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland to cooperate as Arctic nations in order to further develop and improve Arctic Governance.
Speakers
- Ágúst Thór Árnason, Director, Polar Law Institute; Adjunct, Faculty of Law, University of Akureyri
- Bárður Larsen, Supervisor and Adjunct in Law, Fróðskaparsetrið
- Federica Scarpa, Project Manager, Arctic Portal
- Mininnguaq Kleist, Director in the Premier’s Office, Greenland: Priorities of the Government of Greenland in the Light of Self-Government
- Natalia Loukacheva, Canada Research Chair in Aboriginal Governance and Law / Associate Professor, University of Northern British Columbia
CHAIR: Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
2014
NORTH MEETS EAST AT THE ARCTIC CIRCLE: CHINA – NORDIC ARCTIC COOPERATION
Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, October 2014
Organized by the Icelandic Center for Research (RANNIS) and the China-Nordic Arctic Research Center (CNARC)
Opening: Chen Yue, Deputy Director General, Department of International Cooperation, State Oceanic Administration of China.
Description
The China-Nordic Arctic Research Center (CNARC) was established in Shanghai on 10th of December 2013 by 10 Member Institutes, four Chinese and six Nordic, which all have capacities to influence and coordinate Arctic research. CNARC’s purpose is to provide a platform for academic cooperation to increase awareness, understanding and knowledge of the Arctic and its global impacts, as well as to promote cooperation for sustainable development of the Nordic Arctic and coherent development of China in a global context.
Speakers:
- Deng Beixi, Executive Secretary, CNARC: Introduction to the China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre.
- Thorsteinn Gunnarsson, Senior Adviser, RANNIS: North meets East, Dialogue and Outcomes.
- Egill Þór Nielsson, Executive Secretary, CNARC: Arctic policies of Nordic countries – relevance for China, CNARC’s first book project.
- Embla Eir Oddsdottir, Executive Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network: ChinaIceland Economic Roundtable.
- Hongqiao Hu, Head of Division, Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC): China-Iceland Joint Aurora Observatory (CIAO).
- Li Yuansheng, Deputy Director, PRIC: International Polar Theme Park in Shanghai.
CHAIR: Hallgrímur Jónasson, General Director, RANNIS
ARCTIC COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, 2014
Organized by the Icelandic-Arctic Chamber of Commerce, Festa - Icelandic Center for Corporate Social Responsibility and The Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network in cooperation with the Icelandic Joint Committee on Arctic Affairs, the Arctic Services and the Icelandic Search and Rescue Cluster.
Description
The global significance of the Arctic region is growing, inter alia as a consequence of climate change, accelerated resource development and prospects for increased economic activity for various industrial sectors. A challenge will be to reconcile new or increased economic activity in the region with targets of environmental and cultural sustainability, calling for responsible leadership in significant industries including in the extractive industries, tourism, fisheries and shipping.
The breakout session on Arctic Commercial Opportunities and Corporate Social Responsibility brought together various stakeholders to share their experiences and knowledge and to discuss the tools available for a commitment to responsible management and business development.
Chair: Orri Vigfússon, Founder and Chairman of the North-Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF)
Speakers
- Hans Christian Krarup, Director, Golder Associates Impact Assessment –the Key to Responsible Arctic Development.
- Robert Howe, Managing Director at Bremenports GmbH & Co: Arctic shipping needs safe and sustainable ports.
- Kolbeinn Árnason, Chief Executive at the Federation of Icelandic Fishing Vessel Owners: Future of fisheries - Level playing field.
- Nils Arne Johnsen, Arctic Director at Rambøll Group: What makes the Arctic future? Three challenges essential for development
- Amélie Rouleau, Superintendent, Risk Management and Public Affairs at Glencore Raglan Mine: 20 years of engagement for 16 years of operation: Raglan Mine goes beyond the IBA.
- Tero Vauraste, President and CEO of Arctia Group, and Vice Director, Arctic Economic Council
REPORT SESSION
Arctic Circle, Reykjavík, 2014
CHAIR: Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network.
• REPORT VIII: Enhancing the US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council: Fulbright’s Commitment to the Arctic 2015-2017
SPEAKER: Alice Rogoff, Publisher, Alaska Dispatch.
• REPORT IX: The State of the Alaskan Arctic
SPEAKER: Lesil McGuire, Member of the Alaska Senate.
Report session 5. Sunday, November 2nd 2014
CHAIR: Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network.
• REPORT X: The EU in the Arctic – The Arctic in the EU
SPEAKER: Paula Kankaanpää, Director, Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland, Finland.
• REPORT XI: Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF): Arctic Biodiversity Report
SPEAKER: Tom Barry, Executive Secretary, CAFF, the Arctic Council.
2013
COOPERATION BETWEEN CLUSTERS
Arctic Circle Conference, Reykjavík, 2013
Organized by the Icelandic Joint Committee on Arctic Affairs, the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, the Icelandic-Arctic Chamber of Commerce and the Arctic Services
Description
Developments in the Arctic are gradually capturing the attention of politicians, businesses and the public in general and appear increasingly perceived as relevant in the Icelandic context. Initiatives, projects and clusters have emerged of late and today there exist four Arctic clusters and/or committees in Iceland. These are, in addition to the Icelandic Joint Committee on Arctic Affairs (SUMN) – which has been in existence from 1997 - the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network (IACN), The Arctic Chamber of Commerce (IACC) and the Arctic Services (AS), all of which started their projects in 2013. All these recent initiatives are similarly structured as some type of hybrid cluster/network entity and each has their own mission and perspectives, although to a certain extent some overlap may occur. Two of these – the IACC and AS – largely focus on the private sector and the way in which the region may provide economic and business opportunities. The SUMN is largely an academic and public sector partner with a certain focus on the natural environment and sustainable development whereas the IACN will include not only research and educational institutions but also other stakeholders, including private initiatives, associations, clusters (AS), grassroots initiatives, communities and individuals.
Response and adaption to changes taking place in the Arctic, including Iceland will require cooperation between multiple stakeholders and increasingly voices emerge calling for greater collaboration and communication between the worlds of academia and private businesses. This is but a call for a balanced multi-perspective dialogue to identify a sensible and holistic approach to adaptation as well as a shared interest in reconciling social, economic and environmental considerations. However, cooperation between private businesses and academia seems at times to be lost in limbo; challenged with finding a common language, shared goals and an appropriate platform for effective communication, collaboration and knowledge exchange.
The workshop posed the questions Do we want to cooperate? and How do we want to cooperate? It included an opening statement; a lecture from a consultant in cluster and strategy management;very concise presentations from one representative of each of the partners, stating their mission and vision for the region generally and cooperation specifically. This will provide both an opportunity to clarify the purpose of each partner and an initial step toward actually engaging in conversation concerning this type of cooperation. The remainder of the workshop would be dedicated to open dialogue, comments from the participants and suggestions for the next steps.
Speakers
- Hákon Gunnarsson, Chief Executive Officer, Gekon
- Thorsteinn Gunnarsson, Head, Division of Evaluation and Analysis, Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS), and Council Member, International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)
- Heiðar Már Guðjónsson, Chairman of the Board, Eykon Energy
- Embla Eir Oddsdóttir, Director, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
- Thorvaldur Ludvik Sigurjonsson, Managing Director, Eyjafjordur Business Development Agency
Chair: Pétur Reimarsson, Director of Policymaking and Communications, Confederation of Icelandic Employers