05 September 2016
Helsinki, Finland

High-level Nordic seminar on the Arctic

IIASA and Arctic Futures Initiative Leadership in Helsinki attended a high-level Nordic seminar on the Arctic organized by the Prime Minister’s Office in Finland.

© Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime

© Rawpixelimages | Dreamstime

The Prime Minister’s Office organized a Nordic seminar Arctic Expertise in Nordic Cooperation (NordArc2016) on 5 September 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. The event was a high-level seminar for invited Nordic researchers, political decision makers and public servants. The main purpose of the seminar was to deepen cooperation between and among actors in the Arctic region.

The seminar, held at the House of the Estates in Helsinki, was chaired by Ms. Paula Lehtomäki, State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini gave presentations on the objectives in the Arctic dimension, importance of international collaboration and close Nordic collaboration. The distinguished presenters and attendees included the former Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and Nordic countries’ Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials.  

IIASA and the Arctic Futures Initiative representatives invited to the seminar were Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, IIASA Director General and CEO, Ambassador Hannu Halinen, Special Advisor to IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Paul Berkman, Director of AFI, Dr. Anni Reissell, Director of AFI International Program Office, Mr. Tero Vauraste, CEO and President of Arctia Ltd and Vice-Chair of Arctic Economic Council and Professor Dr. Lassi Heininen from the University of Lapland.   

The seminar included a symposium focusing on Arctic research that supports decision making with the aim to increase dialogue and cooperation among academia, political decision makers and public servants. The day also included a seminar on the objectives of the Nordic countries’ Arctic cooperation and preparation for Finland’s upcoming Arctic Council Chairmanship period. Pavel Kabat presented the IIASA Arctic Futures Initiative during the seminar. Several side meetings take place in connection to NordArc2016, in addition to the distinguished speakers above, meetings for example with State Secretary Raili Lahnalampi Finnish Arctic Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, Swedish Arctic Ambassador Andres Jato. The IIASA and AFI delegation also meet with Tero Vauraste and Pekka Pokela, Business Director at Gaia Consultancy on board an icebreaker, hosted by Arctia Ltd.  

Finland is an Arctic country and an important actor in the Arctic region. Importantly, the rationale for developing the Arctic Futures Initiative originated from the key conclusion of the seminar Policy Support from Arctic Research held in Helsinki, Finland in May 2013, by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Academy of Finland, and IIASA: “There is a decided need for holistic, integrative assessment of plausible futures for the Arctic, cutting across different disciplines and individual countries strategic interests.” 

The afternoon seminar was broadcast live through vn.fi/live and on twitter, identifier #NordArc2016


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Last edited: 26 June 2019

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