The preparations for the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference are almost complete. In November, the event will make Rovaniemi the focal point for Arctic discussion in Finland. This year, the conference themes concentrate especially on Arctic security.

Finland’s main Arctic event, the Rovaniemi Arctic
Spirit conference on 13-15 November is less than a month away. The main organisers
of the biennial conference are the Arctic Center of the University of Lapland and
the City of Rovaniemi.

– The interest of various partners has
been exceptionally high this year. The partners include the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, the European Commission Representation in Finland, several embassies, the
Finnish Institute of International Affairs, the European Centre of Excellence for
Countering Hybrid Threats HybridCoE and many Arctic cooperation and research
networks, says Markku Heikkilä, Head of Science
Communications at the Arctic Centre, who is in charge of the preparations for the
conference.

The opening speaker is the Minister for Foreign
Affairs Elina Valtonen, who will participate remotely
due to scheduling reasons. The speakers in Rovaniemi include, among others, the EU
Special Envoy for Arctic Matters Clara Ganslandt,
Principal Director for Arctic and Global Resilience in the U.S. Department of
Defense Greg Pollock, and Editor-in-Chief of the
Barents Observer online magazine Thomas
Nilsen.

At the beginning of the conference, we
will hear an overview of what has happened during Finland’s 
chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council that will soon end. The pre-event on
Monday 13 November is a matinee of Arctic documentaries and a discussion of Arctic
narratives by representatives of the young generation.

 – As the conference itself opens with very intensive security
debates, we wanted to bring out other Arctic perspectives at the pre-event. On the
second day of the conference, the program will then have many parallel sessions on
several topical Arctic themes, such as the Sámi climate panel, the green transition
and land use, says Heikkilä.

The conference will be held in
Korundi and Arktikum in Rovaniemi. You can find a more detailed program at www.rovaniemiarcticspirit.fi. About 200
participants are expected for the event. Registration is open until 25
October.

Additional information and details of
the conference organising team at the Arctic Centre:

Head
of Science Communications Markku Heikkilä, markku.heikkila@ulapland.fi; +358 (0)40
484 4300

Conference Coordinator Helen Honkasaari,
helen.honkasaari@ulapland.fi; +358 (0)40 513 7026

Communications
Specialist Anne Raja-Hanhela, anne.raja-hanhela@ulapland.fi; +358 (0)400 391
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