University of Lapland co-hosted discussions related to Arctic research with the University of Helsinki and University of the Arctic.

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco met with Rector Antti
Syväjärvi, University of Lapland and Rector Sari Lindblom, University of Helsinki in
Arktikum, Rovaniemi on June 6. Purpose of the visit was to discuss Arctic science
collaboration and Arctic strategies from university
perspectives. 

The special features of both
universities’ Arctic research were presented by the rectors in the meeting.
Research professor John Moore from the Arctic Centre brought the researcher’s point
of view to the meeting from the side of the University of Lapland. After the visit
in Rovaniemi, the program continued to the Värriö Subarctic Research Station of the
University of Helsinki. 

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco
is an honorary doctor of the University of Lapland since 2019.

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco has promoted environmental protection and
climate change research through the foundation he established in 2006. The
Foundation exists to promote a new relationship with nature and the innovations that
can impact this change. The Foundation works in three main geographical areas: the
Mediterranean Basin, the Polar Regions and the Least developed countries.

Statement by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco on June
6, 2023 in Rovaniemi:

Dear professors and
researchers from Lapland and Helsinki Universities, dear UArctic friends.

First and foremost, I would like to say how delighted I am to be back here
in Rovaniemi, among you, a little more than four years after you did me the honor of
awarding me an honorary doctorate from the University of Lapland. That was in May
2019, in the world before, in a Europe still at peace, and a Europe that had not yet
seen the pandemic, so many things have changed since.
I would like to
thank you for organizing this meeting and to tell you how important it
is. 

We need your expertise, your analysis, your
research, without which nothing could be done to save our
planet. 

This is particularly true for regions as
special as the Arctic – so important and yet still so poorly understood. And I
should add that here, more than elsewhere, we need this analysis and research to be
based on local studies, informed by the knowledge and practices of those living on
these lands and who are familiar with their distinctive
features. 

That is why my Foundation has supported
important projects implemented by U Arctic for several years, and which effectively
fulfils these requirements.

 That is also why Polar
issues have been at the top of our priority list in Monaco for several years,
whether this be through the action conducted by the Oceanographic Institute, our
Scientific Centre, or my Foundation. Consequently, in addition to the support we
give to U Arctic, we endorse various scientific projects focused on these
regions.

And recently we launched an initiative which is
specifically dedicated to these regions. 

It is also
based on a rigorous scientific approach and enhancement of our knowledge, through
study grants and a unique concept, involving specialists of both
poles. 

As odd as it may sound, researchers
working on the Arctic and the Antarctic, often studying related topics, had never
really had the opportunity to converse in a scientific
environment. 

So, in 2022, in conjunction with the
Oceanographic Institute of Monaco and my Foundation, we organized a symposium which
brought together for the first-time experts of the two poles. 

The conclusions – particularly rewarding – have resulted in our scheduling
a second edition which will also take place in Monaco, in the winter
2024. 

I hope that the results, as well as those of our
today’s discussions, will help us to gain a better understanding of the poles and
their impact on the climate. And I hope that they will help us to implement action
more effectively. For the sake of these regions, the climate, and the
Planet. 

Thank you.


More information:

Antti Syväjärvi, Rector
University of Lapland
Mobile phone: 040 060 6244
Email:
antti.syvajarvi(at)ulapland.fi

Mari-Anna Suurmunne,
Director of International Relations
University of Lapland
Mobile phone: 040 184 3052
Email:
mari-anna.suurmunne(at)ulapland.fi