The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM) at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on 18 September 2025 with a half-day seminar.

For four decades, The Northern Institute for
Environmental and Minority Law has been at the forefront of research on the complex
interplay between law, the environment, and the rights of minorities and Indigenous
peoples in the Arctic. 

The anniversary seminar
“Environmental and Minority Law in the Arctic: Problems and Processes” will bring
together scholars, practitioners, and community representatives to reflect on these
themes and examine the evolving challenges of governance, sustainability, and
justice in the region. 

The seminar will open with
welcome words from Johanna Ikävalko, Director of the
Arctic Centre, followed by an opening address by Professor Kamrul
Hossain, Director of NIEM.

The first session will
feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Anne-Maria Magga,
Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences (Sustainable Nature Cultures and
Multispecies Futures, SuMu). Dr. Magga will discuss the Sámi people’s own laws and
principles in conversation with Dr. Leena Hansen. An open discussion and Q&A
will follow.

The second session, moderated by Professor Hossain,
will turn to Environmental Law in the Arctic. Presentations will address urgent
legal and policy challenges, including seabed mining, digitalization, climate
change, and the development of regional and international legal frameworks. Speakers
will include research professor Timo Koivurova, Ms.
Krittika Singh, Dr. Mirva
Salminen, Mr. Medy Dervovic and Dr.
Marlene Payva. 

This
anniversary event highlights NIEM’s enduring commitment to advancing knowledge,
fostering dialogue, and driving legal innovation in pursuit of sustainable and
equitable futures for the Arctic and its peoples. 

The
seminar is open to all, but registration is required via this link by 15 September
2025: https://forms.gle/m6RD4DeRg6jWK4YF6 
(If the link does not work directly, please copy and paste it into your
browser).

Event Details:

Date: 18
September 2025
Time: 13:00 – 16:30
Venue: Arctic
Centre Library, University of Lapland (ground floor, under the stairs)

Programme:

Environmental and minority law in the Arctic: problems and
processes

13:00 Welcome words by Johanna
Ikävalko
13.10 Opening speech by Kamrul Hossain 

13:20 Session 1: Keynote presentation by Anne-Maria Magga on the Sámi
people’s own laws and principles (in conversation with Leena Hansen).
Discussions and Q & A

14:30 Coffee

15:00 Session 2: Environmental Law in the Arctic 
Moderator: Kamrul Hossain

Speakers: 
– Timo Koivurova:
Environmental regulations in the Arctic, what they are, and how they respond to
Arctic challenges.
–
Krittika Singh: Environmental consequences of sea-bed mining and
regulatory responses
–
Mirva Salminen: Digitalization and its impact on the Arctic
Environment
–
Medy Dervovic: Regime Building in the Arctic Ocean: Recent
International and Regional Legal Developments
– Marlene Payva: Rethinking the
relationship between human-nature in international (environmental) law amidst
climate change with focus on the Arctic

16:30
Closing