Confrontation or cooperation
November 25th, the University of Akureyri
NEXUS, research forum for security and defense
UNAK, Polar Law Institute
Northern Research Forum
On 25 November, the University of Akureyri, NEXUS: a Research Forum on Security and Defence), and the Northern Research Forum – in cooperation with the Icelandic Foreign Ministry – are co-organizing a Conference on Arctic matters. The Conference will be held at the University of Akureyri from 9:00 to 17:00 hours.
Before noon there will be lectures on traditional security, societal security and human rights, as well as environmental security in the Arctic. After lunch, working groups will be formed on these same themes, and will then present their findings in plenary at the end of the day.
The conference will be WebCasted on the Arctic Portal
Program
9.00
- Welcoming speech by Stefán B. Sigurðsson, Rector of University of Akureyri
9.10
- Jónas Gunnar Allansson, Senior Arctic Official, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
– Setting the agenda
9.25
States, citizens and security – chaired by Auður Ingólfsdóttir
- Jennifer Rhemann, Polar Law MA Candidate, University of Akureyri, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Discipline Coordinator for Polar Law and Policy and Council Co-Chair
– Security Benefits of International Collaboration in Scientific Endeavours and Conservation Efforts - Gústav Pétursson, MA in International Relations
– The High North: A Multidimensional Security Approach - Ágúst Þór Árnason, Director of Polar Law Institute
– Citizenship in a Global Context: Future Perspectives for the 21st Century
10.15 – 10.25
Coffee break
10.25
Traditional- and political security – chaired by Alyson Bailes
- Björn Bjarnason, Former minister of Justice and chair of Varðberg and Samtök um vestræna samvinnu
– Arctic Security: An Icelandic Perspective - Jakob Þór Kristjánsson, PhD student at the University of Iceland
– Security Dilemma in the High North, is a Resource War Looming? - Margrét Cela, PhD student at the University of Lapland
– Traditional security in the official policies of the Arctic eight
11.15 -11.20
Coffee break
11.20
Environmental- and energy security – chaired by Jennifer Rhemann
- Auður Ingólfsdóttir, Assistant professor, Bifröst University
– Climate Change and Environmental Security in the Arctic: Links between geopolitical concerns and local challenges - Húni Hallsson, Project Manager, Polar law Institute
– Arctic shipping: Evaluation of risks and benefits - Guðmundur Egill Erlendsson, ML and LL.M in Polar Law, Associate at Lögmannsstofa Akureyrar, and Freelance scholar
– Energy Security Issues in the North: Viable Alternatives and Extreme Measures - Soffia Guðmundsdóttir, Pame
– To be announced - Tom Barry, Executive Director of CAFF (Concervation of Arctic Flaura and Fauna) & Eydís Líndal Finnbogadóttir, Manager of Geographic Information Systems at the National Land Survey of Iceland
– Monitoring in the Arctic and the Arctic Spatial Data Infrastructure project
13.00-13.45
Lunch break
13.45
Working groups begin
- Working group 1 – States, citizens and security:
chaired by Jóhanna Þórdísardóttir, MA in International Relations - Working group 2 – Geopolitics and traditional security:
chaired by Gústav Pétursson - Working group 3 – Environmental and energy security:
chaired by Jennifer Rhemann
15.00 – 15.20:
Coffee break
15.20 – 16.40
Group presentations. Each presentation should take 10-15 minutes followed by
10 – 15 minutes discussion. Chaired by Margrét Cela
16.45
Alyson Bailes, Adjunct Professor, University of Iceland
– Closing remarks
17.00
Closing and thank you remarks from NEXUS (Margrét Cela Chair of NEXUS), UNAK, NRF and MFA Followed by reception
Many important linkages between Polar Law issues and questions are addressed in other realms of the humanities and social sciences. Many of the Arctic or Antarctic developments are a result of, or the subject of ongoing political or international relations discourses. For example, various current and emerging security issues in both areas; the adaptation or mitigation capacity-building of communities in facing their attempt to face the consequences of climate change or bi- or multi-lateral diplomacy and political controversies in the negation of outstanding legal disagreements in the Arctic; the impact of the cold war on the outcome of the Antarctic Treaty provisions (e.g., the principle of demilitarization), to name but a few. In other words, as a discipline, “Polar Law” is developing in a multi-disciplinary direction suggesting that it is of the utmost significance for the discipline to utilize information gained from, and maintain linkages with, the various cognate humanities and social sciences (e.g., Human Geography, Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, and International Relations).
The content of the textbook is developed in line with the expertise garnered from different areas of law. Thus, chapters by Koivurova, Van-derZwaag and Potts provide us with an analysis of various aspects of international environmental law and the law of sea in relation to the Arctic and the Antarctic (including matters of environmental protection, shipping and marine living resources). The chapter by Bankes provides us with a useful overview of energy resources law highlighting the relevant developments in the Arctic. The chapters by Alfredsson, Kleist, Loukacheva, and Sambo Dorough form the bedrock of the theoretical analysis undertaken here while also highlighting a number of practical examples in the areas of international and domestic human rights law and the constitutional law in the Arctic. They also touch upon the questions of self-governance, sustainable governance and indigenous peoples’ rights. The textbook also contains valuable information on regional and local economies in the Arctic (see the chapter by Larsen), political matters and international relations (see chapters by Kleist, Diatchkova and Loukacheva). Despite its comprehensive content, the textbook nevertheless leaves room for further research in the area of Polar Law and its connection to other cognate disciplines. The textbook is the first educational material of its kind in the field and can be seen as a milestone in the promotion of legal values in both the Nordic community and indeed globally.
