Arctic Circle Assembly opens in Iceland with focus on geopolitics, security, climate

The Arctic Circle Assembly opened Thursday in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, bringing together government officials, Indigenous representatives, scientists, business leaders and civil society groups from more than 70 countries.

The annual gathering, held Oct. 8-10 at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, is expected to draw up to 2,500 participants and about 700 speakers across more than 200 sessions, according to organizers.

“The Assembly is not created by me or the Secretariat. It is created fundamentally by you,” Arctic Circle founder and chairman and former Icelandic President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said in his opening remarks.

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand also addressed the opening, saying the Arctic should be viewed as a homeland for the people who live there.

“The Arctic is not simply a strategic frontier, it is a homeland, and its future must begin always, including our conversations at the Arctic Circle Assembly, with the people who live there,” she said.

Greenland's Foreign Minister Mute B. Egede delivered an opening plenary address titled “Nothing about Greenland without Greenland.”

The program includes discussions on Arctic geopolitics and security, including the roles of the US, Greenland, Canada, China and the EU, as well as climate change, science, Indigenous peoples and business.

NATO Military Committee Chairman Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone and Canadian Chief of the Defense Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan are scheduled to take part in a session on NATO and the Arctic.

The Arctic Council's 30th anniversary will also be marked during the assembly, with Anand, Egede and Saami Council President Per-Olof Nutti among the participants.