The meeting participants joined the Indigenous youth to discuss their experiences in a circle.
UArctic's annual Assembly meeting was held on 1–3 June 2022 in Portland, Maine, US, with pre-conference on 30–31 May in Portsmouth. The Assembly meeting elected new members to UArctic Board and other bodies, approved UArctic's annual reports and welcomed new members and Thematic Networks among other decisions.
UArctic Assembly brought together 130 participants from over 75
organizations. The local hosts of the meeting were University of New
Hampshire, University of Maine, University of New England, University of
Southern Maine and Dartmouth College. The Assembly meeting elected new
members to UArctic Board and other bodies, approved UArctic's annual
reports and welcomed new members and Thematic Networks among other
decisions.
Professor Mauri Ylä-Kotola from the
Faculty of Art and Design, University of Lapland was elected for a
second three-year term in UArctic's Nominations Committee. The Assembly
also approved a new Thematic Network on Frozen Arctic Conservation, led
by research professor John Moore, Arctic Centre,
University of Lapland. Another newly approved Thematic Network
"Decolonization of Arctic Library and Archives Metadata (DALAM)" has Susanna Parikka, library director of University Library at the University of Lapland, as a member.
A
panel session "the New Future for the Arctic" was organized as part of
the Assembly program. It gathered together policy makers and academic
experts to discuss the geopolitical change caused by the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, as well as fossil fuels and rare minerals raising
in the focus of global discussion and collaborative spirit of the Arctic
community. The discussion focused not just on the impacts of the
current geopolitical crisis, but also on the longstanding critical
issues of climate change, resource use, and indigenous rights.
The panel of experts and decision makers discussed the new future for the Arctic.
The
panel was organized by UArctic International Secretariat in
collaboration with World Affairs Council of Maine and Maine North
Atlantic Development Office. The panel discussion was chaired by Angus King, U.S. Senator for Maine and co-chair of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus. The other speakers included, among others, James DeHart, U.S. Coordinator for the Arctic Region, U.S. State Department.
The next UArctic Assembly will be held in Quebec City, Canada, on 29 May – 2 June 2023.
UArctic International Secretariat is hosted by the University of Lapland.
More information:
Outi Snellman
Head of UArctic International Secretariat
University of Lapland
outi.snellman (at) ulapland.fi