Future of Arctic Law and Governance Workshop
The workshop takes place at Direksjonen/Haakonsbar, Storgata 4, Tromsø. The workshop is for in-person participation only; unfortunately, digital attendance is not an option.
The Future Arctic Law and Governance (FALG) project aims to develop and operate a strong international network to promote research and collaboration related to the future legal management and governance of the sea areas in the Arctic. This is the projects first thematic workshop which will focus on arctic governance and geopolitics.
Changes in the Arctic are happening fast and are unpredictable. The most important challenges are due to climate change which leads to the melting of sea ice and changes in the ecosystems in addition to the loss of nature and biological diversity that we are faced with. The situation in the Arctic is also characterized by geopolitical changes and military tensions because of Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine. These global changes provide frameworks and premises for the future management and regulation of sea areas in the Arctic.
The UN Convention on The Law of the Sea of 1982, together with other international rules on global and regional levels, provides the legal framework for the legal governance and management of the marine Arctic. In order to meet the societal challenges of today and the future, there is a need for knowledge both about the changes that we are facing and about how the law can be developed to meet these and at the same time facilitate sustainable development of the marine Arctic.
The Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea will contribute to the further development of such knowledge through ha series of planned research activities to be carried out in collaboration with researchers at other Norwegian, Nordic and other international research institutions. This includes joint seminars and workshops, but also the development of new PhD courses to train a new generation of legal researchers and provide them with perspectives and insights on how to govern a changing Arctic.
Our project partners on the FALG-project are Aldo Chircop, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Beatriz Martinez Romera, Centre for Climate Change Law and Governance (CLIMA), University of Copenhagen, Fiammetta Borgia, Univeristy of Rome II “Tor Vergata”, Henry Jones, University of Durham, Geir Hønneland, FNI and Timo Koivourova, Arctic Center, University of Lapland.
| 10:30 | Coffee and registration |
| 11:00 | Vito De Lucia (NCLOS, UiT), Welcome and Introduction |
| 11:15 | Alf Håkon Hoel (UiT): Arctic Geopolitics I: General Framing |
| 11:45 | Marc Lantaigne and Kari Myklebost UiT: Arctic Geopolitics II: China and Russia |
| 12:15 | Lunch break |
| 13:15 | Timo Koivourova (Arctic Center, Rovaniemi): Arctic Governance and the Arctic Council in Times of Geopolitical Shift |
| 13:45 |
Jan Solski (NCLOS, UiT): New Actors and Agencies in the Arctic |
| 14:15 | Coffee break |
| 14:30 |
Beatriz Martinez Romera (CLIMA Center, CPH): Climate Change in the Arctic: between Law and (geo)Politics? |
| 15:00 | Henry Jones (Durham University): Scientific Authority and Legal Claims: Latest Developments on Arctic Continental Shelves |
| 15:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:00 | Aldo Chircop and Sara Seck (Dalhousie University): “Arctic shipping and Indigenous rights: Geopolitical considerations?” |
| 16:30 | Alexander Lott and Youri von Logchem: (NCLOS, UiT) “Critical Infrastructures in the Arctic in Times of Geopolitical Tensions” |
| 17:00 |
Concluding Remarks: Vito De Lucia (NCLOS) |
| 17:10 |
Mingling |