COP29 Pavilion Opening session
«Unfreezing the Arctic cooperation»

The Arctic is a region of immense opportunities and severe challenges. It is one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth if measured by all key indicators. If the Arctic climate change persists at the expected rates, it will affect the world’s climate system, ecosystems, economies, human health and well-being, international stability, as well as the progress in achieving the SDGs.

Tackling the effects of climate change in the region requires close coordination, collaboration and partnership among the relevant Global governance efforts. Though the Arctic plays a crucial role in regulating, stabilizing and transforming the Earth’s climate, as of today there is no dedicated Arctic space at UNFCCC COP, and the region is poorly reflected in its outcomes. While wide scale regional cooperation remains largely frozen, the cooperation on achieving SDGs and in particular on climate change in the Arctic needs a global neutral platform.

The Northern Forum aims at providing this platform, the dedicated Arctic Pavilion, for the outreach and collaboration at COP29 and develop it further in the framework of UNFCCC, revitalizing partnerships for sustainable development in the high north, with particular focus on the indigenous communities and youth engagement.

Speakers:

• Vladimir Vasilev, Executive Director, The Northern Forum
• Halldor Johannsson, Director, Arctic Portal
• Sergey Kungurtsev, Chair, International and Regional Relations Committee, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia
• Alexander Olchev, Professor, Lomonosov Moscow State University
• Anurag Bisen, Senior Fellow, Vivekananda International Foundation, India

Online participants:

• Arsenii Kirgizov-Barski, BRICS YEA
• Lassi Heininen, Professor, Helsinki University