Arctic Circle (organization)

Arctic Circle is an organisation that was founded in 2013 by the former president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, alongside Alice Rogoff from Alaska Dispatch and the former Greenlandic Premier, Kuupik Kleist.Depledge, Duncan & Dodds, Klaus. (2017). Bazaar Governance: Situating the Arctic Circle. https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/27761552/Chapter_8_Depledge_und_Dodds_2017_Bazaar_Governance_Situating_the_Arctic_Circle.pdf

Retrieved 27 may 2025 The Arctic Circle was announced on April 15 by Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson as he was attending a National Press Club luncheon in New York, because he wanted to present his vision of a new international assembly for the Arctic called “Arctic Circle”. He believed that an assembly like this would “strengthen the policymaking process by bringing together as many Arctic and international players as possible under one large tent”. Arctic Circle describes themselves as “ e largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic and our Planet. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Every year, in October, the Arctic Circle Assembly takes place in Reykjavik, IcelandWilson, P. (2024). Pitching the Tent: Understanding the Arctic Circle 2013–2023. ''Global Society'', 1–18. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13600826.2024.2412562?casa_token=yxmwjAWhjQIAAAAA:iGKruNz4wV1by3zwrjV3RDFQbAjEm8dUP1J7BQaFOTOlDKM4_FdA2wBdzoXxMxjQQijEKgFWvn0

Retrieved 25 May 2025 in Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center.

The Structure of Arctic Circle

The Board

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is the chairman of Arctic Circle, and he was the president of Iceland in the period of 1996-2016. Before becoming president of Iceland, he was Iceland’s Minister of Finance, Member of Parliament, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the first Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. Besides Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, the board consists of Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, Dagfinnur Sveinbjörnsson, Frederik Paulsen, and Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson.

The Honorary board

The honorary board of Arctic Circle consists of Albert II, Prince of Monaco, U.S. Senator of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, and Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.

The Advisory Board

The Advisory Board consists of 47 people, who all hold great knowledge of Arctic Affairs. These are: Gudmundur Alfredsson, ''University of Akureyri'', Patrick Beauchesne, ''Société du Plan Nord, Government of Québec'', Mercedes “Sadie” Blancaflor, ''Arctic Youth Network'', Alexander Borodin, ''Iridium Polar Advisory Board'', Henry Burgess, ''Natural Environment Research Council, UK'', Marie-Anne Coninsx, ''Egmont Institute'', Philippe Couillard, ''Britishvolt'', Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, ''University of Iceland'', Milind Deora, ''former Union Minister of State, Government of India'', Dana Eidsness, ''WaveAerospace'', Jane Francis, ''British Antarctic Survey'', Priscilla Frankson, ''Arctic Youth Network, Arizona State University'', Katarina Gårdfeldt, ''Swedish Polar Research Secretariat'', James Gray, ''House of Commons, UK'', Heidar Mar Gudjonsson, ''Ursus Investments'', Þorsteinn Gunnarsson, ''Icelandic Centre for Research'', Lassi Heininen, ''University of Lapland'', Paul Holthus, ''World Ocean Council'', Mark Inall, ''Scottish Science Advisory Council'', Kuupik Kleist, ''Pikialasorsuaq Commission'', Lars Kullerud, ''University of the Arctic'', Jean Lemire, ''Government of Québec'', Qivioq Lovstrom, ''Greenland’s Council for Human Rights'', Aleksander Mazharov, ''Government of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug'', Sara Olsvig, ''Inuit Circumpolar Council'', Anders Oskal, ''International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry'', Holly Parker, ''Schiller Coastal Studies Center, Bowdoin College'', Frederik Paulsen, ''Paulsen Editions'', Volker Rachold, ''German Arctic Office'', Alice Rogoff, ''Publisher, Arctic Today'', Peter Seligmann, ''Nia Tero'', Hugh Short, ''Pt Capital'', Össur Skarphéðinsson, ''former Foreign Minister of Iceland'', Atsushi Sunami, ''Sasakawa Peace Foundation'', Polina Syadeyskaya, ''University of Victoria BC, Canada'', Yao Tandong, ''Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research'', Mead Treadwell, ''Venture Ad Astra'', Felix Tschudi, ''Tschudi Shipping Co.'', Anton Vasiliev, ''Russian Association of Polar Explorers'', Tero Vauraste, ''Iceye Ltd.'', Andrea Wagner, ''Aspen Institute, Forum for Community Solutions'', Jan-Gunnar Winther, ''UiT The Arctic University of Norway'', Juhán Nikolaus Wuolab Wollberg, ''NOEREH, the Norwegian Saami Youth Organization'', Huigen Yang, ''Polar Research Institute of China'', Lam Khin Yong, ''Nanyang Technological University'', Alex Zhang, ''Eco Foundation Global,'' and Þorsteinn Þorsteinsson, ''Icelandic Meteorological Office.''

The Secretariat

The Secretariat is based in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík. The Secretariat is responsible for organizing the Assembly and the Forums, and the Secretariat is also accountable for the communication and collaboration with Arctic Circle partners. The Secretariat's office is located at Menntavegur 1, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland, and the CEO of the Secretariat is Ásdís Ólafsdóttir.

Arctic Circle Assembly 2013-2024

2013

The first ever Arctic Circle Assembly took place in 2013, at which different kinds of topics were discussed such as cooperation on Arctic energy, shipping, and the need for participation and cooperation among Arctic and non-arctic states to address Arctic affairs. Both Ban Ki-Moon, then Secretary-General, United Nations and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former Secretary of State, United States, gave a video message to the Assembly.

2014

The second Arctic Circle Assembly continued to focus on the importance of developing the Arctic. Arctic Circle Assembly attracted many high-profile speakers including Sauli Niinistö, then President of Finland, José Ángel Gurría, then OECD Secretary General and Admiral Robert J.Papp, then U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic.

2015

At the Arctic Circle Assembly 2015, then President of France, François Hollande, performed a keynote about the importance of the Arctic as an arena for international climate action. Other speakers were Artur Chilingarov, Explorer and Special Envoy of the Russian President to the Arctic and Prince Albert II of Monaco.The Arctic Circle Assembly had more than 2000 participants from more than 50 countries. In total, the event had 600 speakers and more than 130 sessions.

2016

At the 2016 version of the Arctic Circle Assembly, the Arctic Circle Prize was awarded for the first time. Other highlights include speeches from the then First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon and the then Premier of Quebec, Philippe Couillard.

2017

The 2017 version of the Arctic Circle attracted more than 2000 participants from more than 60 countries. There was more than 130 sessions and 600 speakers, including Gao Feng, China's Special Representative for Arctic Affairs, Nicola Sturgeon, then First Minister of Scotland, Bob McLeod, then Premier of the North West Territories in Canada, Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change ( UNFCCC).

2018

The 2017 version of the Arctic Circle attracted more than 2000 participants from more than 60 countries. There was more than a 140 sessions and more than 700 speakers including Taro Kono, Japan’s then Minister for Foreign Affairs, the then EU Commissioner for Maritime Affairs Karmenu Vella, Russian Senator Sergey Kislyak, Sir David King, the UK’s former Special Representative for Climate Change and many others. The 2018 Assembly covered topics such as Energy, Transportation, the Belt and Road Initiative, Scotland’s Arctic Strategy and more.

2019

The 2019 version of the Arctic Circle attracted more than 2200 participants from 65 countries. There was 206 sessions and more than 927 speakers in total including former U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry and H.R.H. Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden. The Assembly had an increased focus on indigenous people’s rights in the Arctic.

2020

Due to Covid-19 the 2020 version of Arctic Circle Assembly was cancelled.

2021

The 2021 version of the Arctic Circle Assembly attracted more than 1400 participants from more than 53 countries. There was more than 100 sessions and more than 400 speakers.

2022

The 2022 version of the Arctic Circle Assembly attracted more than 2000 participants. The assembly covered among other things Arctic security, peace and prosperity. Among speakers were Mary Simon, then Governor General of Canada; Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia; Múte B. Egede, then Prime Minister of Greenland; Rob Bauer, then Chair of the Military Committee, NATO.

2023

The 2023 version of the Arctic Circle attracted more than 2200 participants from 72 countries. There was more than 200 sessions and more than 700 speakers in total including Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate of COP28; Senator Lisa Murkowski of the United States, Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates; Rob Bauer, and then Chair of the NATO Military Committee. Topics discussed were among other things Arctic security, energy policy and climate policy.

2024

The 2024 version of the Arctic Circle attracted more than 2500 participants from 75 countries. There was more than 250 sessions and more than 700 speakers in total including Liu Zhenmin, Special Envoy for Climate Change of the People's Republic of China; Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO; Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland; Senator Lisa Murkowski of the United States; Kadri Simson, then European Commissioner for Energy.

The Arctic Circle Prize

The Arctic Circle prize is, according to Arctic Circle, awarded for “extraordinary contributions to the continuous work of securing a sustainable and prosperous future in the Arctic.” The Arctic Circle Prize has been awarded four times, in 2024, 2022, 2019 and 2016.

2024 Arctic Circle Prize winner

Senator Lisa Murkowski was awarded the Arctic Circle Prize in 2024. According to Arctic Circle, Lisa Murkowski was awarded the Arctic Circle Prize due to “her leadership in Arctic affairs in the United States and globally. She is one of U.S. Congress' foremost experts on Arctic affairs and plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. national policies that address pressing challenges such as national security, food security, and infrastructure development.Arctic Circle (2025). The Arctic Circle Prize. https://www.arcticcircle.org/the-arctic-circle-prize

Retrieved 25 May 2025.”

2022 Arctic Circle Prize winner

Alfred Wegener Institute and MOSAiC Expedition was awarded the Arctic Circle Prize in 2022 because of “the expedition's extraordinary contribution to the continuous work of securing a sustainable and prosperous future in the Arctic and for enhancing a more comprehensive understanding of the pace of climate change in the world.”

2019 Arctic Circle Prize winner

John Kerry, former U.S. Secretary of State was awarded the Arctic Circle Prize in 2019 to honor “his leadership as the U.S. Chair of the Arctic Council, the success of the Paris Climate Conference and saluting his campaign for the Oceans.”

2016 Arctic Circle Prize winner

Ban Ki-moon, then General Secretary of the United Nations, was awarded the Arctic Circle Prize in 2016 for the first time in Arctic Circles history. He was awarded the pirze, because of “his leadership in bringing the nations of the world together in creating a historic international agreement on climate cooperation serving the sustainable future for the Arctic and the Planet.”

Arctic Circle Compared To Other Forums

The mission of Arctic Circle is to bring together as many international actors and stakeholders to discuss Arctic Affairs. In contrast, the Arctic Circle, an intergovernmental body established in 1996, includes only eight countries with a speaking role: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. As the 1996 Ottawa Declaration, a founding document of the Arctic Circle, explicitly stipulates, the Arctic Council "should not deal with matters related to military security". Nevertheless, according to Rand Corporation, there is a need for a forum dedicated to Arctic security issues “such as that run by the Arctic Circle Assembly, where participation can be ad hoc and security is already an item of discussion.”.Rand Corporation (2017). Maintaining Arctic Cooperation with Russia. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1731.html

Retrieved 25 May 2025 As a matter of fact, the emergence of the Arctic Circle has been seen as a rival organization to the Arctic Council, even though the essence of Arctic Circle is “just” to exchange knowledge and ideas about the future of the Arctic. But since there is a presence of high-profile stakeholders, Arctic Circle receives a lot of media attention. This is one of the reasons why some believe that the Arctic Circle annual assembly has the potential to be the Davos of the Arctic region, where high-profile stakeholders meet and discuss, in this case, Arctic affairs.Kuus (2022). Between an archipelago and an ice floe: The

know-where of Arctic governance expertise. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/E147023FB410B4493D4B9258AD2B6260/S0032247422000316a.pdf/between-an-archipelago-and-an-ice-floe-the-know-where-of-arctic-governance-expertise.pdf

Retrieved 25 May 2025. However, it is difficult to put a label on Arctic Circle as it can be described as something in between a conference and an international organisation.

Arctic Circle and The Role of Iceland

The role of Iceland in Arctic Circle is significant. The former president of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson founded it and he is also currently chairman. Meanwhile, the annual assembly is held in Reykjavik. This is one of the reasons why researchers of Arctic affairs believe the Arctic Circle initiative has the potential to reposition Iceland as a global Arctic state. In the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, Iceland was excluded from meetings with the Arctic Five, which consists of the five littoral states which border the Arctic Ocean; Norway, Denmark, Russia, Canada and The United States of America. Due to this fact, Iceland had concerns that they would be left out of Arctic deliberations altogether, but being the host of such a big forum with such high profile stakeholders gives them an Arctic voice.

See also

* Arctic Economic Council
* Arctic Council

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.arcticcircle.org/
Arctic Circle video"The Coming Arctic Boom" (Scott G. Borgerson, ''Foreign Affairs'')

Arctic