15th Polar Law Symposium, 2022, Reykjavík (Iceland)

15th Polar Law Symposium: Reykjavík, Iceland, 12-14 October 2022

The 15th Polar Law Symposium (PLS) was held in Reykjavík, Iceland, 12-14 October 2022. The Polar Law Institute and the  Center for Arctic Studies at the University of Iceland will be co-hosting the Symposium in partnership with the Arctic Circle. 

An advisory committee is composed of Gudmundur Alfredsson (Stefansson Arctic Institute), Pia Hansson (University of Iceland), Julia Jabour (University of Tasmania), Timo Koivurova (University of Lapland) Akiho Shihata (University of Kobe), and Embla Eir Oddsdottir (Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network). Jonathan Wood, Symposium Manager and PhD fellow at the University of Iceland and MA Polar Law candidate  at the University of Akureyri will be heading a planning committee with the members currently consisting of Federica Scarpa, (Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network – IACN) and Snæfríður Grímsdóttir (Centre for Arctic Studies).

Wednesday, Oct. 12th

LOCATION: The Ceremonial Hall,  University of Iceland 

9:00 - 9:05: Welcome remarks
Dr. Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland

9:05 - 9:20 Opening remarks
H.E. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland 1996-2016

9:20 - 9:45  Keynote  
Dr. Bjarni Már Magnússon, Professor, Bifröst University 
Introduced by Pia Hansson, Director, Centre for Arctic Studies, University of Iceland

09:45 - 11:10 - The Ukrainian Crisis: Its Fallout and Effects in the Polar Regions 
Moderator:
Ms. Ragnheiður E. Þorsteinsdóttir, Assistant Professor, University of  Akureyri and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Iceland, Faculty of Law

Speakers: 
Dr. Zia Madani, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Kobe University, Japan & Prof. Akiho Shibata, Professor and Director, Polar Cooperation Research Centre (PCRC), Kobe University, Japan, Invasion of Ukraine and the Antarctic Treaty System: Legal challenges for its continuing resilience

Dr. Christoph Humrich, Centre for International Relations Research, University of Groningen, In View of the War in Ukraine: A Kantian, not Realist strategy for the Arctic

Dr. Barry Zellen, Visiting Scholar, University of Connecticut, As War in Ukraine Upends a Quarter Century of Enduring Arctic Cooperation, the World Needs the Arctic Council Now More Than Ever

Mr. Andrew Simon-Butler, P.h.D. student, University of British Columbia, Svalbard and a Century of (De)Militarization Creep, 

Dr. Kentaro Nishimoto, Professor of International Law, NIPR and Tohoku University, Japan ,  What Could the War in Ukraine mean for Navigation of the Northern Sea Route? An East Asian Perspective

11:10-11:15 BREAK 

11:15- 12:25 - The Interlink Between Security and Governance Within the Arctic
Moderator: 
Mr. Jonathan Wood, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Iceland

Speakers: 
Dr. Lassi Heininen, Professor, Emeritus, University of Lapland, Traditional security vis-a-vis comprehensive security, the Arctic case

Ms. Sakiko Hataya, Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation & Dr. Xiang Gao, Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation,  Future of Japan-China Cooperation in Arctic Affairs

Mr. Alberto Baldini, BA student, University of Pisa & Ms. Elisabetta Ginevra Iida, BA student, University of Pisa,  Is a Stable Arctic Legal Framework Possible?  

Dr. Edythe Weeks, Adjunct Faculty, Washington University - International Relations to Look into the Future: An Assessment of the Pre-Colonization Phase of Polar Law Politics

12:25- 13:25 - Just transition for the Arctic

Moderator:
Prof. Rachael Lorna Johnstone, Professor, University of Akureyri and University of Greenland 

Speakers: 
Dr. Dorothée Cambou, Assistant Professor of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Finland, Just Wind Power: The Fosen Supreme Court decision and its importance for the green transition

 Dr. Daria Shapovalova, Professor, Senior Lecturer in Energy Law and Co-Director, Aberdeen University of Energy Law, Just Transition in Oil and Gas Hubs: Place-Based Approaches to Decarbonisation Governance

Prof. Mark CJ Stoddart, Department of Sociology, Memorial University, Canada, Hydroelectricity and Just Climate Transitions: Muskrat Falls, Downstream Communities, and the Politics of Anti-Reflexivity

13:25 - 14:45 Lunch    

14:45 - 16:10 Perspectives on Human Rights and Indigenous Rights in the Arctic  

Moderator: 

Ms. Ríkey Þöll Jóhannesdóttir, Project Manager, Centre for Arctic Studies, University of Iceland

Speakers:  

Dr. Øyvind Ravna, Professor of Law, UiT Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø - The duty to repair human rights violations - in Australia and in Norway

Dr. Rachael Johnstone, Professor, University of Akureyri - Decolonising Arctic Archives: a Research Agenda 

Mr. Pavel Tkach, Junior Researcher, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland - Benefits and Challenges of the Intellectual Property law for traditional cultural expressions of Indigenous Communities of the North

Dr. Grant Christensen, Assistant Professor of Law, Stetson University - Expanded Jurisdiction of Native Alaskan Communities under VAWA 2022

Ms. Sara Fusco, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Lapland, How climate change influences the Indigenous identity in the small islands of the Arctic: The establishment of customary law in the modern Indigenous tradition

Ms. Federica Scarpa, Communications Manager, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network - Has the integration of Greenland to the Kingdom of Denmark be rightfully implemented

 

16:10 - 16:25 Break

 

16:25-17:10 - The Interplay of Law and Science for balancing use and protection 
Moderator:
Dr. Hafdís Hanna Ægisdóttir, Director of the Institute for Sustainability Studies, University of Iceland

Speakers:
Dr. Hilde Woker, Assistant Professor of Public International Law, Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies, Leiden University-  The Concept of Best Available Science in Polar Law

Dr. Maria Madalena das Neves, Associate Professor, Norwegian Centre for the Law of  the  Sea  (UNCLOS),  The  Arctic  University  of  Norway, Seabed  mining  on  the  northern  areas  of  the  Norwegian  continental  shelf: reconciling economic development with effective protection of the marine environment

Dr. Anna Maria Hubert, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Calgary, Legal and Policy Considerations for Enhancing the Benefits of Arctic Science: A Transdisciplinary Study of Wildlife Genomics

17:10 - 17:20 BREAK 

17:20-18:20 - A Changing Antarctica? Analyses of Recent Legal Innovations
Moderator:
Ms. Margrét Cela, Administrative Officer at Faculty of Law, University of Iceland

Speakers:
Mrs. Melis Yuksel, PhD student in Public Law, Hacettepe University, The territorial regimes in International Law and Unique Regime Brought by the Antarctic Treaty System

Dr. Luis Ferrada, Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Chile,  Sovereignty on Antarctica and other possible legal-territorial categories for governance of the Sixth Continent: A conceptual framework, 

Dr. Xueping Li, Institute of International Law, School of Law, Wuhan University, From Peaceful Use to Rational Use: An Inquiry into the Evolutionary Trend of the Antarctic Treaty System

Ms. Elena-Laura Álvarez Ortega, Ph.D. Candidate, Tilburg University & Ms. Yousra Makanse, Ph.D. Candidate, Wageningen University & Research, Governance of Antarctic Tourism: The Role of ATS Principles and Values 

Thursday, Oct. 13th

LOCATION: The Ceremonial hall - University of Iceland

9:00-  9:35  Keynote 

 H.E. Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Industry and Trade
Introduced by Prof. Akiho Shibata, Professor and Director, Polar Cooperation Research Centre (PCRC), Kobe University, Japan, and Federica Scarpa, Communications Manager, Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network

09:35 - 09:50 - Potential legal means to regulate underwater noise in the Arctic

Mr. Hiroto Kogo, LL.M. candidate, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University, Japan  with  Prof. Akiho Shibata, Professor and Director, Polar Cooperation Research Centre (PCRC), Kobe University, Japan, Potential legal means to regulate underwater noise in the Arctic

9:50-10:05 - Interim Conservation and Management Measures under CAO Fisheries Agreement:  Its origin, concept, and functions

Mr. Taichi Inai, Ms. Rena Takezoe & Mr. Yoshiki Yamakawa, LL.M. candidates, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University, Japan, with  Prof. Akiho Shibata, Professor and Director, Polar Cooperation Research Centre (PCRC), Kobe University, Japan, Interim Conservation and Management Measures under CAO Fisheries Agreement:  Its origin, concept, and functions

10:05-10:15 Break 

10:15-11:30 - Environmental Law Within the Arctic: Lessons to be Learned and Challenges to Overcome
Moderator:
Dr. Aðalheiður Jóhannsdóttir, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Iceland

Speakers:
Ms. Katharina Heinrich, Junior Researcher at the Arctic Governance Research Group at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Perspectives on dynamic marine management in ABNJ, its integration in the legal framework, and the role of the Polar Regions

Dr. Ilker K. Basaran, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M University Galveston, and Dr. Elizabeth Nyman, Associate Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, How to Address Regulatory Gap in Transboundary Oil Pollution from Offshore Installations in the Arctic Ocean 

Mr. Alberto Baldini, BA student, University of Pisa, States’ Obligations In a Territorializing Arctic: Coastal State Obligations in their EEZ between Due Regard and Environmental Law

Dr. Sanna Kopra,  Senior Researcher, Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law, University of Lapland, Finland,  The Arctic Ocean: the last frontier of Capitalocene or a cherished rights holder in Planetocene

11:30-13:15 Lunch

13:15 - 14:15 - 10 years of current developments in Arctic Law: Arctic Law is an academic discipline

Prof. Kamrul Hossain, Professor, University of Lapland, Arctic Law is an Academic Discipline

Prof. Timo Koivurova, Research Professor and the Director of the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland, Future of Arctic law and governance after the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Prof. Rachael Johnstone, Professor, University of Akureyri , Professor, University of Greenland, Global Polar Law? 

Ms. Sara Fusco, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Law - From studying to teach Arctic Law: An experience from UNAK

14:15-15:25 -  Ethical considerations for the protection of Antarctica 

Dr. Antje Neumann, Associate Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Akureyri, Towards a comprehensive protection of Antarctica’s intrinsic values

 Mrs. Asma Ebrahim, CFO, and forms part of Executive Teams for large global corporates, Antarctica is Open for Business’ - A Commercial Toolkit to Regulate Antarctica’s Code of Ethics

​​Ms. Jordane Liebeaux, MA student in Polar Law, University of Akureyri, The “no-go” alternative: An eco-centric approach for Antarctica  

Dr. Ricardo Roura, Independent scholar & Senior Adviser, Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), From World Park Antarctica to the rights of nature: Environmental perspectives on Antarctic governance

15:25 - 15:35 BREAK 

15:35-16:10 - Hyperborean Legalities: Critical Approaches to Polar Law

Mr. Romain Chuffart, Durham ARCTIC PhD Candidate, Durham Law School, Durham University 

Ms. Mana Tugend, PhD Research Fellow, Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, UiT

16:10- 17:20 - International Law, Ukraine, and the Arctic:  Is Operational Co-existence Possible?
Moderator: 
Dr. Betsy Baker, Global Fellow, Wilson Center Polar Institute, USA 

Speakers:
Mr. Evan Bloom,  Senior Fellow and Former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries and Director for Ocean and Polar Affairs, U.S. Department of State, The Arctic Ocean, diplomacy, and international law: A7, A8, and non-Arctic state interests after Ukraine 

Dr. Suzanne Lalonde, Professor of International Law, Université de Montréal, Canada, International Law, Boundaries, and Marine Conservation after Ukraine

Dr. Timo Koivurova, Research Professor and the Director of the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland, The Arctic Council and Arctic Law after Ukraine

Mr. Peter Wilhelm Lund Linde, Fulbright Arctic Scholar, Arctic Cooperation or Co-existence after Ukraine

17:20-17:45 - Closing remarks by the Faroese Representative and transition to the 16th Polar Law Symposium

Bárður Larsen, Assistant professor and program director in Law, Faculty of History and Social Sciences, University of the Faroe Islands

 

The 15th Polar Law Symposium will be held at the Ceremonial hall (Hátíðarsalur) at the University of Iceland in Reykjavík on October 12 and 13, 2022. The Polar Law Institute, the Icelandic Arctic cooperation network, and the Centre for Arctic Studies at the University of Iceland will co-host the Symposium in partnership with the Arctic Circle. 

The Polar Law Symposium aims to foster a critical debate on the crucial issues that are now facing and/or deriving from the polar areas. 

 

An advisory committee is composed of Gudmundur Alfredsson (Stefansson Arctic Institute), Pia Hansson (University of Iceland), Julia Jabour (University of Tasmania), Timo Koivurova (University of Lapland) Akiho Shihata (University of Kobe), and Embla Eir Oddsdottir (Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network). Jonathan Wood, Symposium Manager and PhD fellow at the University of Iceland will be heading a planning committee with the members currently consisting of Federica Scarpa, (Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network – IACN) and Ríkey Þöll Jóhannsdóttir  (Centre for Arctic Studies).