The European Commission, Finland and Germany will co-host the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM 2).
The aims of this 2nd ministerial meeting are to promote the results of the deliverables agreed at the 1st Arctic Science Ministerial, increase capacity to respond to major societal challenges in the Arctic, encourage further scientific cooperation among a large number of countries and representatives of indigenous peoples.
The 1st Arctic Science Ministerial, hosted by the White House in 2016, brought together science ministers from 24 governments, EU representatives and delegates from Arctic Indigenous peoples’ organisations. Their discussions centred on collective efforts to step up international scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial is not an Arctic Council event. However, Finland is chairing the Arctic Council from May 2017 to May 2019. This guarantees strong links between the Ministerial and the Arctic Council. All delegations present at the 1st Ministerial and other interested governments are invited - participation of indigenous Arctic communities is a priority.
What will be on the agenda?
On Day 1 an Arctic Science Conference will showcase the latest achievements as regards the deliverables agreed for each thematic area at the 1st Ministerial. The discussion will focus on scientific advances in the deliverables and on the commitment needed in future. It will be open to a wide range of Arctic stakeholders, policymakers and media. The first day of the conference will be followed by an evening networking reception at 7 p.m. These discussions will prepare the ground for Day 2 on which government ministers and delegates will meet to discuss the main scientific issues. The main objectives are to release a Joint Statement, issue a report on initiatives taken over the preceding 2 years and an updated list of deliverables expected to generate results over the next few years. Further details will be published in the run-up to the conference.