Seth Sivinski and Devon Thorsell recently had the opportunity to travel to Iceland to attend the the Arctic Circle Assembly, a yearly gathering of governments, non-governmental organizations, indigenous groups, corporations, and students which meets in the Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland. The assembly was begun by Icelandic President Olafur Ragnarson Grimson in order to foster a dialogue about Arctic issues. As would be expected a main focus is the mitigation of climate change. The second focus is responsible development of the Arctic, e.g. cooperation between governments and other organizations.

Notable speakers from the 2015 gathering were President Grimson, the Premier of Russia’s Arkhangelsk region, French President Francois Hollande, Maine Senator Angus King (crowd favorite), the head of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, representatives of the German Foreign Ministry, the U.S ambassador to Iceland, and leaders in the business community.

Countless sessions and networking breaks allowed for attendees to not only listen to leaders in their field but also talk with them afterwards. Our SMEA students were able to meet other students, lawyers, professors, ambassadors, and business leaders from around the Arctic region.

Seth and Devon were also able to attend a reception at the U.S Embassy in Reykjavik celebrating the release of the Polar Yearbook, a collection of scholarly work on the Arctic which also included Coast Guard officials, the head of the Navy’s research group, and countless Department of State employees.

“It was an incredible experience to meet people doing the work we normally only read about and get advice about what to do as we get ready to leave the UW. We were able to meet people in our field, to get firsthand perspectives from other Arctic States and some non-Arctic States who want to help shape the sustainable and efficient development of the Arctic such as China and Germany,” said Sivinski.

For future SMEA students, the Arctic Circle Assembly will be held every year in the Harpa.