Arctic Encounter Paris Symposium at the United Nations Convention on Climate, COP-21 

PARIS, FRANCE | DECEMBER 10-12, 2015 | HOSTED AT the french military college, École militaire

PROUDLY PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP BY the french polar cluster and the french navy center for strategic studies

The Arctic Encounter hosted its first international event - Arctic Encounter Paris - at the French Military College (École Militaire), the French Military Library and Campus Eiffel in Paris, France, on December 10-11-12, 2015.

The Arctic Encounter Paris (AEP) took place on the final days of the monumental United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) where over 50,000 participants and 25,000 government delegates gathered to deliberate the world’s response to our changing planet in Paris.

The AEP was the only Arctic policy and economics planned to take place during the UN Convention COP21.

On Thursday, December 10, at the French Military Library (Centre de Documentation de l'Ecole Militaire), the AEP held a 2-hour debate, with three French Arctic and Antarctic explorers and students of the French War School (Ecole de Guerre) on the topic: "Is the Arctic a Global Common?". A cocktail reception and book signing session with the explorers took place following the debate.

On Friday, December 11th, at Campus Eiffel, under the patronage of Sen. Karine Claireaux (Saint-Pierre & Miquelon), the AEP hosted the first Model Arctic Council ever held outside the Arctic, with 42 students coming from 23 universities and research institutions from all eight Arctic countries, France, UK, etc.

In the evening, the AEP will held a 2-hour debate with five Arctic experts from American, Canadian, Norwegian and French think tanks, alongside Hon. Aleqa Hammond, former Premier of Greenland and current Member of the Danish Parliament for Greenland, on the topic: "Arctic Wars: Climate Change & Security in the High North."

On Saturday, December 12th, the AEP engaged policy, industry, and research leaders from Arctic and non-Arctic states during a full day of speaking panels and exciting debate at the French Military Academy (École Militaire).

The 2015 Arctic Encounter Paris was produced by Kallander & Associates LLC and the French Polar Cluster, in partnership with the French Navy Center for Strategic Studies (CESM - Centre d'Etudes Stratégiques de la Marine), the Directorate for Higher Military Education (DEMS), Campus Eiffel, the French Think Tanks Observatory, and more than 15 institutional, business and education partners.

With an attendance of 350+ participants over three days, AEP 2015 was COP21's largest Arctic forum.

2015 arctic encounter keynote and plenary session speakers:

• The Honorable Johnny Mike, Minister of Environment, Nunavut, Canada

• The Honorable Vittus Qujaukitsoq, Minister for Finance, Mineral Resources and Foreign Affairs, Greenland

• The Honorable Lisa Murkowski [Video Message], United States Senate – Alaska

• The Honorable Aleqa Hammond, former Prime Minister of Greenland; current member of the Danish Parliament

• The Honorable Vladimir Vasiliev [Video Message], Minister of Federal and External Relations, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Chair, Northern Forum Regional Coordinators’ Committee, Russia

• The Honorable Karine Claireaux, French Senate, Saint Pierre & Miquelon

• Admiral Robert J. Papp [Video Message], Special Representative for the Arctic, United States State Department; former Commandant of the United States Coast Guard

• The Honorable Don Young [Video Message], United States House of Representatives – Alaska

• The Honorable Rolf Einar Fife, Ambassador of Norway to France

• Ambassador Mark Brzezinski [Video Message], Executive Director, United States Arctic Executive Steering Committee

• The Honorable Eirik Sivertsen, MP, Member of the Parliament of Norway; Chair of the Conference of the Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region

• The Honorable Reggie Joule, Mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough; Appointed Member of the White House Task Force on Climate Change Preparedness and Resiliency, United States

• Arni Tor Sigurdsson, Ambassador to the Arctic; Senior Arctic Official, Iceland

• Geneviève Pons, Director of the European Policy office, World Wildlife Fund

• The Honorable Lesil McGuire, Senate, Alaska State Legislature, United States; Co-Chair of the Alaska Arctic Research Commission

• Catherine Gauthier, Vice President, ENvironnement JEUnesse, Quebec

• Mikå Mered, President, French Polar Cluster

• Rachel Kallander, Managing Partner, Kallander & Associates; Founder & Executive Director, Arctic Encounter Symposium, United States

• Veronique Schultz, Director, Centre de Documentation, École Militaire

• Sabine Marie Provost, Managing Partner, Océanides Association

• Remy Marion, CEO, Pôles d'Images

• Olivier Guyonvarch, Assistant Director for the Law of the Sea, River Law and Polar Affairs, Legal Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France

• Captain Laurent de Jerphanion, Head of Strategy and Policy, French Navy

• Anita Parlow, Advisor to the Harvard-MIT Arctic Fisheries Project; consultant to the Northern Sea Route Shipping Project, The Polar Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, United States

• Thorvaldur Ludvik Sigurjonsson, Managing Director, Eyjafjordur Business Development Agency, Iceland

• Selim Alili, President, Think Tanks Observatory, France

• Marc Lanteigne, Senior Research Fellow, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Norway

• Rasmus Gjedsso Bertelsen, Professor, Barents Chair in Politics, University of Tromso – Arctic University of Norway

• Anzelika Krastina, Director and Educator, InnoBarents Laboratory, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Finland

• Pascaline Bourgain, Chair, Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS-France)

• Franck Galland, CEO, Environmental Emergency & Security Services; Research Fellow, Foundation pour Recherche Strategique, France

• Guillaume Henry, Former General Director of the Vendée Globe

• Christian Dumard, Navigator, Router and Coordinator for Guo Chuan’s 2015 North-East Passage Record

• Casey Pape, Black Carbon & Methane analyst, Montague Research LLC, United States

• Mikkel Moller Scholer, Policy Advisor to Siumut, Greenland

• Wim Jolles, Director, European Operations, Canatec, Canada

• Stephane Dugast, Secretary General, French Explorers Society

• Maatalii Aneraq Okalik, President, National Youth Inuit Council, Canada

• Gerrit Wesselink, Executive Director, Youth Arctic Coalition, Canada

• Olivier Faury, PhD Candidate, KEDGE Business School, France

• Mika Laiho, PhD candidate, Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy, Durham University, United Kingdom