Over 2000 participants from more than countries attended the 2016 Arctic Circle Assembly. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, accepted the first Arctic Circle Prize for his role in the negotiations on international climate cooperation during his mandate. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland gave a keynote presentation about her country's role in the Arctic. View the complete program here.

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean diplomat who was the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 2007 to December 2016. Before becoming Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon is also Deputy Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice and human rights.

Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland's first female First Minister and the first woman to lead any of the devolved UK administrations.

Born in Irvine in 1970 and educated at Greenwood Academy, she studied law at the University of Glasgow where she graduated with LLB (Hons) and Diploma in legal practice.

Before entering the Scottish Parliament as a regional MSP for Glasgow in 1999 she worked as a solicitor in the Drumchapel Law and Money Advice Centre in Glasgow.

She is currently MSP for Glasgow Southside having been, before boundary changes, MSP for Govan between 2007 and 2011.

In government she served as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing between May 2007 and September 2012 and then Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities with responsibility for government strategy and the constitution until November 2014. Throughout this period she also served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

She became leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) on November 14, 2014 and was sworn in as First Minister on November 20, 2014. She lives in Glasgow with her husband Peter Murrell.

Special Representative of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for the Arctic 

Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr. was born on the March 25th 1953. From 2010 to 2014, he led the largest component of the United States Department of Homeland Security. He holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College and a Master of Science in Management from Salve Regina University. In 1975, he graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Papp was appointed Special Representative for the Arctic by the State Department in July 2014, and will lead the effort to advance U.S. interest in the Arctic Region, with a focus on Arctic Ocean governance, climate change, economic, environmental and security issues within the Arctic region. 

Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) from 2011 to 2020

Ms. Ulmer was the Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission (USARC) from 2011 to 2020.  In 2014, Secretary Kerry asked Ms. Ulmer to serve as a Special Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy. From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Ulmer served as Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage(UAA), Alaska’s largest public university. Previously, she was a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research at UAA. In 2018, she was a visiting professor at Stanford University and currently is a senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center. Ms. Ulmer served as an elected official for 18 years as the mayor of Juneau, a state representative and as Lieutenant Governor of Alaska. She previously worked as legal counsel to the Alaska Legislature, legislative assistant to Governor Jay Hammond and Director of Policy Development for the state. She has served on numerous state and national boards including the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling in 2010, the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, the first Chair of the Alaska Coastal Policy Council, co chair of the Aspen Institute' s Commission on Arctic Climate Change, the National Parks Conservation Association Board and she currently chairs the Global Board of the Nature Conservancy. Ms. Ulmer lives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Special Representative of Arctic Affairs, Foreign Ministry of China 

H.E. Gao Feng began his career in foreign affairs at the Department of Treaty and Law, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in 1985. In 1996, he was elected as legal counsel for the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations in New York. In 2000, he returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Treaty and Law. He had represented China as the Head or Deputy of Head of delegation for climate change summits from 2000 to 2005. Mr. Feng joined the UNFCCC secretariat in 2005 and was selected as Special Representative for Climate Change Negotiations of the Foreign Ministry of China. He contributed to the development and ratification of the Paris Agreement in 2015 and became the first Special Representative for Arctic Affairs of China. 

H.E Gao Feng entered the Peking University in 1978 and majored in international relations. He received his Master of Law from the College of Foreign Affairs in 1985 and LL.M from the Nottingham University in 1996. 

Minister of Science, Education and Culture, Iceland

H.E. Lilja Alfredsdottir is Iceland‘s Minister of Education, Science and Culture and former Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade. Ms. Alfredsdottir is also a member of Parliament. Before her participation in politics, Ms. Alfredsdottir served as Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Iceland’s General Secretariat and International Affairs Department. Since her graduation from Columbia University, Ms. Alfredsdottir, has been a central banker, apart from temporary secondments to Iceland’s Prime Minister’s Office as a Special Liaison and previously, to the International Monetary Fund’s Nordic-Baltic Executive Office as an Advisor. Ms. Alfredsdottir holds a master’s degree in International Economic Policy from Columbia University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Iceland. She also studied at the University of Minnesota and Ewha University in Seoul. 

Philippe Couillard, neurosurgeon and Québec politician. Philippe Couillard was a highly regarded neurosurgeon before pursuing a career in politics. He was elected to the National Assembly in 2003 and served as Minister of Health and Social Services until 2008. After a hiatus from politics, he was elected leader of the Quebec Liberal Party in March 2013 and premier of Québec in the 7 April 2014 election. He served as Premier of Québec until 2018.

Ban Ki-Moon accepting the Arctic Circle Prize 

Ban Ki-moon accepting the Arctic Circle Prize

The Arctic and Global Extreme Weather - Jennifer Francis at the Arctic Circle Assembly 

The Role of the Arctic Coast Guard Forum - Jessica Shadian at the Arctic Circle Assembly 

Ban Ki-Moon on the Paris Agreement and ICAO at the Arctic Circle Assembly 

Ban Ki-moon on The Paris Agreement and ICAO at the Arctic Circle Assembly

President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund at the Arctic Circle Assembly 2016

The future of humanity is inextricably bound up with the future of the planet. 

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, presented a keynote speech in which he outlined the future of international climate action following the Paris Climate Conference (COP21). Receiving the first Arctic Circle Prize, he acknowledged the achievements of international partners and urged world leaders to strengthen their efforts and commitments to the Paris Agreement.

Harpa Concert and Conference Center, Reykjavík, Iceland 

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2016 Arctic Circle Assembly

Program

Speakers

Ban Ki-Moon accepting the Arctic Circle Prize

The Arctic and Global Extreme Weather - Jennifer Francis at the Arctic Circle Assembly

The Role of the Arctic Coast Guard Forum - Jessica Shadian at the Arctic Circle Assembly

Ban Ki-Moon on the Paris Agreement and ICAO at the Arctic Circle Assembly

Arctic Circle Prize

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