The Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland, Finland, the University of Akureyri, Iceland, and UArctic and its Arctic Law Thematic Network are supporting organisations of the Polar Law Symposia.
The overarching theme of the symposium, Indigenous Rights, Autonomy, Empowerment and Environment, encourages attention to unresolved and emerging issues in polar law as well as Greenland’s unique legal, constitutional, political, and historical positions. During the Arctic Council chairship of the Kingdom of Denmark 2025-27, Greenland will be at the heart of Arctic geopolitics. In the Antarctic and Southern Ocean, global tensions put increasing pressure on the Antarctic Treaty System and efforts to protect the vulnerable environment while ensuring that the continent remains a zone of peace and science. The emerging discourse of the ‘Third Pole,’ now included in the Arctic Council’s work, the BBNJ Agreement, and competing visions on governance of the international deep seabed - a ‘Fourth Pole’ - point to the importance of further internationalizing polar law scholarship. The organisers have identified six, broad sub-themes with suggestions for topics for panels and presentations.
Decolonisation of the Polar regions
- Independence, Free Association, Self-Government and Autonomy
- Decolonisation in an Antarctic context
- Decolonial legal research and education: method and substance
The Arctic Council under the Kingdom of Denmark Chairmanship
- Greenland, Danish and Faroese Priorities: goals and implementation
- The Arctic Council: state of affairs 11 years after the Russian annexation of Crimea and 3 years after the full-scale war on Ukraine
- Permanent Participants’ priorities, leadership and expectations
Telling history “through our own eyes”
- Historic inquiries in Greenland
- Reconciliation in Sápmi and for the Kven, Lantalaiset and Tornedalian Peoples
- Implementing the Calls to Action in the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Report
- Pathways for reconciliation in Alaska
- Archival sovereignty
Private Law and Industries in the Polar Regions
- Indigenous leadership in economic development
- Mining in Greenland
- Shipping, insurance and tourism in the polar regions
- Trade and investment
- Just transition
Environmental Law in the Polar Regions
- Indigenous conceptual frameworks
- Transforming ocean governance
- Biodiversity protection
- Climate change mitigation, adaptation and reparations
Global Polar Law
- Voices from beyond the Arctic and Antarctic Treaty States
- The Himalayan region
- Implementation of the BBNJ Agreement
- The deep seabed as a “Fourth Pole”
Important Dates:
Mid-January 2025: Call for Papers
30 April 2025: Abstract submission deadline
30 June 2025: Acceptance of papers
July - August 2025: Program available
May 2025 – 20 October 2025: Registration Open
22-24 October 2025: 18th Polar Law Symposium, Nuuk
30 November 2025: Submissions to Yearbook of Polar Law. Participants at all the symposia are encouraged to submit their work for blind peer review and publication in the Yearbook of Polar Law.
