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The 6th edition of the annual Arctic Futures Symposium, which focused on regional development in different parts of the Arctic, opened with a series of VIP keynote speeches. The speakers were:- Sir Andrew Burns KCMG (Chairman of Board of Trustees of IPF-UK and former British High Commissioner to Canada) welcomed participants to the symposium.-Jyrki Katainen (Vice-President of the European Commission Responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment, and Competitiveness) discussed the EU's connection to the Arctic and the EU Arctic Strategy to be released in 2016.-Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., USCG (Ret.) (US Special Representative for the Arctic) discussed via video the priories of the US Arctic Council Chairmanship (2015-17).Following these keynote speeches, a panel discussion led by Dr. Kathrin Keil (Project Scientist at IASS Potsdam and European Director of the Arctic Institute) looked at aspects of business development in the Arctic vis-à-vis local Arctic communities. The panelists included:- Eirik Sivertsen (Member of the Norwegian Parliament and First Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communication)- Knut Harald Nygård (Vice President of Statoil's Northern Area Initiative)- Matthew King (Head of Unit at the EU's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)- Tara MacLean Sweeney (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chair of the Arctic Economic Council)The session took place in the early morning of Tuesday 17 November 2015 at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

The 2nd session of the 6th annual Arctic Futures Symposium was organised by Arctic Consensus. The panel discussion was led by Arctic Consensus Director Lise-Lotte Terp, and focused on aspects of maritime transport in the Arctic. Presenters and commentators included:- Thomas Kastrup-Larsen (Mayor of Aalborg and Chairman of the Port of Aalborg)- Alessandra Zampieri (Head of DG JRC Maritime Affairs Unit)- Anne H. Steffensen (CEO of the Danish Shipowners Association)- Terje Aunevik (Managing Director of Pole Position Logistics in Spitsbergen)- Prof. Jian Yang (Vice President of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies)- Else Berit Eikeland (Norway's Polar Ambassador and Senior Arctic Official)The session took place in the late morning of Tuesday 17 November at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

The 3rd session at the 6th annual Arctic Futures Symposium looked at aspects of Arctic tourism, fisheries, and environmental security. Led by Prof Cécile Pelaudeix from Aarhus University, the panel discussion included presentations from:- Anders Stenbakken (Managing Director of Visit Greenland)- Anne Merrild Hansen (Associate Professor at Aalborg University and the University of Greenland)- Ellen Margrethe Basse (Professor of Environmental Law at Aarhus University)- Julian Vangen (Fishing Industry Analyst at the Norwegian Fisherman's Sales Organisation)- Tine Pars (Rector of the University of Greenland)- Carole Martinez (Programme Coordinator for EU Outermost Regions and Overseas Countries and Territories at IUCN)The session took place in the early afternoon of Tuesday 17 November 2015 at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

The 4th session of the 6th annual Arctic Futures Symposium focused innovating solutions in energy and industry in the Arctic. Led by Runa Haug Khoury, Senior Adviser on Energy and Climate at the Bellona Foundation, the panel looked at some of the latest innovative solutions in the energy and other industries from different regions in the Arctic. Contributors to the panel included:- Morten Karlsen (Manager for the Arctic Technology Program at Statoil)- Hege Berg Thurmann (Director of Arctic Group at DNVGL)- Stephen Mooney (Director of Cold Climate Innovation at the Yukon Research Centre)- Salve Dahle (Director of Akvaplan-niva)- Stein Matheisen (Cheif Operating Officer of Varanger Kraft)- Eirik Sivertsen (Member of the Norwegian Parliament and First Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communication)The session took place in the late afternoon of Tuesday 17 November 2015 at the Residence Palace in Brussels. 

The 5th session of the 6th annual Arctic Futures Symposium was organised by the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA). The session focused on inadequate broadband infrastructure in the North American Arctic, as well as some unique and innovative new IT-related companies that have been established in the West Nordic Region of the Arctic. The panel discussion was led by Kate Sanderson, Head of the Faroese Mission to the European Union, and included contributions from the following people as well as two mini-documentaries:- Tara MacLean Sweeney (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chair of the Arctic Economic Council)- Mini-documentary about Highsoft- Søren Halling (Senior Software Architect & Partner at E7)- Olavur Ellefsen (IT entrepreneur and Founder of Tökni)- Mini-documentary about Azurafiles- Oana Spinu (Executive Director of Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation)The session took place the morning of Wednesday 18 November 2015 at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

The 6th session of the 6th Arctic Futures Symposium focused on Arctic Council Observers. Following an introduction from Sebastian Knecht from the Free University of Berlin, Dr. Kathrin Keil (Project Scientist at IASS Potsdam and European Director of the Arctic Institute) led two successive panel discussions examining the role of Arctic Council observer states and organisations - i.e., what the observers can get from Arctic Council, and what the Arctic Council can get from the observers.The first panel included interventions from:- Susan Harper (Director-General and Senior Arctic Official at Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada)- Boris Iarochevitch (Head of Eastern Partnership, Regional Cooperation and OSCE Division at the European External Action Service)- Gabriele Altana (Italian Senior Arctic Official)- Rod Downie (Polar Programme Manager, WWF-UK)The second panel included:-Árni Þór Sigurðsson (Icelandic Ambassador to the Arctic Council)- Henry Burgess (Deputy Head of the Polar Regions Department, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office)- Prof. Yang Jian (Professor and Vice President of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies)The session took place in the early afternoon of Wednesday 18 November at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

Geophysical Center of Dourbes, Belgium