Passing the Arctic Council Torch-panel1
Channel: Center for Strategic & International Studies
Date: 2014-10-01

On behalf of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Centre for International Governance (CIGI), we invite you to join us for a high-level conference to take stock of the accomplishments achieved during the Canadian Arctic Council Chairmanship, such as the inauguration of the Arctic Economic Council, and to look forward to the major themes of the upcoming U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2015.   The conference will engage senior officials and experts as they examine future challenges and opportunities for cooperation in the Arctic region, as well as the future of the Arctic Council in light of current geopolitical tensions with Russia.
  
CONFERENCE AGENDA
8:30am: Registration and Light Breakfast
 
9:00am: Opening Remarks:
 
Featuring:
Ms. Heather A. Conley
Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS
  
Mr. John Higginbotham
Senior Fellow, CIGI and Carleton University
 
9:05am: Keynote Address: Accomplishments of the Canadian Arctic Council Chairmanship
 
Featuring:
Mr. Vincent Rigby
Chair of the Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials (confirmed)
 
9:30am: Panel One: The Canadian Chairmanship: The Story So Far
 
Featuring:
Premier Peter Taptuna
Government of the Nunavut Territory (confirmed)
 
Ms. Susan Harper
Senior Arctic Official, Canada (confirmed)
  
Ms. Okalik Eegeesiak
Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council (confirmed)
 
Dr. Alexander Shestakov
Director, Global Arctic Program, WWF (confirmed)
Moderated by:
 
Ms. Heather A. Conley
Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS
 
10:45am: Keynote Address: The U.S. Arctic Council Chairmanship
 
Featuring:
Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr.
U.S. Special Representative to the Arctic (confirmed)
 
11:15am: Panel Two: American Plans for the Arctic Council
 
Featuring:
Ambassador David Balton
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science (confirmed)
 
Representative Robert Herron
House of Representatives, State of Alaska (confirmed)
 
Senator Lesil McGuire
Senate, State of Alaska (confirmed)
 
Mr. David J. Hayes
Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Law, Stanford Law School (confirmed)
 
Ms. Marilyn Heiman
Director (U.S. Arctic), The Pew Charitable Trusts (confirmed)
 
Moderated by:
Mr. John Higginbotham
Senior Fellow, CIGI and Carleton University
 
12:30pm: Lunch
 
 
12:30pm: Keynote Address: An Arctic Council Report Card: The View from the Canadian North
 
Featuring:
Premier Bob McLeod (confirmed)
Government of the Northwest Territories, Canada
 
1:30pm: Panel Three: The Future of Arctic Council Governance
 
Featuring:
 
Mr. David Ramsay
NWT Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment; Presdient, PNWER (confirmed)
 
The Honorable Currie Dixon
Minister of Environment, Economic Development, and Public Service Commission, Yukon Legislative Assembly (confirmed)
 
Dr. Michael Byers
Professor, University of British Columbia (confirmed)
 
Dr. Lawson Brigham
Distinguished Professor of Geology and Arctic Policy, University of Alaska Fairbanks (confirmed)
 
Dr. Terry Fenge
Senior Policy Advisor, Arctic Athabaskan Council (confirmed)
Moderated by:
Ms. Heather A. Conley
Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic, CSIS
This conference is hosted in partnership with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Waterloo, Canada.  And a special thanks to the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) for their generous support in hosting this conference.