The opening on September 4 will feature addresses from Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Prince Albert II of Monaco, as well as Chair of the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials Aleksi Härkönen and Russian Deputy Minister of Education and Science Grigory V. Trubnikov. The inclusion of Prime Minister Sipilä reflects the role that the UArctic Congress plays in Finland's Arctic Council chairmanship program. The opening will also feature a panel discussion on Arctic Agenda 2030 – a Challenge? including Prince Albert II, Markku Kulmala (University of Helsinki), Anita Lehikoinen (Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland), Arja Rautio (University of Oulu/UArctic), Gunn-Britt Retter (Saami Council), and Yuliya Zaika (Lomonosov Moscow State University).
Keynote speakers throughout the Science Section plenaries are of similar stature, including Charles Sturt University's Sue Dockett, UiT's Lars-Otto Reiersen and Greenland's Tine Pars. These science keynotes will collectively address the Congress themes of gender equality, environmental protection, connectivity, meteorological cooperation and education.
UArctic Congress 2018 concludes in Helsinki on with a closing speech from President Halonen (Finland), and a panel including Rebekka Borsch (Ministry of Education and Research, Norway), Kirsten Hastrup (University of Copenhagen), Atte Korhola (University of Helsinki).
Register by May 31 to take advantage of early-bird rates.