WWF’s sessions at the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly

At the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly, WWF Global Arctic Programme will participate in sessions which bring together world-leading scientists, policymakers, Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, and NGOs. Together, we will discuss solutions to the triple planetary crisis, how we can expand Arctic marine conservation, and how to green the shipping sector.

The Arctic Circle Assembly will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 16–18 October. It is an annual global event where stakeholders from governments, businesses, academia, and civil society gather to discuss and collaborate on Arctic-related issues, including climate change, economic development, and regional security. 

WWF Global Arctic Programme is participating in the following sessions during the assembly: 

Buckle up or let go: Arctic conservation and the Global Biodiversity Framework

16 October, 08:30–09:25 (GMT). 

We have five years left to achieve the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s target of 30 per cent conservation and protection. Yet, area-based conservation and protection in the marine Arctic is lagging. At the same time, many actors are actively working to establish areas and advance the ways they can be identified and governed. 

In this panel, organized by WWF Global Arctic programme and moderated by Dr Martin Sommerkorn, our Head of Conservation, the participants will discuss how we can cooperate to build on existing initiatives and accelerate the pace of Arctic marine conservation. This session offers the opportunity to learn from leaders of such initiatives, discuss ambitions, and gather ideas from the audience. 

Zero Emission Shipping – Accelerating the Green Transition in Maritime Arctic Transportation 

17 October, 09:40–10:35 (GMT). 

Shipping in the Arctic faces unique conditions and challenges. Even well-meant measures can harm the Arctic marine environment and have severe impacts on coastal communities. 

In this session, our participants, which include representatives from Indigenous Peoples’ organisations, academia, industry and experts from two Arctic Council Working Groups, will discuss the shipping sector in the Arctic. We will examine why shipping is an important sector to look at, what the green transition of Arctic maritime transportation means for Arctic communities and the role of global frameworks for shipping in the Arctic. Moderated by Vanessa Dick, Senior Governance Lead at WWF Global Arctic Programme. Organized by: Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment and Climate; Nordic Energy Research; Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME).

Responding to the Triple Planetary Crisis

18 October, 17:00–17:20 (GMT). 

The Arctic is at the frontline of the triple planetary crisis, a term describing the three interlinked global crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. These issues are closely interconnected. They also exert collective impact on the planet’s – and the Arctic’s – security, economies, societies, and ecosystems we all rely on.   

This plenary session, which includes Vicki Lee Wallgren, Director at WWF Global Arctic Programme, will examine the current state of the three crises. How are they interdependent? What kinds of solutions are needed to address them? The session will also explore what action is needed at the international level and in the Arctic. Organized by the Arctic Circle in Collaboration with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Arctic Council.

Image credit: “Arctic Circle Assembly Opening Session” by Arctic Circle, CC BY 2.0