UArctic celebrated its 25th Anniversary in Rovaniemi

The anniversary was celebrated in conjunction with UArctic board meeting. Speeches at the reception highlighted sustainability and long-term cooperation, which have defined UArctic’s activities throughout the Arctic region.

Although UArctic was officially launched in 2001, the idea of an “Arctic university” dates back to the previous decade. The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, signed in Rovaniemi in 1991, laid the groundwork for closer international cooperation in the region. This development later led to the establishment of the Arctic Council in 1996 and shaped the institutional environment in which UArctic was later born.

UArctic has throughout its history continued to be an imperative part of sustainable Arctic governance, embodying the importance of effective and equal collaboration across Arctic state institutions, Indigenous Peoples, academia and Arctic societies.  

Despite the growing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic region and strained relations with Russia, the largest Arctic nation, following the Russian unlawful invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, UArctic initiatives have continued to operate. Through their innovative work and collaborative efforts, the organization is a role model in promoting diplomacy in Arctic matters. The largest focus area for the UArctic has been on developing its educational opportunities aimed at students worldwide. Following 25 years of work, the UArctic now has over 200 member institutions in 25 different countries and 33 Fellows and Chairs.   

The reception of the 25th anniversary celebrations began with birthday cake and raising a toast at Arktikum. The keynote speech was held by Kalle Kankaanpää, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs and Senior Arctic Official. He noted that 2026 will continue to be a year of Arctic milestone celebrations, since it is 35 years ago the Rovaniemi Process reached successful negotiations between all Arctic nations.

“The University of the Arctic, or UArctic, is a brilliant example of how Academia can contribute in increasing knowledge, laying a solid scientific bases for any discussion or decision concerning the Arctic. This is the beauty of the Arctic cooperation.”, Kankaanpää said.

Antti Syväjärvi, Rector of the University of Lapland, noted in his speech, that the University of Lapland has been closely involved in UArctic’s activities from the very beginning.

“UArctic began as an idea in 1997; by 1998, it was already a concrete plan, and operations finally launched in 2001. The association’s secretariat is based at the University of Lapland, and our collaboration has gone well for over 25 years. The university is committed to Arctic education and research, which also highlights our collaboration with UArctic in various ways,” Rector Syväjärvi said.  

The celebratory occasion was extraordinary, because Outi Snellman, Secretary General of the UArctic was awarded with the decoration of a Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The award is given to Finnish citizens who have demonstrated distinguished work for society and contributed to the service of Finland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland nominated Snellman as a candidate for the award. Snellman’s dedication to the work of the UArctic can be reflected in how she assesses the success of the organization: 

“UArctic was never a project, dependent on one individual funder, country or institution, but started off as a distributed collaboration effort among many actors who saw the need.”