Reykjavík, Iceland

October 16-18, 2015

Over 2000 participants from 50 countries attended the 2015 Arctic Circle Assembly. President of France François Hollande spoke to the Assembly, discussing the importance of the Arctic as an arena for international climate action leading up to the COP21 Paris Climate Conference. Delegations from China and Germany represented Chinese and German business, research, and policy in the Arctic.

François Hollande

President of France

Arriving at the Assembly directly from Iceland's Sólheimajökull Glacier, President of France François Hollande delivered a keynote speech during which he discussed the importance of the Arctic as an arena for international climate action. Situating the Arctic on the front lines of anthropogenic planetary warming, President Hollande expressed optimism that global leaders would make an agreement on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the upcoming Paris Climate Conference (COP21) and urged global leaders to strengthen their commitments towards an accord.

Korean Night

October 17, 2015

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea hosted a Korean Night at the 2015 Arctic Circle Assembly. Ambassador for Arctic Affairs Chan-woo Kim and Dongmin Jin of the Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) were joined by President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson in discussing Korean contributions to the international Arctic community. Performances included B-Boy dancing / breakdancing by Animation Crew and Gamblerz Crew, as well as classical Korean Gugak Music by the Busan National Gugak Center.