For four decades, The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law has been at the forefront of research on the complex interplay between law, the environment, and the rights of minorities and Indigenous peoples in the Arctic. 

The anniversary seminar “Environmental and Minority Law in the Arctic: Problems and Processes” will bring together scholars, practitioners, and community representatives to reflect on these themes and examine the evolving challenges of governance, sustainability, and justice in the region. 

The seminar will open with welcome words from Johanna Ikävalko, Director of the Arctic Centre, followed by an opening address by Professor Kamrul Hossain, Director of NIEM.

The first session will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Anne-Maria Magga, Senior Researcher at the Faculty of Social Sciences (Sustainable Nature Cultures and Multispecies Futures, SuMu). Dr. Magga will discuss the Sámi people’s own laws and principles in conversation with Dr. Leena Hansen. An open discussion and Q&A will follow.

The second session, moderated by Professor Hossain, will turn to Environmental Law in the Arctic. Presentations will address urgent legal and policy challenges, including seabed mining, digitalization, climate change, and the development of regional and international legal frameworks. Speakers will include research professor Timo Koivurova, Ms. Krittika Singh, Dr. Mirva Salminen, Mr. Medy Dervovic and Dr. Marlene Payva. 

This anniversary event highlights NIEM’s enduring commitment to advancing knowledge, fostering dialogue, and driving legal innovation in pursuit of sustainable and equitable futures for the Arctic and its peoples. 

The seminar is open to all, but registration is required via this link by 15 September 2025: https://forms.gle/m6RD4DeRg6jWK4YF6 
(If the link does not work directly, please copy and paste it into your browser).

Event Details:

📅 Date: 18 September 2025
🕐 Time: 13:00 – 16:30
📍 Venue: Arctic Centre Library, University of Lapland (ground floor, under the stairs)

Programme:

Environmental and minority law in the Arctic: problems and processes

13:00 Welcome words by Johanna Ikävalko
13.10 Opening speech by Kamrul Hossain 

13:20 Session 1: Keynote presentation by Anne-Maria Magga on the Sámi people’s own laws and principles (in conversation with Leena Hansen).
Discussions and Q & A

14:30 Coffee

15:00 Session 2: Environmental Law in the Arctic 
Moderator: Kamrul Hossain

Speakers: 
- Timo Koivurova: Environmental regulations in the Arctic, what they are, and how they respond to Arctic challenges.
- Krittika Singh: Environmental consequences of sea-bed mining and regulatory responses
- Mirva Salminen: Digitalization and its impact on the Arctic Environment
- Medy Dervovic: Regime Building in the Arctic Ocean: Recent International and Regional Legal Developments
- Marlene Payva: Rethinking the relationship between human-nature in international (environmental) law amidst climate change with focus on the Arctic

16:30 Closing