BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Anchorage X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Anchorage BEGIN:VEVENT UID:185@alaskaworldaffairs.org DTSTART;TZID=America/Anchorage:20150527T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Anchorage:20150527T143000 DTSTAMP:20231222T082945Z URL:https://alaskaworldaffairs.org/archived-events/us-and-norway/ SUMMARY:"Looking North Together: The U.S. and Norway in the Quest for Arcti c Knowledge" DESCRIPTION:Alaska World Affairs Council welcomed King of Norway at Arctic roundtable\n\nHis Majesty King Harald V of Norway addressed a packed audie nce on May 27th at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Center for the first event in the Alaska World Affairs Council’s Arctic series. The roundtable luncheo n\, Looking North Together: the US and Norway in the Quest for Arctic Know ledge\, marked the beginning of the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Counci l and featured scientists\, diplomats and explorers from Norway\, Alaska a nd beyond. The event\, generously sponsored by the Norwegian Ministry of F oreign Affairs\, celebrated the strong bonds between the U.S. and Norway a nd in particular the vibrant Norwegian community in Alaska.\n\nIn his open ing remarks King Harald spoke of the need for more research into Arctic wa rming stressing that knowledge is the key to deepening our understanding o f the region. "Research and accurate data is essential in our struggle. Wi thout it\, we will never understand the complexity of our region\," he sai d. He spoke of finding inspiration from the great Norwegian polar explorer s many of whom were also accomplished scientists.\n\nAKWorld President and CEO Lise Falskow noted\, “His Majesty's visit to Alaska was a day to re member especially for the Norwegian community. His message about our strug gles against climate change and the need to be proactive was inspirational and reminded me of the Viking spirit to charge on in the face of adversit y. Climate change is a battle the world will need to work together to redu ce its consequences.”\n\nThe luncheon also featured Admiral Robert Papp\ , U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic Region\, who outlined the key themes of the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council: shared opportuniti es\, challenges and responsibilities. He also asked for Alaskans’ suppor t by encouraging them to get engaged and involved in the Arctic. Fran Ulme r\, Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission\, called for Alaskans to help raise awareness of Arctic issues and look for opportunities for colla boration with partners in other Arctic nations. Craig Fleener\, Arctic Adv isor to the Governor of Alaska\, spoke of the need for Alaska to be able t o develop its resources and economy whilst increasing our understanding of climate change. "We need a national imperative on the Arctic\, and it mus t be a unified approach\," he said.\n\nHarald Steen from the Norwegian Pol ar Institute and polar explorer and adventurer Børge Ousland also gave pr esentations at the roundtable. Harald Steen described some of his research into the thinning sea ice in the Arctic and the need to collaborate with other nations in order to understand the implications of the rapid changes occurring in the Arctic. Børge Ousland described seeing such rapid warmi ng 'with his own eyes’\, as he undertook the first circumnavigation of t he Arctic in just four months\, something that would have taken several ye ars in the era of Roald Amundsen.\nTo listen to this program\, please chec k-out AWAC Presents on Alaska Public Media.\nMore event photos can be foun d on our Facebook page by clicking here.\nJoin the conversation:\nTweet #A KWorldNorway// \n\n\n\n\nSpeaker Bios:\n\nOpening Remarks from His Majesty King Harald V of Norway\nHis Majesty King Harald V of Norway was born on 21 February 1937 at his parents’ home\, the country estate of Skaugum\, near Oslo. The only son of Crown Prince Olav (the future King Olav V\, 190 3-1991) and Crown Princess Märtha (1901-1954)\, he acceded to the Throne when his father passed away on 17 January 1991. Prince Harald completed hi s upper secondary education at Oslo Cathedral School\, receiving his schoo l-leaving certificate in 1955. He entered the Norwegian Cavalry Officers ’ Training School and went on to finish his military education at the Mi litary Academy in 1959. Upon completion of his compulsory military service \, the Crown Prince went to Oxford for further study. He attended Balliol College from 1960 to 1962\, studying social science\, history and economic s. Like his father and grandfather before him\, King Harald adopted the mo tto “We give our all for Norway” when he acceded to the Throne in 1991 .\n\n\n \;\n\nHarald Steen - Director of the Center for Ice\, Climate &\; Ecosystems at the Norwegian Polar Institute\nDr. Harald Steen recei ved his Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of Oslo\, Norway\, and has been a professor of zoology and biology at universities in Norway. He has serve d as a seabird ecologist at the Norwegian Polar Institute since 2005\, and in 2013 was appointed the Director of the Institute's Center for Ice\, Cl imate\, &\; Ecosystems. Dr. Steen specializes in zoology and biology an d has published numerous articles in those fields\, including studies on t he effects of climate change on arctic animals. His particular areas of in terest and expertise include population dynamics and foraging ecology.   \n\n \;\n\nBørge Ousland - Polar Explorer\nBørge Ousland is a Norwe gian polar explorer\, photographer and writer. Ousland has gone on multipl e expeditions throughout the Arctic and Antarctic\, and in 1994\, he made the first solo and unsupported reach of the North Pole from cape Arktichev sky in Russia. National Geographic Adventure declared him to be "arguably the most accomplished polar explorer alive." Ousland has published numerou s books on his expedition experiences.\n\n \;\n\nCraig Fleener - Speci al Assistant to the Governor of Alaska on Arctic Policy\nCraig Fleener is the Special Assistant to the Governor of Alaska on Arctic Policy and forme r deputy Fish and Game Commissioner for the State of Alaska.  Fleener\, a Gwich'in Athabaskan from the Interior and a Doyon shareholder\, served i n the U.S. Marine Corps and is currently a major in the U.S. Air Force Ala ska Air National Guard\, where he has served since 1991. A senior intellig ence officer\, he recently went on a tour of duty in Afghanistan as part o f ongoing U.S. operations in the region.\n\n \;\n\nPanel moderated by Fran Ulmer - Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission \nThe former cha ncellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage and former Lt. Governor of A laska received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin\, Madison. In addition to her role as Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission\, she now also serves in an advisory role with the State Department as the U .S. prepares to chair the Arctic Council\, an intergovernmental forum for Arctic governments and peoples.\n\n \;\n\n\n\nThis program was sponsor ed by:\n\n\n\n\n\n \;\n\nThis program was presented in partnership wit h:\n\n                 \n\n\n \n \; ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://alaskaworldaffairs.org/wp-content/upload s/2015/04/WebEventImage.jpg CATEGORIES:Arctic Series,International Program Series END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Anchorage X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Anchorage BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20150308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0900 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:AKDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR