Second arctic science ministerial
In response to the achievements of the US-administration under the first Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM1), the European Commission, the Republic of Finland and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to co-host the second (ASM2) in the autumn of 2018. The Ministerial will not be an Arctic Council event, but connection is ensured by one of the organisers, Finland, holding the chairmanship of the Arctic Council between May 2017 and May 2019. The four themes discussed at the ASM1 and the relevant deliverables will be subjects of the Ministerial discussion in 2018 together with new themes that the organisers and the scientific community will identify as prominent. All the delegations present at the ASM1 will be invited along with other governments engaging in Arctic Science. The participation of indigenous communities from the Arctic region is considered a priority. Their traditional knowledge and understanding of their natural environment is an essential element which contributes significantly to scientific understanding. Representatives of different Arctic community organizations from various Arctic countries around the world will be invited to take part in the Ministerial. The ASM2 will take place over two days. On the first day, a Science Conference will showcase the latest achievements in relation with the deliverables agreed under the thematic areas defined by the Washington White House Conference in 2016. Scientific advances presented in the ASM1 deliverables, as well as a necessary future commitment, will be the core of the discussion, open to many different stakeholders, policy-makers, NGOs, media. These discussions will prepare the ground for the high-level segment that will take place the second day. The release of a Joint Statement will be one of the main objectives of the Ministerial meeting together with a report on the actions implemented in the previous two years and an updated list of deliverables that will generate results in the following years.