Governance in the Arctic (pt 1) After 25 years of the Arctic Council, this panel will be a reflection on where things stand in terms of Arctic governance issues (new Arctic policies both national and EU, the Arctic fisheries agreement, practical implementation of Arctic Council agreements made since 2011, gender equality issues, etc.) Moderator: Arne Holm (Editor in Chief, High North News at the High North Center, Nord University) Speakers: Nikolay Korchunov (Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials; Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Russian Federation) Morten Høglund (Senior Arctic Official, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway) Lousie Calais (Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden) Pétur Ásgeirsson (Senior Arctic Official, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland)

Opening session of the Arctic Futures Symposium 2021 Housekeeping: Nicolas Van Hoecke (Managing Director, International Polar Foundation) Welcome Address: Piet Steel (Vice-President, Belgian Polar Secretariat; Director, IPF Board; President Corporate, EU-Asia Centre) Opening Keynotes: Ailish Campbell (Ambassador of Canada to the European Union) James P. DeHart (U.S Coordinator for the Arctic Region) Mike Sfraga (Chair, U.S. Arctic Research Commission; Director, Wilson Center Polar Institute) Rolf Einar Fife (Ambassador of Norway to the European Union)

Biodiversity is vital for maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, human activity has had negative impacts on biodiversity all across the planet. Loss of biodiversity affects all aspects of our everyday lives, so we must do everything we can to help preserve biodiversity. Our lives and livelihoods depend on it! In this video, you can learn about biodiversity loss and actions you can take to help reverse it! Many thanks to the Quebec Government Office in Brussels for their financial support in making this video possible and Zest Studio in La Hulpe for their animation skills!

La biodiversité est essentiel pour le maintien d'écosystèmes sains. Cependant, l'activité humaine a eu des impacts négatifs sur la biodiversité partout sur la planète. La perte de biodiversité affecte tous les aspects de notre vie quotidienne: Nous devons donc faire tout notre possible pour aider à préserver la biodiversité. Nos vies et nos moyens de subsistance en dépendent ! Dans cette vidéo, vous pouvez en apprendre davantage sur la perte de biodiversité et les mesures que vous pouvez prendre pour la sauvegarder ! Un grand merci à la Délégation générale du Québec à Bruxelles pour leur soutien financier à la réalisation de cette vidéo et Zest Studio à La Hulpe pour leurs compétences en animation!

Biodiversiteit is van vitaal belang voor het behoud van gezonde ecosystemen. Helaas hebben de activiteiten van de mens wereldwijd een negatieve impact op de biodiversiteit. Een vermindering van biodiversiteit heeft een impact op alle aspecten van ons dagelijks leven, en dus moeten al het mogelijke doen om de biodiversiteit te helpen behouden. Ons leven hangt er letterlijk van af! In deze video leer je meer over het verlies aan biodiversiteit, en de acties die je kan ondernemen om dit te helpen tegengaan. Veel dank aan de Algemene Afvaardiging van Québec in Brussel voor hun financiële steun om deze video mogelijk te maken en Zest Studio in Terhulpen voor hun animatievaardigheden!

Teaser for the annual Arctic Futures Symposium, held in Brussels every autumn.

May 14th, 2021: The sun sets for the last time during the austral autumn of 2021 at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world's first zero-emission polar research station. The polar night has now begun. The sun will not rise again until July 29th.Footage was taken from webcams at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.Music: A New Sleep by Arden Forest

The Princess Elisabeth Antarctica has been undergoing renovations so it can welcome more researchers while still being a "zero emission" research station and one of the most comfortable places to stay in Antarctica!

In this video, which features spectacular drone footage of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, we learn how the station has been undergoing upgrades over the last several seasons. With a new heated garage featuring carpentry and metal workshops, and an annex with additional sleeping quarters, extra storage space, an exercise room, and other amenities, the station is now more than ever ready to welcome researchers from Belgium and around the world!