The 23rd Arctic Dialogue took place on 26 June 2024 at the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. It was jointly organised by the German Arctic Office and the Federal Foreign Office and brought together representatives from federal ministries, authorities, scientific institutions and think tanks to discuss current Arctic policy and research in times of political tension.

Participants were welcomed by Tobias Lindner, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office. Discussions focused on the implications of the cooperation freeze with Russia for Arctic research, the political framework for cooperation with China, the role of science diplomacy, and the potential of remote sensing to address data gaps in Arctic regions.

During a roundtable session, Fenja Kroos, Researcher at Ecologic Institute, presented Ecologic Institute’s work on Arctic governance and policy-relevant research. The dialogue concluded with reflections on current developments in Arctic cooperation and security policy, with closing remarks by Dominik Mutter, Arctic Commissioner of the Federal Foreign Office.

Since 2013, the Arctic Dialogue has served as an important information exchange forum for strengthening open dialogue between Arctic research and policy in Germany. Initiated by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), and guided by its German Arctic Office, the forum provides representatives of relevant German federal ministries, agencies research institutions and civil society organisations with an opportunity to exchange on current developments, projects, scientific findings, field experiences and international networks in the region. The German Arctic Office organises meetings twice a year in cooperation with a host ministry or research institution. Ecologic Institute has regularly and actively contributed to the Arctic Dialogue since 2013.