The Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference 2023 continues the successful forum initiated in 2013. The first conferences went under the name “In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process” to honor the visions that in the late 80’s and early 90’s started the official Arctic cooperation between Arctic states. The current name "Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit" underlines that these conferences are not looking to the past but they are building for the future while remembering the original Arctic spirit of Rovaniemi. The biannual Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference series gathers policymakers, representatives of academia and other stakeholders for Arctic discussions in Rovaniemi, the birthplace of official Arctic cooperation.
The Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conference, initiated by the city of Rovaniemi and the University of Lapland, reminds that Rovaniemi has a strong tradition in hosting major Arctic initiatives and events. The strength of Rovaniemi lies in the geographical location of the city at the Arctic Circle coupled with a well-functioning academic Arctic infrastructure. During the years, the Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit conferences series has developed into Finland’s foremost Arctic event. The ambition has been to grow in quality and relevance, not in size, in order to offer meaningful Arctic discussions and meetings and thus spread the real Arctic Spirit of Rovaniemi.