PHAROS Heads to Reykjavik for the 2026 Arctic Circle Assembly

• May 14, 2026

October 8–10, 2026 | Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Arctic is warming at twice the global average rate. Ice sheets are retreating, ecosystems are shifting, and the window for action is narrowing. In October, PHAROS will be in Reykjavik to join the conversation that matters most.

The 2026 Arctic Circle Assembly, taking place on 8-10 October at the iconic Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland, is one of the most significant international gatherings on Arctic science, governance, and sustainability. The event brings together over 2,500 participants from more than 70 countries, including heads of state, government ministers, scientists, Indigenous leaders, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, and researchers working at the frontline of Arctic and subarctic challenges.

PHAROS will attend as part of its broader mission to advance nature-based solutions for marine ecosystem restoration across the Atlantic and Arctic basins, where the project currently operates four active demonstration sites and engages communities through citizen science, Living Labs, and the Digital Twin Ocean.

Why the Arctic Circle Assembly Matters

The Arctic Circle Assembly is a working forum where real decisions get shaped and real partnerships get built. Sessions span climate science, ocean governance, biodiversity, Indigenous rights, sustainable economic development, and marine pollution.

The 2025 Assembly, held in October of last year, drew speakers including a NATO Military Committee Chair, several foreign ministers, the President of the World Meteorological Organization, and representatives from Greenland, Finland, and Japan. The 2024 edition included UNESCO’s Director-General, the President of Iceland, and senior European Commission officials.

That level of engagement reflects a simple reality. The Arctic is no longer a remote concern. What happens in Arctic and subarctic waters has direct consequences for sea levels, ocean currents, biodiversity corridors, and the communities that depend on healthy seas across the entire Atlantic basin. That is precisely the territory PHAROS works in.

What PHAROS Brings to the Table

PHAROS operates across four demonstration sites stretching from Gran Canaria to Iceland. The project’s Arctic and subarctic dimension covers marine biodiversity restoration, invasive species monitoring through eDNA tracking, kelp and seaweed cultivation research, and citizen science engagement through the MINKA platform. These are exactly the kinds of nature-based, community-driven approaches the Arctic Circle Assembly is designed to surface and connect.

At the Assembly, PHAROS will bring practical evidence. How do you restore marine ecosystems at scale? How do communities become active participants in monitoring environmental change? How do you connect local action with EU-level ocean policy? These are questions PHAROS is already answering on the ground, and Reykjavik is the right place to share those answers with the international community that needs to hear them.

The Bigger Picture

The 2026 Assembly arrives at a pivotal moment for Arctic governance. Climate change is accelerating pressure on marine habitats, shipping routes are shifting northward, and the geopolitical stakes around Arctic resources and sovereignty are rising. At the same time, EU-funded projects like PHAROS are demonstrating that restoration is possible, that innovation and community engagement can work together, and that the blue economy can grow without destroying what it depends on.

Attending the Arctic Circle Assembly gives PHAROS direct access to the policymakers, researchers, and institutional partners who can amplify that work at the highest levels. It is a strategic presence in a conversation that shapes the future of the ocean environments the project is working to protect.

Registration for the 2026 Arctic Circle Assembly opens in June.

More information available at arcticcircle.org.

PHAROS is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project led by the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN), running from September 2024 to August 2029. The project implements nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration across the Atlantic and Arctic basins through four demonstration sites, community engagement programmes, and Digital Twin Ocean development.