A Conference on Security in the Arctic
Hosted annually in Umeå since 1994
With focus on security in the Arctic, Pax Nordica is an annual event held here in Umeå since 1994, organised in collaboration with Umeå University, FOI, Umeå Kommun and Allmänna försvarsföreningen. The conference brings together researchers, military personell and policymakers to discuss different perspectives of security developments in Northern Europe and the arctic region.
This year, we had the honor of welcoming several distinguished speakers who shared valuable perspectives on security and regional cooperation in the Nordic area.
Vitalii Bielobrov
Vice Mayor of Kherson (Ukraine)
Hans Lindberg
Municipal Councillor of Umeå
Magnus Ståhl
Chief of Military Region North (Sweden)
Toralf Heimdal
Municipal Councillor of Bardu Municipality (Norway)
Veronica Strandh
Associate Professor of Political Science at Umeå University
Caroline Helmersson
Unit Chief for the Safety Unit at Region Västerbotten
Together, they contributed important insights into the evolving security environment in Northern Europe and highlighted the role of regional cooperation, civil preparedness, and local leadership in strengthening resilience across the Nordic region in the following programme:
Welcome Speech
Tomas Olofsson, Vicerektor Umeå Universitet”Kherson: resistance under occupation and recovery after de-occupation”
Vitalii Bielobrov, Vice Mayor of Kherson”Att bygga robusthet i fredstid: Umeå kommun”
Hans Lindberg, Municipal Councillor of Umeå”Säkerhet och värdlandsstöd i Norr”
Magnus Ståhl, Chief of Military Region North (Sweden)”Kommunens roll i totalförsvaret”
Toralf Heimdal, Municipal Councillor of Bardu Municipality (Norway)”Lokalsamhällets samverkan som nyckel till ett motståndskraftigt samhälle”
Veronica Strandh, Associate Professor of Political Science at Umeå University”Region Västerbottens arbete med totalförsvarsplanering – i kontexten norra Sverige”
Caroline Helmersson, Unit Chief for the Safety Unit at Region Västerbotten
Niklas Eklund (professor at the political science institute Umeå University) opening the conference. 
Vitalii Bielobrov speaking about life in a city under partial Russian occupation. 
Hans Lindberg speaking on Umeå municipality’s role in civil defence and their preparedness in case of crisis. 
Magnus Ståhl speaking about how the Swedish military works in the northern region. 
Toralf Heimdahl speaking about the difficulties and safety concerns for a town so far north in the arctic circle. 
Caroline Helmersson speaking about region Västerbottens preparedness, civil defence and physical security to ensure care and operations in case of crisis. 
Veronica Strandh speaking about her research surrounding emergency preparedness in the countryside.
The members and board of UPF extend gratitude for the insightful lectures and inspiring conversations throughout the conference. It has been our honour to set up and co-host Pax Nordica, and we want to express our thanks to all our co-organisers and speakers for a thought-provoking conference!
