Conference “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development”. Plenary sessions
(no votes) |
(0 votes) |
The “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” conference organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) under the auspices of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in Moscow on October 12-13, 2016. Official Partner of the Conference is NOVATEK. The event was held ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council and was attended by representatives of all its member states, including senior officials from Russia, Norway and Iceland, officials from Denmark and Canada, members of the business community, and leading experts from the Arctic countries. I
The “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” conference organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) under the auspices of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in Moscow on October 12-13, 2016.
Official Partner of the Conference is NOVATEK.
The event was held ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council and was attended by representatives of all its member states, including senior officials from Russia, Norway and Iceland, officials from Denmark and Canada, members of the business community, and leading experts from the Arctic countries. In addition, the discussions on key topics of Arctic development attracted representatives of the Arctic Council’s new observer states: China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. More than 500 experts in such diverse fields as international law and ecology, transport, fisheries, the indigenous peoples of the North and the economic development of the Arctic region, among many others, took part in the Conference.
The opening of the plenary sessions took place on October 13.
Opening speeches
Igor Ivanov, President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia (1998–2004), Corresponding Member of RAS
Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Chairman of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia
Sergey Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
Welcoming Address from Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of RIAC.
Artur Chilingarov, Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, Chairman of the Scientific Expert Council of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia, Member of the State Duma of Russia, Corresponding Member of RAS, Member of RIAC
John F. Tefft, The United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation
Mikko Hautala, Ambassador of Finland to Russia
Frederik Paulsen, Chairman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Honorary Member of the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia, Founder of The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI)
Igor IVANOV, President of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia (1998–2004), Corresponding Member of RAS
Let me greet all the participants of the Conference “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” on behalf of the Russian International Affairs Council. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Rogozin for his willingness to make a speech at the opening session of our conference. We know how busy you are and we consider this to be another acknowledgement of how much attention the Russian government attributes to the issues in the Arctic region as a whole and international cooperation in the Arctic, in particular.
We would like to thank the Executive Office of the Government of Russia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia for the support and assistance they provided ensuring the high level of our conference. I would like to express appreciation to the official partner of the conference – NOVATEK, and the International Foundation of Technology and Investment for the financial support of the event. And a special gratitude to the Pew Charitable Trusts for assistance in elaborating the agenda and preparing the event.
You can see the radiant sun on the conference banner. It is a star of hope. A hope for the Arctic that ensures a big part of vital activity of the Earth to remain the example of countries’ responsible approach to cooperation in the region.
Three years passed after our previous Arctic conference and they proved to be one of the most difficult and dangerous periods in the world politics after the end of the Cold War. And it’s not only due to the Ukrainian issue! We were witnessing the heat up of the civil war in Syria, an unprecedented-scale refugee flow in Europe, Brexit, prospects of trans-continental Atlantic and Asia Pacific Region projects being questioned, international terrorism threats being on the rise and so on…
And even against this unfavorable geopolitical background the international cooperation in the Arctic region proceeded. During this three-year period the region has not become (and we hope it will not become) an arena for geopolitical confrontation of the major powers or Arctic states. The terminating US Chairmanship in the Arctic Council was marked by a number of certain achievements, in spite of Russia-US relations generally becoming more complicated. Moreover, our partners from other regions of the world started to cooperate with the Council in different formats. Step by step a multidimensional infrastructure of contacts, information exchange, and joint projects in education, culture, and local community development is being formed.
The Arctic region now is a crossing point of major “force lines” of current world policy and global development. Here we are trying to find practical answers to the global issues that determine our common future, and not only in one region. How can we combine the issues of economic development and environment protection tasks? How can we support socioeconomic modernization not putting small-numbered peoples’ traditions and culture at threat? How can the region become open to the global cooperation without the interests and the special rights of the regional nations being sacrificed?
The list of the questions can be continued. And if we can find adequate responses to these issues in terms of the Arctic region cooperation today, tomorrow we’ll be able to apply them in other sensitive and important regions of the world.
The issues of new international cooperation architecture formation in the Arctic region, without any doubt, require constant reflection. Our conference is only another small step in this direction. Russian International Affairs Council is always open for cooperation with partners in various formats – from information exchange to joint projects implementation. Arctic issues have always been and still are one of our priorities.
Thank you for your attention.
Dmitry ROGOZIN, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Chairman of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia
I am pleased to note so much attention being given to the Arctic, which is proved by the presence of foreign partners from the Arctic Council and the representatives of the Arctic states, namely the US, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, Norway, and Finland.
The Arctic has always been a region of special interest for Russia. Our country’s national security aspects, military, economic, ecological, transport, and resources interests are concentrated in the region.
And today the leading international players also start to pay more attention to the Arctic region. It often results in intensifying competition as well as in conflict of interests and ambitions of different, even non-Arctic, countries.
Nevertheless, the Arctic is one of the few areas where the cooperation with Russia not only did not stop, but is actively continued, as recognized by the Arctic states and European Union political leadership.
And these are not just words. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, none of almost 80 Arctic Council cooperation projects in the Arctic has been cancelled.
Russia considers the neighbors in the Arctic region to be natural and priority international cooperation partners in the Arctic. And we have certain suggestions in this regard.
Sanction policy enabled us to open new opportunities for cooperation in the Arctic with our Asian partners, primarily in economic sphere and in joint large-scale power and transport infrastructure projects based on oil and gas fields’ development.
The most remarkable examples being the implementation of Yamal LNG project in partnership with China and Vankor oilfield development together with Indian partners.
We are now negotiating cooperation with Korean and Japanese partners regarding ship and shelf drilling equipment construction.
Regardless of the international partners supporting our projects, I am convinced that Russia does not have other options but developing the Arctic zone consistently and gradually, and we will increase our efforts for its development in a peaceful, safe, and responsible manner.
Now I am going to tell about our vectors of development in Arctic region.
The efforts of the countries in the nearest future will be focused on the formation of support mechanisms, especially in financial and project areas of Russia’s activity in the Arctic, and of selection procedures of such initiatives.
The support of this activity will be provided by the State Commission for Arctic Development established by the Russian Federation Presidential Decree in order to secure national interests of Russia in the Arctic and promote state governance of strategic priorities implementation.
Instructed by the Commission, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation together with federal and regional government authorities and organizations, prepared a so called «project kit» being implemented or planned to be implemented in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.
About 150 priority projects were selected for implementation before 2030s, the total cost of them being almost 5 trillion rubles, the majority (4 trillion) of which is extra-budgetary.
Not to waste your time listing all the projects, I will briefly give figures related to their different spheres expressed as percentage:
- commercial minerals processing - over 48% (including diamonds - 14%);
- transport - 16%;
- geological exploration - 7%;
- shelf project implementation - 7%;
- industry and power - 5% each;
- fishing and agriculture - 5%;
- ecology, telecommunications, and tourism - 2% each.
Prirazlomnoye field, Yamal LNG, Sabetta sea port construction, Northern latitudinal railway, Murmansk transport hub, ice-breakers and floating nuclear power plant construction in Pevek, Northern Sea Route development, technologies and equipment for Arctic conditions creation are all among these projects.
Some of the selected projects will allow to support and diversify the economy of the Arctic mono-industry cities (Vorkuta, Severodvinsk, Onega, Novodvinsk) and ensure modernization and substitution of retired capacities - both in power and ship construction areas.
The President of the Russian Federation set a task for the Government to expand the usage of project approach methods.
They are absolutely applicable to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation while the conditions for economic management and exploration have cellular nature, concentrating around large enterprises or investment projects.
The Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation is to point out the “key development zones” taking account of the necessity for social-economic framework formation around the key economic areas in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation.
In other words, a network of project administration offices with centralized management system and common economic, transport, and social infrastructure will be created in all Arctic subjects.
This mechanism is supposed to be formalized in unique territorial federal law “On the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation Development” and implemented in terms of the State Program on Social and Economic Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation till 2020 and in the Longer Term, that is being revised at the moment.
We intend to conclude a kind of social agreement between the government and the business, when the government liberalizes infrastructure restrictions and the entrepreneurs undertake investment obligations.
Moreover, the development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation implies project-wise the effective usage of the existing government support tools, which will raise the investment attractiveness of the projects (if applicable), for example, free ports, priority development areas, special economic zones, industrial parks, special investment contracts, and so on (depending on the project conditions).
There is a widespread opinion that the Arctic is mostly connected with commercial minerals. It is not taken into account that the minerals exploration potential implied in the projects can become as important for the country research, development and production agenda as space exploration used to be in the 1960s.
We see the Arctic as a polygon for our country’s innovation technologies approbation, ordered both by the state (primarily, by the military) and large businesses (producer companies).
The projects might include: new extreme-low temperature materials and fuel development; “Arctic” machinery design (small aircraft and helicopters, non-airport-based aircrafts and drone aircrafts, ice-class river-sea vessels, special caterpillar vehicles, hovercrafts); modern geology-prospecting equipment, including under-ice Arctic shelf seismic exploration works projects; bio-technology for organic food and seeds production; pharmacological and perfume industry development projects.
The technologies and equipment that passed the Arctic climate test will get an “Arctic Quality Label”, certifying their ultra-reliability.
Russia’s stance has not changed – we stand for civilized negotiating on all controversial issues in accordance with international law. And our country, as I have already mentioned, is open for cooperation in the Arctic region - both bilateral and multilateral, first of all within the Arctic Council.
We consider the Arctic to be a territory for dialogue and cooperation and we intend to counter all attempts to bring alarm and policy of confrontation to the region.
May I take this opportunity to invite the foreign colleagues and all participants concerned to Arkhangelsk to take part in the International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” in March 2017.
The Forum will serve as a platform to discuss the key areas of the Arctic development, in particular, to talk about socioeconomic, transport, ecological, and energy welfare of the people who live in severe Arctic conditions.
Thank you for your attention.
Sergey IVANOV, Special Representative of the President of Russia for Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for inviting me to participate in the Conference organized by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), which has rightly earned a reputation of an influential club that brings together leading experts specializing in solving the most difficult issues the global community faces.
Today, our focus is on the Arctic: we will be looking at the problems and challenges the Arctic faces and the possible vectors of its development.
The subject of the Arctic is, indeed, very broad and multifaceted. The Earth’s northern polar region is not just a territory of paramount economic importance; it is also a region that ensures the planet’s environmental safety margin and a natural laboratory for studying global climate change. It is a priceless source of unique scientific knowledge.
Based on this understanding we strive to treat the Arctic with care, take effective measures to preserve its flora and fauna, use its natural resources sparingly, and remedy the effects of human impact as quickly as possible.
Russia has established the highest environmental standards and consistently implements a series of large-scale environmental projects.
In particular, the Strategy of Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and National Security for the period up to 2020 aims to create a system for forecasting and monitoring economic activity on the Arctic shelf. The main objective of this system is to reduce possible risks linked to exploiting hydrocarbon deposits and developing the transport infrastructure in the region.
In addition, the federal legislation has set strict rules for subsurface users regarding liability and financial responsibility in order to prevent and eliminate oil and oil-products spills. Subsurface user licenses clearly specify the obligation to have certified recovery technologies in the event of man-made disasters.
Another important initiative is the so-called “full-scale cleaning of the Arctic” carried out at the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation. Franz Josef Land was chosen as the pilot site for the cleaning operation.
Over the past five years, the archipelago has changed beyond recognition, with over 40,000 tonnes of waste, scrap metal and oil sludge being removed from it. A total of 350 hectares of land have been reclaimed.
In 2017, declared the Year of the Environment in Russia, we will launch the Clean Country priority project. The accumulated environmental damage will be remedied throughout the country. We will also continue to clean the polar territories and re-float ships in Kola Bay and vessels within the city limits of Salekhard, and in the Krasnoselkup and Pur districts of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region.
Let me talk in greater detail about preserving the pristine nature of the Russian North.
At present the Russian Arctic has 28 specially protected natural reserves of federal significance, which include the tundra and Arctic desert ecosystems and landscapes, marine ecosystems, flora and fauna.
The overall territory of these natural reserves is 22.5 million hectares, 6.5 million of which being sea waters. By 2020, two more national reserves will have been established: the Central Chukotka Reserve (in the Chukotka Autonomous Region) and the Khibiny Reserve (in the Murmansk Region), as well as the Bear Islands Reserve in Yakutia.
On the whole, the Russian Arctic is home to about 80 per cent of all the biodiversity of the Arctic, including such rare species as the polar bear, the Putoran snow sheep, the Laptev walrus and various species of whale.
Distinguished colleagues!
While focusing its efforts on protecting the Arctic region that is most sensitive to climate changes, Russia continues to cooperate successfully with its partners in various international formats.
A perfect example of such cooperation is the Arctic Council, whose 20th anniversary our conference celebrates.
In those twenty years, many difficult tasks and adopted several useful initiatives has been resolved on the sidelines of the Council. The Framework for Action on Enhanced Black Carbon and Methane Emissions Reductions is among them.
I believe that this is a very timely response to the climatic challenges posed by global warming.
To follow up on the Framework, in September 2015, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation prepared the National Paper on Assessing Black Carbon and Methane Emissions in the Russian Arctic.
We plan to conduct further work in this area, including participation in the work of the Expert Group in Support of the Implementation of the Framework for Action on Black Carbon and Methane. This Expert Group has been set up as part of the current US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council (2015-2017).
As to additional mechanisms that contribute to the resolution of environmental problems, the Project Support Instrument (PSI) for financing the Arctic Council projects intended to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution is among them.
Russia has become the Fund’s largest donor and it has fully discharged its obligations by contributing 10 million euros.
In 2015, the Valdai and Tundra projects were launched with the Fund’s support. These projects aim to reduce carbon emissions from power generation in the Republic of Karelia and the Murmansk Region.
Dear colleagues!
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am convinced that, together, we will be able to resolve numerous issues related to the development of the Arctic. And I would also like to thank the RIAC leadership for holding such a large and representative event.
I wish all Conference participants a fruitful working day.
Thank you for your attention.
Welcoming Address from Sergey LAVROV, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of RIAC
I cordially greet the organisers of and participants in the Conference “International Cooperation in the Arctic: New Challenges and Vectors of Development” dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Arctic Council (AC).
Russia consistently advocates the strengthening of multilateral cooperation in the Arctic and the addressing of its current issues on the basis of international law and through a mutually respectful dialogue and regard for interests of all Arctic states.
We proceed from the assumption that the Arctic Council is the main venue for looking for optimal responses to common challenges and forming a positive agenda. The AC’s key role was reaffirmed in the September 2016 joint statement by the foreign ministers of the Arctic countries. We value highly the AC’s contribution to sustained development, peace and stability in the Arctic and to improving the quality of life of people living in the Extreme North, including its indigenous populations.
We are interested in the Arctic remaining a territory of fruitful dialogue and creative partnership. We hope that your meeting will facilitate a detailed expert discussion on ways to achieve this goal and promote trust and mutual understanding in the region.
I wish you fruitful discussions and all the best.
Artur CHILINGAROV, Special Representative of the President of Russia for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic, Chairman of the Scientific Expert Council of the State Commission for Arctic Development of Russia, Member of the State Duma of Russia, Corresponding Member of RAS, Member of RIAC
Not long ago, at the Sixth International Meeting of Representatives of the Arctic Council Member States, which took place in late August aboard the “50 Let Pobedy” icebreaker, we discussed the problems and prospects of international cooperation in the Arctic.
At that meeting, we emphasized that extensive multilateral and mutually beneficial cooperation in the Arctic has been and remains a strategic priority of the state policy of the Russian Federation. This principle is laid down in the Basics of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the Period till 2020 and for a Further Perspective, as well as in the Strategy of Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation and National Security for the period up to 2020.
Despite the complicated situation in the world, the Arctic countries have succeeded in maintaining their level of cooperation on the Arctic agenda. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Arctic cooperation remains an example of good-neighbourly, stable and predictable policy. We firmly believe that any problems in the Arctic can be resolved through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue. I would like to stress once again that there are no problems in the Arctic that would require military solutions.
Arctic cooperation is developing both bilaterally and multilaterally. Regional organizations such as as the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Northern Forum also serve as platforms for constructive dialogue. Other important sites for holding comprehensive discussions of the region’s problems include the Arctic Circle international forum held annually in Reykjavik under the auspices of now former President of Iceland Ólafur Grímsson, and The Arctic: Today and the Future forum held in St. Petersburg. After a three-year break, the Arctic – Territory of Dialogue Forum will resume its activities, taking place in Arkhangelsk in March 2017. The Forum will be organized by the State Commission for Arctic Development.
This year, we are celebrating the Arctic Council 20th anniversary. Over the years, the Council has become one of the most important instruments of international cooperation in the Arctic. The Arctic Council has reached a qualitatively new level and has become a central forum for multilateral international Arctic cooperation. I believe that the role of the Arctic Council and the prospects for its development will be considered in detail at the plenary session this morning.
I would like to emphasize the fact that the Arctic Council has expanded the number of participants by actively attracting observers. Currently, twelve non-Arctic states, nine inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organizations and eleven non-governmental organizations have observer status. The institution of observers has become an important instrument providing non-Arctic countries with a way to participate in the Arctic region development.
Joint research remains another important area of international cooperation. The research carried out in the Arctic during the International Polar Year (IPY) could serve as a clear example of the successful pooling of knowledge, finances, resources and technical capabilities. Scientific research in the Arctic began with the first International Polar Year in 1882–1883, with 700 people from 12 countries participating.
During the fourth IPY in 2007–2008, thousands of scientists from over 60 countries participated in over 800 projects.
The International Partnership Polar Initiative (IPPI) was a direct extension of the Fourth IPY events. The IPPI is based on the need to develop and coordinate the long-term observation and research started during the IPY. I believe this initiative to be of utmost importance, and I am pleased that it is on the Arctic Council agenda.
The Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change set new tasks for the Arctic scientific community. The fact that the Arctic is particularly sensitive to climate change, and the serious consequences that these changes will have for the environment, infrastructure, economy and people of the region require the coordinated efforts of all the Arctic countries to assess these changes and take immediate action to adapt the Arctic territory accordingly. Russia has the longest Arctic coastline, so the questions of developing and adopting such measures, including determining their cost, is of utmost importance.
In conclusion, as a Member of Parliament, I would like to touch upon several regulatory issues pertaining to the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation; these issues have a direct bearing on the development of economic cooperation in the Arctic.
The development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation is one of the most important strategic areas of Russia’s policy. Developing the Arctic zone involves the implementation of comprehensive infrastructure projects, including projects with significant foreign participation. It also entails creating a system of special economic zones and territorial development zones in the Arctic. This activity requires special legislation regulating the work of Russian and foreign companies and guaranteeing their rights and offering opportunities for effective cooperation in the Russian Arctic.
This cooperation will primarily involve exploiting mineral deposits in the Far North and on the continental shelf of Russia, developing the Arctic transport infrastructure and ensuring the effective use of the Northern Sea Route. I think this cooperation has great potential, and its results will become an important element of the global Arctic agenda.
Of course, as our first priority, we must pass the Framework Federal Law “On the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation.” We began working on that law at the fifth convocation of the State Duma, and I hope that our work will be completed at the seventh convocation. Personally, I will make every effort to ensure that happens.
Thank you for your attention.
John F. Tefft, The United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation
I want to thank the Russian International Affairs Council and in particular Igor Ivanov, president of the council, for organizing this conference and inviting me to speak to you today. The Russian International Affairs Council has a well-earned reputation for fostering impartial, comprehensive debate on the challenges facing the world today. I am pleased that the council has turned its attention to one of our greatest challenges – ensuring a sustainable future for the people and resources of the region, and protecting its beautiful, fragile, and vitally important ecosystem.
The Arctic Council is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is a moment for the countries and permanent participants of the council to reflect on the accomplishments of the last two decades and let those successes be our guide as we continue to work cooperatively toward a sustainable future.
The Arctic is a vitally important region, not only for the countries with territory in the Arctic Circle, but for the entire world. The rapid warming of the planet is one of the greatest existential threats of our time. A threat that knows no national boundaries or spheres of influence. A threat to all peoples and countries, great and small. And nowhere on the planet is the impact of this threat seen more clearly than in the Arctic.
I do not need to list for you the facts and figures on the impact of climate change on the Arctic. We have all seen the images of the shrinking polar ice cap, the melting glaciers falling to pieces, the coastal villages crumbling into the sea as the shoreline recedes, and the starving polar bears floating on increasingly fewer and smaller patches of sea ice.
It is for this reason that the United States made climate change the number one priority for our current chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Ambassador David Balton, the Chair of the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials, said it best when he told a meeting of the Arctic Council that “the effects of climate change are revealing themselves faster in the Arctic than anywhere else in the world, so the Council’s groundbreaking work to advance knowledge and prepare for the future is critical to helping Arctic communities build resilience in the face of these rapid changes.”
While climate change has made shipping and hydrocarbon development in the Arctic more feasible, it is imperative that those activities not exacerbate atmospheric warming in the region, as the effects could be catastrophic for the ecosystem. It is crucial that Arctic countries, several of which are major economies – and major carbon emitters – set in place policies to mitigate the effect of emissions and move toward low carbon economic development in the Arctic region. The Senior Arctic Officials of the eight Arctic Council countries recently concluded a meeting in Portland, Maine at which they discussed key initiatives in black carbon and methane mitigation, and investment in renewable energy. The time is now for Arctic countries to redouble their efforts to find solutions to the challenges presented by climate change.
Our efforts to mitigate climate change would be incomplete without an equally diligent effort to conserve and effectively manage our ocean resources. The United States set ocean management as the second priority of its Arctic Council chairmanship, and Secretary of State John Kerry has made oceans policy a signature issue during his time at the helm of the State Department. To set a sustainable policy in the Arctic, the coastal countries agreed in 2015 to a moratorium on fishing in the Arctic Ocean until sufficient scientific research is conducted to determine sustainable commercial fishing levels. The United States has encouraged expansion of the moratorium to other major maritime countries in order to bring them into the debate on how to manage fishing resources in the Arctic. As more and more areas of the Arctic Ocean are accessible for longer periods of time, it is crucial that maritime countries come together to form a policy that allows all countries to benefit from the resources while doing their part to ensure sustainability.
No discussion of a sustainable future in the Arctic would be complete without taking into consideration the needs and interests of the inhabitants of the region. The United States therefore set socioeconomic development as the third priority for its Arctic Council chairmanship. At the Senior Arctic Officials meeting in Portland, Maine, the officials discussed ways that the indigenous groups in all Arctic countries can have a greater voice in policymaking. The basis for integrating indigenous views and traditional knowledge in setting regional policies in the Arctic is, of course, national policies that ensure indigenous rights and empower indigenous groups to take control of their own lives and communities. In August 2015 President Obama visited Alaska – the first U.S. president to travel to the Arctic Circle region of Alaska – and met with indigenous groups to get their views on how U.S. policies in the Arctic region affect their families, livelihoods, and living conditions. Their views are helping to inform and shape U.S. Arctic policy.
A common thread running through all of our priorities, mitigating climate change, managing oceans resources, and ensuring sustainable socio-economic development, is the need for scientific research to further our understanding of the unique conditions in the Arctic. For this reason the United States made the negotiation of an agreement on scientific cooperation the main goal of our chairmanship. An Arctic Science Ministerial took place at the White House in Washington, DC on September 28. We were pleased to host ministers from all of the Arctic Council countries as well as several other countries conducting scientific research in the region. The ministers approved the text of an agreement on scientific research that will be signed at the next Arctic Council ministerial in May 2017.
The information produced through research conducted under this agreement will help the Council make science-based decisions on policy in the region. The agreement will help countries to identify scientific challenges and their global implications, strengthen observation and data sharing in the Arctic, help apply science to build Arctic resilience and shape global responses, and empower Arctic inhabitants through scientific education.
As we prepare for the upcoming Arctic Council ministerial in May of next year in Fairbanks, Alaska, when the United States will turn over the chairmanship to Finland, we want to extend our thanks for the hard work that the Council and its working and expert groups have done, the support national and regional governments have given to the Council’s work, and the valuable insight and advice the indigenous groups have given. We are pleased that Finland plans to continue the projects begun under the U.S. chairmanship and to expand the scope of our joint work in several areas.
Again, I want to thank our hosts for organizing this event and giving me the opportunity to share the U.S. perspective on the future of this region that is so crucial to all of us here today.
Frederik Paulsen, Chairman of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Honorary Member of the Association of Polar Explorers of Russia, Founder of The Swiss Polar Institute (SPI)
We meet during dramatic changes in the Polar Regions.
INTRODUCTION AND CALL FOR COLLABORATION
Like the canary in the old coal mines, the Arctic and Antarctic are our early warning systems. Today, they are clearly alerting us to the extreme environmental changes to come to earth’s climate.
Over the last 50 years, temperatures in the Arctic – and on the Antarctic peninsula – have increased three timed faster than those of the rest of the planet. In August last year, the surface area of ice extending above the Arctic Circle was 30% less than 25 years ago.
It is imperative that we find new ways to collaborate internationally to address all the consequences of climate change including the political and economic aspects in addition to ecological.
Climate changes in the Arctic as well as sending a warning on global changes, have heralded new commercial opportunities, particularly for shipping, tourism, fishing and – of course – mineral exploration and exploitation.
Many challenges to safe commercial exploitation of this area remain. However, the Polar Code which comes into force in January 2017 will go some way towards managing the inherent risks.
When it comes to oil and gas – the ‘Arctic Gold Rush’ which was widely predicted a few years ago, has for now been ‘put on ice’ due to the low price of oil. Still, we should not be complacent as if the oil price recovers, there is little doubt that the major players will once again see important opportunities in the Arctic, which consequent environmental concerns, and we will need to have an international solution to these.
I think all of us here today should consider during this conference how we could establish meaningful international collaboration. I would like to contribute to this debate by looking at the role of science in the Arctic and Antarctic regions by presenting a particular example of a strong international collaboration taking place in the Antarctic. I would like us to consider what we can take from activity in the Antarctic to set up similar collaboration in the Arctic region.
SCIENCE
Science has a crucial role to play in addressing and managing the major uncertainties that are emerging in the polar regions as a result of climate change.
Addressing the challenges in the Arctic demands a ramping up of international scientific cooperation. And it is my belief that the international cooperation which takes place in Antarctica may serve as the inspiration for doing so.
THE ACE PROJECT
Let me give you an example of how communities of scientists are currently working together to advance science in the Antarctic.
In April, The Swiss Polar Institute was launched specifically to advance ‘polar science’. The Institute will facilitate exchange between public and academic institutions, industry and private sector partners.
To celebrate the creation of the Swiss Polar Institute, we are launching the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition – project ACE for short. The purpose of this expedition, is to measure the impact of climate change and pollution in the Southern Ocean. We also hope to gain insights into health and medicine in difficult to access, extreme environments. Let me take a minute to give you some details on Project ACE.
FACTS ABOUT ACE
· The first part of the cruise, from Saint-Petersburg to Cape Town is under the umbrella of the Russian Geographical Society. The ship will be transformed into the RGO Maritime University. 60 young scientists from 8 different countries will have the opportunity to participate in testing equipment and carrying out the experiments.
· The circumnavigation will then depart from Cape Town on 20 December this year and will consist of three stages, each lasting one month: Cape Town to Hobart / Hobart to Punta Arenas (Chile) / and Punta Arenas back to Cape Town.
· Russia and Switzerland will be the main participants, but we will also be joined by the five other countries whose island territories will be explores – South Africa, France, Australia, the UK and Norway.
· An open, international call for proposals was launched at the end of last year and over 100 projects were submitted. A panel of experts selected a total of 22 scientific projects. Scientists on board will have access to 8 research laboratories as well as facilities for land and sea transfer.
FROM THE ANTARCTIC TO THE ARCTIC
I really hope that this unique expedition could inspire more international scientific collaboration in the Arctic.
I am calling for, and would be proud to participate in, the organization of an international drifting base to research the rapid changes occurring in the heart of the Arctic Ocean basin. And I believe this should be established before the end of the current decade. I envisage that such an international, scientific project would be undertaken under a similar kind of umbrella as that provided by the Antarctic Treaty System.
Antarctica is of course very different to the Arctic. It is a continent surrounded by an ocean and is largely unpopulated. The Arctic in contrast is an ocean surrounded by continents, bordered by five different coastal states and populated by approximately 4 million people. These differences are vital for understanding the different ways in which the two regions are and can be governed.
Yet the continuing changes of the sea ice make it important to define ways of enhancing collaboration in the Arctic. The Arctic Council was formed in 1996 for this very reason: to promote cooperation on science and environmental protection. So has the Arctic Council done enough? If not, can we take inspiration from the Antarctic to promote further cooperation on science and the environment in the Arctic?
The Antarctic Treaty is unique in international law. It was signed in Washington by twelve nations, including the USSR on 1st December 1959. Since the signing by the original 12, another 41 countries have joined the treaty. Today, scientific cooperation and data-sharing between these countries remains one of the main drivers of new scientific discoveries on this vast continent.
The Antarctic Treaty System establishes Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science and puts in place principles for the governance of the region.
All countries with an active interest in Antarctica are Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty and science binds them together in peaceful collaboration and common purpose. The Protocol also outlines a system of environmental principles. The result is a legally binding environmental protection regime tailored for the Antarctic region.
All this is possible because Antarctica has no permanent populations or accompanying socio-economic challenges, and because all sovereign claims to the continent have been suspended.
It is clear therefore, that, there can be no identical treaty in the Arctic. But there can – and must – be major international cooperation in terms of science.
HOW SCIENCE CAN HELP
Here at least one part of the Antarctic Treaty System could be helpful.
The convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was the first international agreement to apply an ecosystem approach to marine living resources conservation.
This approach could be of particular importance if transferred to the Northern Oceans ecosystems. Work is on-going in the Arctic Council to encourage the Arctic states to use an ecosystem approach relating to the conservation of the Arctic environment. But is “encouragement” enough or do we need to take steps toward developing a new binding international treaty?
Could a Convention on the Conservation of Arctic Ecology be negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council, with input from indigenous peoples, observer states and international organizational organisations?
It is my urgent recommendation that we should explore this idea further, not to prevent economic development in the Arctic, but to ensure that such activity is sustainable and does not pose a threat to hugely important Arctic ecosystems. Our joint future in the polar regions will be defined by how we manage the ongoing changes we are witnessing today.
These changes will impact shipping, tourism, fisheries, aviation, and much more. National and international science programmes focused on answering fundamental questions, and taking into account key national interests, will be critical for promoting peaceful international governance of Arctic and Antarctic.
I truly believe that the time has now come to develop an environmental protocol , as a first step to a Convention on the Conservation of Arctic Ecology.
Thank you.
(no votes) |
(0 votes) |
