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Tag: Arctic Region

UArctic Forum took place in Arkhangelsk

26-30 June the 7^th UArctic Rectors’ Forum took place in the Northern (Arctic) Federal University, Russia; Arkhangelsk hosted this Forum for the first time. Heads of universities, remarkable experts and students from eight countries discussed the development of the Arctic Region.

The University of Arctic is a network of Arctic universities from different countries, not only northern ones. For example, there are Arctic universities in Japan and China. This proves the highest international interest to the Arctic and its resource potential.

The Forum stressed such issues as logistics, development of infrastructure and transport system in high latitudes. The main task of the Forum was to discuss how the universities from different countries meet the “Arctic challenges”.

The Forum was attended by 30 educational institutions involved in consortium of the University of Arctic. Representatives of foreign scientific foundations (such as NordForsk, program Fulbright etc.) contributed in the discussion about scientific cooperation and Arctic research.

The participants shared views on international cooperation in the Arctic. They noted that northern territories have become an example of successful international cooperation for less stable regions. Russia gradually develops bilateral relations with traditional partners: Norway, Canada, and Finland. There are prospects for project development together with the USA, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. These prospects are connected to such issues as development of continental shelf, hydrography, and societal security.

An important part of the Forum was devoted to environmental problems and climate change in the Arctic. For example, the effects of global warming make special requirements for certain types of work on the Arctic shelf and for hydro – meteorological support of navigation along the Northern Sea Route.

Climate change will have both negative and positive impacts on the environment, economics and population of the Arctic region. Negative consequences of human activity change the environment, affect health and traditional way of life of local population. Positive effects of climate change also exist: heating costs reduce, and opportunities for agriculture, forestry navigation on the Northern Sea Route and extraction of mineral resources increase.

There was a clear consensus among participants that universities should become regional research centers and formulate an Arctic agenda: initiate research and infrastructure projects in collaboration with business and government, train professional personnel for work in the Arctic. Joint research projects are also important since they give an opportunity to unite efforts of all UArctic member institutions.

Source

University of the Arctic

July 4, 2013
Arctic Frontiers 2013 – Final Remarks

The increase in human activity in the Arctic region, which is driven by the ever increasing demand for decreasing stocks of natural resources (mineral as well as hydrocarbons), has led to a rise in the need for improved management, monitoring and surveillance of the region.

The weather conditions may change quickly and dangerously, while the presence of the sea ice poses a risk to ships. For those reasons, the need for frequently updated information has increased.

Arctic Frontiers has been yearly organized as an independent network and leading meeting place for pan Arctic issues. This year’s Arctic Frontiers took place 20th – 25th January in Tromso, located in the northern part of Norway.

This year’s event collected close to 150 speakers from variety of countries. The audience accounted close to 2 000 people from various Arctic states and different fields of expertise. Both groups were largely supported by 35 journalists from 15 different countries. This number does not include the many local Norwegian media.

First two days were occupied by the policy section titled: Geopolitics and Marine Production in a changing Arctic”. This year’s policy session gathered speakers from the eight Arctic countries bringing up issues from charring and managing the Arctic Council, fisheries, oil and gas exploitation and the right and responsibility of the Arctic peoples to manage their territories to the role of armed forces in the Arctic.

Non-Arctic states were also well represented. The policy session welcomed speeches from the Ambassadors of China and South-Korea as well as from the EU Commissioner for Marine Affairs and Fisheries , while the science section’s geopolitics session expanded the Asian representation to cover diverse range of issues regarding Japans, South-Koreas, Singapore and India’s interests in the Arctic.

Non – Arctic states, together with the representatives of the Arctic, came up with new principles of how to manage, explore and develop the Arctic in the light of an on – coming change.

Today the Arctic Region is an emerging energy and mineral province, with the extraction of natural resources projected to increase dramatically in the coming years to decades. New industrial activities, a changing business community and demographic dynamics are to alter the established social and economic structures in several regions of the Arctic.

In short it can be said, that the non-Arctic countries call for an open and inclusive trans-regional dialogue and resource management and inclusive observer policies for the Arctic Council. In their view, the Arctic is not isolated region within the global economic and resource community, but a part of a global system that should be governed by and benefit all countries in the world.

It occurred evident that the interest towards the Arctic is growing and southern countries have started to grow increasing interest on the emerging opportunities in the Arctic.

In addition to the two day policy section, the Frontiers had a comprehensive science section concentrating this year on the above mentioned geopolitics, marine harvest and marine production.

The science section addressed mainly the issues of security, energy and interstate relations in the Arctic. Overall, it identified conditions of continued stability in light of new developments in the northern hemisphere.

A warming Arctic Region with less ice may involve opportunities in terms of economic activity and increased interstate cooperation, but may also present the Arctic stakeholders with new challenges in terms of how best to meet their interests and at the same time interact with the other stakeholders through mutually beneficiary relations.

The Arctic potential to become a new, thriving energy region was strongly highlighted during first days of the policy session.

The circumpolar North holds large quantities of natural gas and oil, both discovered resources and estimated ones. Northern Russia has the largest known reserves of natural gas in the Arctic, but it can also be found in other regions such as Norway, Canada and Alaska.

Last day of the science session welcomed representatives of non – Arctic states, such as Asian and European states that do not border the region. Those countries and organizations have been increasingly opening their eyes into the changing North. The speakers tried to answer the questions of does their interest consist of and what is their policy towards the Arctic Region.

The Arctic region has many faces. Historically it has been veiled by an aura of mystique, a frozen wonderland untouched both by the outside and the effects of industrialization, populated by a mysterious group of people from a different phase in the history of man. As interesting and romantic this notion may seem, it holds little or no truth in the Arctic today.

The Arctic is literally on top of the world, the earth rotating around the two poles, in the North and the South. But the Arctic is not just about the North Pole – the Arctic region stretches much further in all directions, even splitting the earth into the East and the West, famous identities in the world history.

This year’s Arctic Frontiers highlighted that the Arctic is not only a historical and cultural region but also a potential for commercial and industrial activities. The meeting showed that the Arctic should be looked at as at the mixture of traditional subsistence activities as well as a part of the global market economy.

Leena & HMM

January 31, 2013
Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement

The first international agreement made exclusively for the Arctic region was signed at the ministerial meeting in Nuuk, May 12 2011. The agreement, which deals with search and rescue of aeronautical and maritime vessels and passengers, is also the first international agreement made under the auspices of the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council is now planning another international agreement for adoption which will deal with oil pollution in the Arctic.

The Agreement on cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic (Agreement) was made in accordance with the 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) and the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, both of which are established and widely recognized international law. The objective of the Agreement is, however, to further strengthen aeronautical and maritime search and rescue cooperation and coordination in the Arctic. In order for that to be clear, each member state was given a particular Search and Rescue area which it is responsible for.

The main emphasis of the Agreement is to develop swift and efficient measures when accidents occur in the harsh Arctic region and to ensure, as much as possible, proper search and rescue operations. This is done by the clauses where the member states commit themselves to nominate certain national institutions in each state that will have full discretion in the field of search and rescue in the area. These national institutions are not only bound to take efficient measures, but also to notify other relevant national institutions when appropriate.

The most significant clause of the Agreement is Art. 8 where member states obligate themselves to send a permission request to another member state when e.g. a rescue vessel enters the Search and Rescue area of another State. This is obviously not unconventional, but the article also states that the receiving national institution “shall immediately confirm such receipt” and, as soon as possible, let the member state of the requesting vessel know if the request is permitted and under which conditions, if any.

Needless to say, the Agreement is only the beginning of a specific cooperation among the Arctic states and, as clearly stated in the Agreement, it will develop and be subject of amendments as search and rescue operation in the region become more apparent. The idea is then to make the Agreement more effective and cooperation more efficient. These objectives might be reached by the statements made in Art. 9 of the Agreement, where signatories oblige to maintain widespread cooperation on search and rescue. The most important cooperative measures of the member states is exchange of information on e.g. communication details, information about search and rescue facilities, lists of available airfields and ports and their refueling and resupply capabilities, knowledge of fueling, supply and medical facilities and information useful for training search and rescue personnel.

The Agreement will without any doubt strengthen cooperation between the Arctic states and improve the way Arctic countries respond to emergency calls in the region. The necessity of such an agreement and cooperation is great, as accidents in the region rely on swift responses and efficient operations, as much as fully qualified rescue personnel and equipment. It is hoped that the Agreement will not just work as an important instrument for saving properties and lives, but also to further forge the cooperation of the Arctic states.

May 23, 2011