Arctic Council
The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum established to promote cooperation among the eight Arctic states and indigenous communities on issues related to the Arctic region. It focuses on environmental protection, sustainable development, and scientific research. The council provides a platform for discussing and addressing challenges such as climate change, resource management, and shipping in the Arctic.
4 Key excerpts on "Arctic Council"
- Jean-Frederic Morin, Amandine Orsini, Jean-Frederic Morin, Amandine Orsini(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Arctic Council Olav Schram Stokke University of Oslo and Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway The Arctic Council is an international soft-law institution established in 1996 to address issues of environmental protection and sustainable development in the Arctic. Its membership comprises the eight states with sovereignty over territory north of the Arctic Circle: Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA (see also Regional governance). Several transnational indigenous and local communities associations, including the Inuit Circumpolar Council and the Saami Council, have Permanent participant status, with full consultation in all Council meetings and activities, but decisions are taken by the member states. Such active participation by indigenous peoples’ organizations features prominently in the Council’s self-presentation. Numerous non-Arctic states, international bodies, and nongovernmental organizations participate as observers. Biennial ministerial meetings adopt declarations directing Council activities, with implementation overseen by the members’ Senior Arctic Officials. A permanent secretariat has been operational since 2013. Working groups in areas including environmental monitoring, biodiversity protection (see Biodiversity regime), and sustainable development prepare environmental assessments and other studies, often with non-binding recommendations, on matters such as environmental toxins, climate change, oil and gas activities, and Arctic shipping (Koivurova et al. 2015)...
eBook - ePub- Mathieu Landriault, Andrew Chater, Elana Wilson Rowe, P. Whitney Lackenbauer(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...1 Arctic states and regional governance Arctic states have been pivotal actors in regional governance, representing the main architects of the existing institutional infrastructure. Multilateralism and pragmatic co-operation between these states have dominated regional dynamics. At the same time, Arctic states have been adamant about promoting their predominant role and stature, especially in relation to non-Arctic states. We will see that this posture has evolved in recent years, leading to institutional reforms adding new pieces to Arctic governance. As the amount of ice in the Arctic has diminished, the diversity of governance institutions for the Arctic region has increased concurrently. In 1996, the Arctic Council (AC) was essentially a governmental environmental research forum that issued occasional policy recommendations. Today, it also serves as a broader policy-making body for the Arctic region. In 1996, environmental issues such as persistent organic pollutants and contaminants dominated policy conversations. Today, climate change has multiplied the environmental issues with which the AC grapples, as well as the economic opportunities in the region. In 1996, the AC stood as the main venue for conversation on the transnational governance of the Arctic, akin to an Arctic United Nations dominated by its eight members: the Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States)...
eBook - ePubRole Theory, Environmental Politics, and Learning in International Relations
The Case of the Arctic Region
- Sandra Engstrand(Author)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...and Plouffe, J. (eds.). Arctic Yearbook 2016. The Arctic Council: Twenty Years of Regional Cooperation and Policy-Shaping. Iceland: Northern Research Forum. Restino, C. (2015). “Opinion: Federal Lawmakers Must Tackle America’s Arctic Identity Crisis.” The Bristol Bay Times, August 28, 2015. Reuters News Agency. (2017). “Donald Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Lifting Bans on Arctic Drilling,” The Telegraph, April 28, 2017. Russia: Arctic Council Ministerial Statement. (2013.) Speech of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Eight Ministerial Session of the Arctic Council. Kiruna, Sweden, May 15, 2013. Accessed via oaarchive.arctic-council.org. ——— (2006). Address by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov at the Fifth Ministerial Session of the Arctic Council. Salekhard, Russia, October 26, 2006. Russia’s Arctic Strategy. (2013). The Development Strategy of the Arctic Zone for the Russian Federation. Approved by President V. Putin. ——— (2008). Russian Federation Policy for the Arctic to 2020. Adopted by President D. Medvedev on September 18, 2008. SAO Discussion Paper. (2016a). Discussion Paper on the Arctic Council’s Work on Oil and Gas Issues. Submitted by United States of America. Arctic Council SAO plenary meeting, Fairbanks, Alaska, March 16–17, 2016. Accessed from the Arctic Council Open Access Repository: https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/1730. ——— (2016b). Discussion Paper on Climate Change Activity in the Arctic Council. Submitted by United States of America. Arctic Council SAO plenary meeting, Fairbanks, Alaska, March 16–17, 2016. Accessed from the Arctic Council Open Access Repository: https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/1728. SAO Meeting Minutes. (2019). Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials Meeting Hveragerði, Iceland. November, 20–21, 2019. Report, pp. 1–21. Accessed via oaarchive.arctic-council.org. ——— (2018). Levi, Finland. March, 22–23, 2017. Report, pp...
eBook - ePubCompeting Arctic Futures
Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
- Nina Wormbs, Nina Wormbs(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Palgrave Macmillan(Publisher)
...The discussion section analyses similarities and differences in stakeholder narratives within and among the geographical groupings of observer states. This includes identifying analogues to practices of earlier actors that asserted state interest in the Arctic. The chapter concludes by considering the influence of legitimizers in fostering, from Braudel’s perspective on the historical contingency of regional boundaries, a re-conception of the Arctic as a telecoupled global region based on social and environmental factors not limited to physical geography. Arctic Council as Regional Gatekeeper As the institutional embodiment of the Arctic, the Arctic Council conveys legitimacy to those it accepts as observers. States granted observer status at the 2013 ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden undertook a range of activities to establish and communicate their stake in the Arctic. The observer application period and process therefore provides an opportunity to analyse empirically how non-Arctic states construct stakeholder status. The cases they make to bolster perceptions of legitimacy, despite their lack of geographic proximity and in some cases short history of Arctic activity, can serve as indicators of what the sinews and future boundaries of a conceptualized greater or global Arctic might comprise. The Arctic Council’s gatekeeper role shapes contemporary understandings and articulations of what is “Arctic.” States seeking observer status can be expected to formulate their case for inclusion based on the activities, institutions and organizational structure of the Arctic Council, including the 2011 “Nuuk criteria.” 19 This strongly favours the practice of science, concern for the environment and the promotion of sustainable development. The landmark 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment centralized the Arctic within global climate discourse and greatly heightened international awareness of both topics...
