The Arctic Economic Council – the Origins

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 225-248
Author(s):  
Natalia Loukacheva
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Business Community ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Economic Council ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Vision

On 2 September 2014, in the Canadian town of Iqaluit – the territorial capital of Nunavut – the founding meeting of the Arctic Economic Council took place. By relying on founding documents, interviews with stakeholders who were engaged in the development of the concept of the Council, and by following the process of its establishment, the author examines why the Arctic Council established this new independent body. The article looks back at the history of the Arctic Council’s relationships with business and examines what the objectives of the new Arctic Economic Council are. It also explores how the new council will do business and concludes by posing questions about how the Council might facilitate economic development, entrepreneurship, a new vision and dialogue, and generally how it can best serve the circumpolar business community, Northern and Indigenous stakeholders.

8. Arctic futures

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-142
Author(s):  
Klaus Dodds ◽  
Jamie Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Arctic Amplification ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Governance Model

‘Arctic futures’ discusses the future of the Arctic that starts in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard wherein the Global Seed Vault functions as an Arctic sanctuary for the genetic diversity of crops. The Svalbard archipelago is a hotspot of Arctic amplification as rapid warming has been keenly felt by the small community. However, the environmental changes, no matter how stark and widespread, will not dampen interest in economic development and strategic posturing. Arctic states and northern peoples remain eager to improve their social and economic conditions as well as adapt to ongoing climate change. The Arctic is a haven of international peace and cooperation as the Arctic Council is cited as a governance model that others could emulate.

scholarly journals The Role of the Arctic Economic Council in the International Legal Framework of the Arctic Ocean Environmental Governing

2020 ◽  
pp. 6-26
Author(s):  
A. N. Vylegzhanin ◽  
N. V. Korchunov ◽  
A. R. Tevatrosyan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
International Forum ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Economic Council

INTRODUCTION. The article covers the legal aspects of the establishment of a new international forum – the Arctic Economic Council – and its role in the existing international legal framework for governing the Arctic Ocean, including the Arctic seas. The status and the functioning of the said international forum, particularly with regard to the activities within its Working Groups, have been examined based on the analysis of the documents adopted by the forum since its establishment. Special attention has been paid to the legal analysis of the coordination of the newly established forum with the Arctic Council and the prospects of such institutional cooperation.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The research done by the authors on the relevant documents released by the Artic Council, in the context of legal and scientific sources on the topic of the Arctic Ocean and its seas, as well as on the Reports of the Arctic Economic Council submitted to the Senior Officials of the Arctic Council, underlies this article. The article also takes into consideration political and legal research of the Arctic Council’s work, aimed at the sustainable development of the economic activities in the region, as well as respective archive documents from the electronic database of the Arctic Council, including relevant press releases.RESEARCH RESULTS. The Arctic Economic Council (AEC), established upon the initiative of the Arctic Council in 2014, is a new circumpolar business-forum, which aims at fostering the sustainable development of the Arctic region by substantive cooperation with the entrepreneurs, carrying out economic activities in the region or planning to do so. The new international organization has the potential to become an effective international legal mechanism to promote greener economies in the Arctic; meanwhile, the organization is yet to become a constructive platform for dialogue on fostering the economic activities in the region.DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS. The AEC foundational documents determine the structure and the course of action of the organization. The article, nevertheless, suggests that the executives and the Secretary of this newly established international forum ensure that the business representatives, committed to conduct activities in the Arctic, seek to comply with the international environmental standards, applicable to the Arctic; particularly that, subject to the unique vulnerability of the Arctic environment, an exchange of best practices takes place. Moreover, in view of the increased shipping and growth of other marine activities in the region, the Arctic business standards not only need to be more environmentally oriented, but also take into account the possibility of diversifying the Arctic economy. The AEC could focus its efforts on enhancing the quality of the regional regulation of the economic activities in the Arctic, paying particular attention to the coordinated self-regulative measures of the legal entities in different countries. In this case, its activities may prove to be more relevant and effective.

Prospects for the development of international cooperation in the Arctic: main directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 76-83
Author(s):  
VERA I. SMORCHKOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
International Cooperation ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Common Interests ◽  
The University

Over the past three decades, the Arctic has shown an unprecedented pace of international cooperation. Work in this direction takes place within the framework of the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Region Council (BEAC), the Northern Forum, the International Arctic Science Committee, the International Conference “Arctic Frontiers”, the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Countries, the University of the Arctic, etc. Cooperation and integration of the Arctic regions are of great importance for the social and economic development of this macro-region. United, the Arctic countries will preserve and develop territories on the principles of sustainable development. While studying the topic of the article, the author realized that the existing initiatives are not enough to meet the growing needs of the region. Today, the circumpolar region faces geopolitical, socio- economic, and environmental challenges. Changes in economic development and global warming are a serious threat to the population of the Arctic. Governmental and non-governmental organizations associated with activities in the Arctic, as well as its direct residents, are interested in international cooperation in various areas that are related to the problems of the region. The participation of countries and organizations is needed for an immediate response to changes, as well as to solve emerging problems, to pursue common interests, and to find effective mechanisms for managing emerging changes. In the article, the author also offers practical recommendations for the proper use of the potential of the Russian Arctic.

scholarly journals Constructing the “New” Arctic: The Future of the Circumpolar North in a Changing Global Order

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 6-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. R. Young
Keyword(s):  
International Society ◽  
Peripheral Region ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
History Of ◽  
Circumpolar North ◽  
The Cold War

Like all spatially delimited regions in international society, the Arctic is socially constructed. Political and economic considerations play prominent roles as determinants of the region’s boundaries, the identity of those states regarded as Arctic states, and the nature of the interactions between the Arctic and the outside world. From this perspective the recent history of the Arctic divides into two distinct periods: the late 1980s through 2007 and 2007 to the present. As the cold war faded, the Arctic became a peripheral region of declining importance in global political calculations. No one challenged the dominance of the eight Arctic states in regional affairs, and the Arctic Council focused on regional concerns relating to environmental protection and sus tainable development. Today, by contrast, the ‘new’ Arctic is a focus of intense glo bal interest, largely because climate change is proceeding more rapidly in this region than anywhere else on Earth with global consequences and because the increasing accessibility of the Arctic’s natural resources has generated enhanced interest on the part of outside actors. As a result, Arctic issues have merged into global issues, making the region a prominent arena for the interplay of geopolitical forces. Cooperative arrangements established during the first period (e.g. the Arctic Council) may require adjustment to operate effectively in the ‘new’ Arctic. Treated as a case study, the Arctic story provides an illuminating lens through which to analyze the forces that shape thinking about the nature of regions in international society and the role of cooperative arrangements at the regional level.

scholarly journals Fuzzy Signals to Potential Observer States in the Arctic Council

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Alexandra Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Binary Classification ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Arctic Circle

The attention to the Arctic is fuelled by the prospect of economic development, emerging shipping routes, and changing geopolitics. Since 1996 the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation, has served to foster environmental protection and sustainable development in the region. The Arctic Council is composed of the eight Arctic states with territory north of the Arctic Circle and six Permanent Participants representing Arctic Indigenous People. Since its inception, the Arctic Council has admitted 13 non-Arctic Observer states. However, in 2021 three new candidates (Ireland, Czech Republic, and Estonia) were not successful with their applications despite proven records of Arctic research and influence in the region. This article will elaborate on the dynamics of Observer states admittance to the Arctic Council. Signalling theory is applied in this paper as a theoretical lens. More precisely, this paper will concentrate on fuzzy signalling, because such signals do not fall into binary classification and require a lot of contextual geopolitical information for interpretation. The data consists of research articles, publicly available statements, and media articles. The findings demonstrate that the admittance of Observer states to the Arctic Council can be viewed as fuzzy signalling. This paper will argue that fuzzy signalling is intrinsic to a multi-actor governance forum like the Arctic Council, where decisions are made on a consensus basis.

scholarly journals On the History of International Socio-Economic Relations of the Arctic Regions and Thirty-Year Anniversary of the «Northern Forum»

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-28
Author(s):  
Boris Krasnopolski
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Political Organization ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Council ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Creation

The research is a journey into a history of relatively recent establishment and development of international relations and cooperation of the Arctic regions of our country and the world. Thaw in relations between the Soviet Union taken place in the 80s of the last century and other countries affected the development of the territories of the states members of the well-known international Arctic Council, as well as a number of other countries with political and economic interests in the Arctic. This thaw created the basis for the creation of the Northern Forum in 1991, an international non-political organization of regional governors, which expressed the ambitions of the countries of the North and Arctic regions to develop international cooperation. In 2021, this organization will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Its creation is directly related to an active role of Walter J. Hickel (Wally J. Hickel), who in those years was the governor of Alaska (USA). He got elected twice to the office of governor and put enormous business and personal efforts into the creation of the Northern Forum. Unfortunately, in recent years the ability of the Forum to support and strengthen international sustainable socio-economic development in the Arctic region has substantially decreased. Despite the great efforts of the Forum secretariat, which is now located in Yakutsk, its role is declining, which is apparently caused by the growth of political and economic confrontations between the leading Arctic countries. The author puts forward his perspectives on the increasing role of the Northern Forum in the international cooperation of the Arctic countries in the light of new initiatives.

A Well-Ordered Thing

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael D. Gordin
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Periodic Table ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Classic Work ◽  
Hot Air ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

Dmitrii Mendeleev (1834–1907) is a name we recognize, but perhaps only as the creator of the periodic table of elements. Generally, little else has been known about him. This book is an authoritative biography of Mendeleev that draws a multifaceted portrait of his life for the first time. As the book reveals, Mendeleev was not only a luminary in the history of science, he was also an astonishingly wide-ranging political and cultural figure. From his attack on Spiritualism to his failed voyage to the Arctic and his near-mythical hot-air balloon trip, this is the story of an extraordinary maverick. The ideals that shaped his work outside science also led Mendeleev to order the elements and, eventually, to engineer one of the most fascinating scientific developments of the nineteenth century. This book is a classic work that tells the story of one of the world's most important minds.

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