Lessons from the Finland’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council: What Will Happen with the Arctic Council and in General Arctic Governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-209
Author(s):  
Timo Koivurova
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5042
Author(s):  
Tom Barry ◽  
Brynhildur Daviðsdóttir ◽  
Níels Einarsson ◽  
Oran R. Young

The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states, indigenous communities, and peoples on issues of common importance. The rising geo-political importance of the Arctic and the onset of climate change has resulted in the Council becoming a focus of increasing interest from both inside and beyond the Arctic. This has resulted in new demands placed on the Council, attracting an increasing number of participants, and instigating a period of transformation as Arctic states work to find a way to balance conflicting demands to improve the Council’s effectiveness and take care of national interests. This paper considers whether, during this time of change, the Council is having an impact on the issues it was formed to address, i.e., environmental protection and sustainable development. To provide answers, it looks at how the Council reports on and evaluates progress towards the implementation of recommendations it makes regarding biodiversity, how it identifies where activities have had impacts and uncovers the mechanisms through which they were successful, to provide an insight into how the Arctic Council can be an agent of change.


Polar Record ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Koivurova ◽  
Kai Kokko ◽  
Sebastien Duyck ◽  
Nikolas Sellheim ◽  
Adam Stepien

ABSTRACTThe European Union's (EU's) intention of becoming a permanent observer in the Arctic Council and the reluctance of Arctic actors to grant it that status have made the union's aspirations in the Arctic the subject of a continuing debate. The discussion appears to be dominated by geographical considerations and the EU's gradually emerging Arctic policy. This article puts forward a different view of the EU's presence in the region, one drawing on an analysis of relevant EU competences. As a complex international actor, the EU has acquired a broad array of decision-making powers from its member states, powers that partly extend to Iceland and Norway via the EEA Agreement. Moreover, the EU has in many cases become a relevant actor in international negotiations and treaty making processes the outcomes of which are of crucial importance for the governance of the Arctic. Our argument in the third and concluding section is that only by including the EU in Arctic governance can the international community provide better prospects for the union to sensitise its policies and discourses to the Arctic realities and for other Arctic actors to understand how the union functions. This argument is supported by an analysis of the EU's restrictions on the import of seal products and the ensuing litigation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Chater
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Valery Zhuravel ◽  

The Arctic has always been in the field of close attention of the Russian leadership. This was especially true in 2020. This year, a number of important strategic planning documents were adopted that define the country’s state policy in the Arctic zone for the next 15 years. These are: The Fundamentals of State policy in the Arctic Zone until 2035 and the Strategy for the development of the Russian Federation’s Arctic zone and ensuring national security for the period up to 2035. In parallel, work continued improving the federal authorities activities on the exploration and development of the Arctic. New members of the State Commission for Arctic development approved including their powers expanded. The newly formed Ministry of the Russian Federation for development of the Far East and the Arctic has begun its activity. Simultaneously, the Government decided on the extension of the Far East development institutions competence in the Arctic zone. The attention of the public was drawn to the planned major infrastructure projects in all the subjects of the Russian Arctic. The author, drawing attention to a wide list of planned major arctic infrastructure projects in all the subjects of the Russian Arctic zone, expresses doubts about the possibility of their implementation, taking into account the existing and potential difficulties. The article points to the need to use the experience in the advancement and development of the Arctic, acquired in 2020, during the Russian presidency of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-340
Author(s):  
Paulo Borba Casella ◽  
◽  
Maria Lagutina ◽  
Arthur Roberto Capella Giannattasio ◽  
◽  
...  

The current international legal regulation of the Arctic and Antarctica was organized during the second half of the XX century to establish an international public power over the two regions, the Arctic Council (AC) and the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), which is characterized by Euro-American dominance. However, the rise of emerging countries at the beginning of the XXI century suggests a progressive redefinition of the structural balance of international power in favor of states not traditionally perceived as European and Western. This article examines the role of Brazil within the AC and the ATS to address various polar issues, even institutional ones. As a responsible country in the area of cooperation in science and technology in the oceans and polar regions in BRICS, Brazil appeals to its rich experience in Antarctica and declares its interest in joining the Arctic cooperation. For Brazil, participation in polar cooperation is a way to increase its role in global affairs and BRICS as a negotiating platform. It is seen in this context as a promising tool to achieve this goal. This article highlights new paths in the research agenda concerning interests and prospects of Brazilian agency in the polar regions.


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