Arctic Council: activities and composition of countries

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

There are many organizations in the world that direct their activities to the development of specific regions, while pursuing the most positive goals. Among them is the Arctic Council, which, of course, is a fairly vivid example of successful cooperation.

What should be understood by the Arctic Council

In 1996, an international organization was established to develop cooperation in the Arctic. As a result, it received a quite logical name - the Arctic Council (AC). It consists of 8 Arctic states: Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, USA and Finland. The council also includes 6 organizations that were formed by the indigenous population.

In 2013, the Arctic Council granted observer status to six new countries: India, Italy, China, South Korea, Singapore and Japan. The number of observers has been expanded to promote the development of relations between countries that have their own interests in the Arctic.

This change was made on the basis of the founding Declaration. This document implies the possibility of assigning observer status to non-Arctic countries.

The importance of the program,focused on sustainable development

It must be understood that the Arctic is one of those regions of the planet where protecting the environment, conserving biological diversity, using natural resources without depletion, and maintaining the he alth of ecosystems in general are extremely important. The work of the Arctic Council is aimed at ensuring that these priorities remain in focus.

In 2013, Council members also signed an agreement that commits them to coordinating responses to marine pollution incidents. Later, another similar initiative was implemented, but in relation to rescue and search operations.

What is the essence of the sustainable development program

The following priorities are mandatory in any projects promoted by the Arctic Council:

• The work carried out by the members of the Council must be based on scientifically sound evidence, prudent management and conservation of resources, and indigenous and local traditional knowledge. The key goal of such activities is to extract tangible benefits from the innovative processes and knowledge that are applied in northern communities.
• Continuous capacity building at all levels of society.
• Using a sustainable development agenda to empower future generations in the North. Also important is the economic activity that will be able to create human capital.and we alth. At the same time, the natural capital of the Arctic must be preserved.
• The key focus is on those projects that strengthen local leadership and can ensure that regions and specific communities benefit in the long term.
• The activities of the Arctic Council countries should be organized in such a way that meeting the needs of the current generation does not endanger the well-being of the next. Therefore, the social, economic and cultural aspects of the development of the region are interdependent and mutually reinforcing elements.

Areas that require the most attention in the process of implementing a sustainable development program

At the moment, the countries of the Arctic Council are aimed at actively participating in the stabilization of certain areas of the social, cultural and economic sphere of the region. These are the following priority areas:

1. Cultural and educational heritage, which is the foundation for the successful development and capacity building of the region.
2. The welfare and he alth of people living in the Arctic.
3. Infrastructure development. This is a necessary condition for stable economic growth, as a result, improving the quality of life of people who live in the Arctic.
4. Formation and protection of educational and cultural heritage. It is these factors that can be defined as a fundamental prerequisite for the stable development of the region and the growth of its capital.
5. Youth and children. The well-being of young people is critical to the future of Arctic communities. Therefore, they need protection and attention from the Arctic Council.
6. Proper use of natural resources.

The sustainable development program implies quality work in each of the above areas.

AC structure

The supreme body coordinating the activities of the Arctic Council are sessions, which are held twice a year at the level of foreign ministers representing member countries. Moreover, the presiding country is constantly changing by voting.

With regard to the preparation of the sessions and current issues related to the activities of the Council, they are handled by the Committee of Senior Officials. This working body meets at least 2 times a year.

The Arctic Council is an organization with 6 thematic working groups. Each of them carries out its activities on the basis of a special mandate. These working groups are managed by a chairman, a board (may be a steering committee) and a secretariat. The purpose of such divisions of the Council is the development of documents that are binding (reports, guidelines, etc.) and the implementation of specific projects.

Arctic Economic Council (NPP)

The reason for the creation of this new body is the activation of business relations between the AU member countries, as well as active assistance to both social and economic development of the region. What makes this organization special is the fact that it is independent of the Arcticadvice.

NPP is essentially nothing more than a platform for discussing topical issues for both the AU member countries and the business community. The mission of the Arctic Economic Council is to bring a business perspective to the activities of the AU and to develop business in the Arctic.

Russian participation

Initially, it should be noted that the Russian Federation plays one of the key roles in the activities of the Arctic Council. This was influenced by such factors as the significant length of the coastline, the scale of minerals, as well as the volume of their development (it is important to understand that it is in the Arctic that more than 70% of all oil and gas resources of the Russian Federation are produced), as well as the area of the territory that is located beyond the Arctic Circle. Do not forget about the large icebreaker fleet. Given all the above facts, it is safe to say that the Russian Arctic Council is more than a significant player.

The possession of such rich resources obliges the Russian Federation not only to take an active part in the implementation of projects developed by the AU participants, but also to propose its own relevant initiatives.

Current influence of the Arctic Council

Since its founding in 1996, the AC has managed to grow from another organization focused on the preservation and development of a particular region into an international platform that allows for multilateral practical cooperation in the Arctic. This form of council activity givesan opportunity with a considerable degree of efficiency to cover a wide range of issues related to the sustainable development of the Arctic potential. These are projects that affect all spheres of life in the region - from the environment and the economy to specific social needs.

An interesting fact is that, according to the course taken by the Arctic Council, observers will not be able to participate in substantive decision-making - such a privilege will be available only to countries directly related to the Arctic. As for the participation of non-regional states, they can only be content with observation.

Summing up the many years of experience in the functioning of the AU, it is not difficult to draw an obvious conclusion: the activities of this organization, of course, are successful. The commonality of interests of the Arctic states can be identified as a reason for the effectiveness.

This fact gives every reason to predict further fruitful cooperation between the countries participating in the council.