Arctic ConnectionsArctic Ambassador of Finland

Hannu Halinen

10.6.2014 GlasgowHannu Halinen

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International cooperation

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Global

• UN, UNCLOS• IMO, Polar Code• UNEP, UNDP

Regional

Circumpolar•Arctic Council

Euro-Arctic Region•Barents Euro-Arctic Council•Northern Dimension•Nordic Council of Ministers•Council of the Baltic Sea States

Sub-regional and bilateral

• A5• Nordic Countries• Bilateral partnerships

Non-Arctic actors

• Observers in the AC• Other fora,

arrangements

Challenges

• Sovereignty• Lack of stakeholders?• ”Near-Arctic”• Inclusive vs. exclusive

Arctic Council

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About the Arctic Council

• 1991 AEPS ”Rovaniemi Process”

• 1996 Ottawa Declaration

• The Arctic Council is a high-level, intergovermental forum for political and scientific discussions on issues common to the governments of the Arctic region and its inhabitants.

Member states

Permanent participants

• Aleut International Association (AIA)

• Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC)

• Gwich’in Council International (GCI)

• Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC)

• Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and Far East (RAIPON)

• Saami Council (SC)

Working groups

• Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP)

• Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)

• Conservation of the Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

• Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR)

• Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)

• Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG)

• Arctic Economic Council Task Force

• Scientific Cooperation Task Force

• Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Prevention Task Force

• Black Carbon and Methane Task Force

Task Forces

Observers • Europe: The Netherlands, Spain, UK, Italy, Poland, France, Germany, the EU

• Other countries outside Europe: South-Korea, India, Japan, China and Singapore

• Organizations: IFRC, NEFCO, UN-ECE, UNDP, UNEP, WWF among others, 20 observer organizations in total

Arctic Economic Council

• Aim: fostering sustainable development, including economic growth, environmental protection and social development in the Arctic Region

• Focus on responsible resource development

• Independent from the AC• Link to the EU programmes

Finland’s Arctic VisionSource: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cznr/10559395913

Finland’s Arctic Vision• Finland is an active

Arctic actor with the ability to reconcile business opportunities with requirements of the environment in a sustainable manner while drawing upon international cooperation.

International cooperation• Strengthen the Arctic

status of Finland in external relations

• Strengthen international cooperation and international law

• Strengthen the Arctic Council

• Build bilateral Arctic partnerships

EU’s role in the Arctic

Source: http://bit.ly/SqSkXp

EU’s role in the Arctic• Together with Sweden

and Denmark clarify the EU’s role in the Arctic

• Support efforts to consolidate the EU’s Arctic policy and its observer status in the Arctic Council

• Establish the EU Arctic Information Centre in Rovaniemi, Finland

EU• “Not a rule-maker,

but growth facilitator”

• Arctic competencies

• Commission Communication 2012

• Arctic dimension in the EU programmes

EU Arctic Information Centre• Initiative since 2008• Preparatory Action by the

Commission• Final Report published

September 2014• Improved access, dialogues

and dissemination of information within and outside the EU

• Support the formation of the EU’s Arctic policy

• Guarantee its coherence• Collaborative structure of

European Arctic excellence institutes

• Hub in Rovaniemi, Finland

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