The 10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting concluded with Ministers from the eight Arctic States adopting the 'Fairbanks Declaration 2017' and signing the ‘Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation'.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the US transferred the Arctic Council Chairmanship to Finland.
The Council added seven new observers: the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; Oceana; the National Geographic Society; the Oslo-Paris Commission; Switzerland; the West Nordic Council; and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
15 May 2016: The 10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting concluded with Ministers from the eight Arctic States adopting the ‘Fairbanks Declaration 2017′ and signing the ‘Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation.’ At the conclusion of the meeting, the US transferred the Arctic Council Chairmanship to Finland, whose priorities for 2017-2019 include environmental protection, connectivity, meteorological cooperation and education. The Council also added seven new observers: the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea; Oceana; the National Geographic Society; the Oslo-Paris Commission; Switzerland; the West Nordic Council; and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The ‘Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation’ will help build human capacity in the region. It will facilitate the entry and exit of people, equipment and material; access to research infrastructure and facilities; the use of traditional and local knowledge; and education, career development, and training opportunities for students and early-career scientists. In addition, the Council discussed a completed assessment of the telecommunications infrastructure in the Arctic and a new Arctic Shipping Traffic Database to help manage Arctic shipping.
The Fairbanks Declaration is divided into four sub-sections addressing Arctic Ocean safety, security and stewardship; improving economic and living conditions; addressing the impacts of climate change; and strengthening the Arctic Council.
On Arctic Ocean safety, security and stewardship, the Declaration discusses, inter alia: biodiversity monitoring needs; the effects of ocean acidification in the Arctic; the increasing accumulation of marine debris, and its impacts on the environment and on Arctic communities; increasing levels of microplastics and potential impacts on ecosystems and human health; and regional cooperation to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.
Regarding improving economic and living conditions, the Declaration focuses on, inter alia: efforts to reduce pollutants that affect human health, such as dioxins, furans, heavy metals and black carbon; establishment of a ‘Task Force on Improved Connectivity in the Arctic;’ energy initiatives and additional efforts to identify innovative energy infrastructure solutions; and a programme for training indigenous youth in documenting traditional knowledge related to food, food entrepreneurship and innovation.
For climate change, the Declaration calls for the Arctic Council to undertake additional analyses to contribute to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment reports. It also mentions, inter alia: the first Pan-Arctic report on reducing black carbon and methane emissions; the importance of industry in fostering innovative technologies to help reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) and short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs); adoption of the Arctic Resilience Action Framework to track and coordinate circumpolar resilience priorities; prevention, control and eradication of invasive alien species; sharing data related to climate change indicators and predictors; cooperation in meteorological, oceanographic and terrestrial observations, research and services; the importance of scientific assessments and projections to inform decision-making, incorporating traditional and local knowledge; and the updated assessment of ‘Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic.’
To strengthen the Arctic Council, the Declaration calls for developing a strategic plan for approval by Ministers in 2019. It encourages further efforts to strengthen the capacity of the Arctic Council Secretariat and Working Groups with a focus on continuing efforts to enhance the accountability and transparency of the Council’s work. It also recommends providing and leveraging financing for pollution mitigation projects and encourages additional efforts to strengthen the relationship with observers.
The Arctic Council, which was established in 1996, focuses on sustainable development and environmental protection of the Arctic region, and is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues.
The Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, which occurs biannually, convened in Fairbanks, Alaska, from 10-11 May 2017. The first meeting under Finnish Chairmanship will take place in late October 2017 in Oulu, Finland. [Arctic Council Homepage][10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting Homepage] [Briefing on the Arctic Council Ministerial] [Remarks by US Secretary of State] [US State Department Blog Post] [Arctic Council Press Release, 11 May] [Fairbanks Declaration] [Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation] [Finland’s Program during its Chairmanship] [Overview of the US Chairmanship of the Arctic Council] [Overview of the Arctic Council] [IISD RS Coverage a side event of the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial during the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany]