In the world there are many organizations that direct their activities to the development of specific regions, while pursuing the most positive goals. Among them are the Arctic Council, which, of course, is a rather striking example of successful cooperation.
What is meant by the Arctic Council
In 1996, an international organization was created, the purpose of which is to develop cooperation in the Arctic. As a result, it received a logical name - the Arctic Council (AU). It consists of 8 Arctic states: Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, the USA and Finland. The council is also attended by 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 facilitate the development of relations between countries that have their interests in the Arctic.
This change was made on the basis of the constituent Declaration. This document implies the possibility of assigning observer status to non-Arctic countries.
The importance of a sustainable development program
It should be understood that the Arctic refers to those regions of the planet where the protection of the environment, the conservation of biological diversity, the use of natural resources that do not lead to depletion, and maintaining the health of ecosystems in general are extremely important. The activities of the Arctic Council are aimed at ensuring that these priorities remain in the focus of attention.
In 2013, Council members also signed an agreement that obliges them to coordinate incident response related to marine pollution. Later, another similar initiative was implemented, but already in relation to rescue and search operations.
What is the essence of a sustainable development program?
In any projects promoted by the Arctic Council, the following priorities are mandatory taken into account:
- The work carried out by the members of the Council should be based on extremely reliable scientific information, prudent management and conservation of resources, as well as traditional knowledge of the indigenous and local population. The key goal of such an activity is to derive tangible benefits from the innovative processes and knowledge that are applied in the northern communities.
- Continuous capacity building at all levels of society.
- Using the sustainable development program to provide future generations of the North with enhanced opportunities. Important is also economic activity, which will be able to create human capital and wealth. The natural capital of the Arctic should be preserved.
- Key attention is paid to those projects that are aimed at strengthening local leadership and are able to guarantee regions and specific communities maximum benefits in the long term.
- The activities of the countries of the Arctic Council should be organized in such a way that meeting the needs of the current generation does not jeopardize the well-being of subsequent ones. Therefore, the social, economic and cultural aspects of the development of the region are interdependent and mutually reinforcing elements.
Areas that require the greatest attention in the implementation of the sustainable development program
Currently, the countries of the Arctic Council are aimed at actively participating in the stabilization of some areas of the social, cultural and economic sphere of the region. These are the following priority areas:
- Cultural and educational heritage, which is the foundation for the successful development and capacity building of the region.
- The well-being and health of people living in the Arctic.
- Infrastructure development. This is a prerequisite for stable economic growth, as a result, improving the quality of life of people who live in the Arctic.
- 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.
- Youth and children. The well-being of young people is crucial for the future of Arctic communities. Therefore, they need protection and attention from the Arctic Council.
- Proper use of natural resources.
Sustainability program involves quality work in each of the above areas.
Speaker structure
The supreme body coordinating the activities of the Arctic Council are sessions that are held twice a year at the level of foreign ministers representing the participating countries. Moreover, the presiding country is constantly changing by voting.
With regard to the preparation of sessions and current issues related to the activities of the Council, they are the responsibility of the Committee of Senior Officials. This working body holds meetings 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 chair, a board (maybe a steering committee), and a secretariat. The purpose of such units of the Council is the development of documents that are mandatory (reports, manuals, etc.) and the implementation of specific projects.
Arctic Economic Council (NPP)
The reason for creating this new body is the intensification of business relations between the AU member states, as well as the active promotion of both the social and economic development of the region. What makes this organization special is the fact that it is independent of the Arctic Council.
A nuclear power plant is essentially nothing more than a platform for discussing topical issues for both countries participating in nuclear power plants and the business community. The Arctic Economic Council is entrusted with the mission of bringing a business perspective into the activities of the AU and developing business in the Arctic.
Russian participation
Initially, it is worth noting 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 more than 70% of all oil and gas resources of the Russian Federation are extracted in the Arctic), as well as the area of the territory that is beyond the Arctic Circle. Do not forget about the large icebreaking fleet. Given all the above facts, we can confidently say that the Arctic Council of Russia 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 NPP participants, but also to propose its own relevant initiatives.
