Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre

The Norwegian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council 2006-2008

Conference of Parlamentarians of the Arctic Region. The Standing Committee of Parlamentarians of the Artic Region, Oslo, 22 November 2006

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Dear colleagues and friends,
Madam Chair,

It is a pleasure to welcome you all to Oslo on this rather wet November day. Some of us also met one month ago in Salekhard, Russia for the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, on a day much colder than today. And I would like to thank our Russians hosts – please convey my sincere thanks to them – for the excellent meeting arranged there.

As we flew into Salekhard and came in for landing, the white open spaces stretched before us as far as we could see.

This is the Arctic as you know it in your own countries, and as I know it in my country: vast white expanses, tiny settlements, a tough climate; but also warm and welcoming people who have been determined – generation after generation – to find sustainable means of living there, harvesting the rich resources in the rivers and lakes, in the soil and in the sea, in a sustainable way.

The special way of life in the Arctic, the special challenges it faces, the many opportunities it offers, is something we – the people of the north – often have to explain to others, and often with the use of maps.

Well, where is the High North? One thing is certain – it is north of the Scandinavian capitals Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo that often mark the cut-off point of weather maps on European television.

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The Arctic Council is for us a common platform. All of you – the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region – play an important role in this respect, in promoting the work of the Arctic Council, in maintaining democracy and civil rights at national and regional level.

I believe that you have helped us by focusing on important challenges in the north. You have contributed to important political discussions on the Arctic in the parliaments back home in your capitals.

I appreciate very much what you have done, and I look forward to continuing this excellent cooperation during Norway’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

I have studied the Kiruna Conference Statement carefully, and I will examine closely how your recommendations can be incorporated into my work during Norway’s chairmanship. I recall that we have had some discussions on the statement already, and that your input played a role – in Salekhard.

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The Norwegian Government is now in the final stages of preparing a comprehensive government strategy on the High North. During the last year, we have set a new focus – a new agenda – and have made the opportunities and challenges of the High North our top priority. The strategy will be presented by the Prime Minister in just a week’s time, on 1 December, in Tromsø.

This strategy is based both on this Government’s priorities and on efforts initiated by the former Government. There is consensus in the Storting on the significance of the High North, and we all agree that this region will become one of the most important strategic areas in the world.

Together we are looking northwards, and a proactive approach to the High North is therefore a top priority of Norwegian foreign policy.

One third of mainland Norway lies north of the Arctic Circle. Norway, as a coastal state, has the responsibility for managing resources in waters six times the size of its mainland territory. So managing resources means managing our rights and responsibilities.

Our priorities are clear, and we must also be clear about the results we want achieve. The focus on the High North, however, will need to have a long-term perspective – not just for a year, but for a generation – and we are now establishing the basis for developments over at least 10 years.

We are looking at how local and regional communities play a role in foreign policy. The regions are important in this respect and so are the Nordic Council, the Baltic Sea Council, the Barents Council and the Arctic Council. Key words are education, culture, people-to-people networks, co-existence and daily lives.

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The Arctic Council is an important vehicle for promoting Norwegian priorities in the High North.

As you may know, we have set three top priorities for our chairmanship:

• First: integrated resource management,
• Second: climate change – our biggest challenge,
• And third: review of the Arctic Council structure.

First, I believe that protection of the environment, combined with sustainable utilisation of natural resources, should be at the core of the Arctic Council’s work.

Major opportunities relating to non-renewable resources – i.e. oil and gas – are arising in the Arctic, but we need to see these in the context of the social and environmental challenges.

Norway has also drawn up an integrated management plan for the Barents Sea–Lofoten area based on an ecosystem approach. It will provide a framework for sustainable utilisation of natural resources, while ensuring that ecosystems remain healthy and productive. For example, the rich cod stocks must be well managed and protected.

All the Arctic countries have long experience of managing resources in this region. I believe that exchange of experience and knowledge is vital for developing a common ecosystem-based approach to the management of the natural resources throughout the region.

We need to establish guidelines not only for the development of non-renewable resources, but for other activities such as tourism, shipping, infrastructure and waste management. We must continue collecting data with a view to establishing a common knowledge base.

There is close cooperation between Norway and Russia in many of these fields, as we share the resources of the Barents Sea.

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We all know that the Arctic is being affected by climate change more severely than the rest of the world.

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) presents an overview of the current knowledge on climate change and its impact on the region and the world as a whole. I think we can be proud of the report’s importance and influence – and we must take action on its findings.

I know that you too consider climate change to be one of the most urgent challenges of our time. I therefore hope that I can count on your support for our efforts in this field during the next two years.

As you probably know, climate change was the most difficult topic and most debated issue at the Salekhard ministerial meeting.

Let me put it this way: different forums have different roles. The Arctic Council should, in my view, focus on filling knowledge gaps, identifying appropriate adaptation and mitigation measures and drawing up strategies.

We must also take proper account of the challenges faced by indigenous peoples in the region.

I have high ambitions for Norway’s chairmanship. And I will coordinate our work closely with the subsequent chairmanships of Denmark and Sweden. This will ensure continued focus on the same priorities. This will also foster the development of an institutional memory in an organisation that has no permanent body.

With this in view, we are now in the process of establishing a secretariat in Tromsø for the total six-year period of Scandinavian chairmanships. If everything goes as planned, the secretariat will be up and running in January 2007. And we leave it up to the Danes and Swedes to take advantage of it.

The Arctic Council is now 10 years old. We must ensure the most efficient use of its limited resources. I think it is important to make regular evaluations of the Council’s work, and Norway will initiate a process to review its organisation and consider ways of improving its effectiveness and efficiency. However, I sensed some uneasiness about this in Salekhard.

All our priorities are covered by the mandate we have been given by the Salekhard ministerial declaration. We will maintain close contact with all the stakeholders and cooperate with them closely in our efforts.

Finally, Madam Chair, let me turn to another institution in the High North, the University of the Arctic.

The University provides a unique opportunity for developing knowledge in the circumpolar north through cooperation and exchanges of students and teachers. I know that it is one of your priorities, and I am pleased to inform you that the Norwegian Government will continue to provide financial support for this important network.

Closer international cooperation on building up expertise and promoting education will be important at many levels.

Research and education, people-to-people contacts, human resources, are essential if we are to achieve a healthy economic development in the north, sustainable societies, and opportunities for the inhabitants to continue living in these areas.

We are faced with many changes – global and regional changes – and adaptation is becoming increasingly important. Communication and networks will play a crucial part here.

We must also bear in mind that we have a special responsibility towards the indigenous peoples of the High North. We must ensure that they are able to preserve their unique traditions, languages and culture, and we must maintain good channels of communication and effective exchange of views with them.

The opportunities and challenges of the High North are complex. We therefore need a broad approach, a positive approach, and long term perspective. Many of the tasks – in today’s globalised world – can only be solved through concerted international action, by governments, and by parliaments. Dealing with climate change and ensuring sustainable management of living marine resources are two such tasks.

I believe it is all a question of awareness. We need active national parliaments that make sure that governments direct sufficient attention and resources to this important region. I also believe we need to invite more politicians, for example from the United States, to the Arctic region. The representatives from the Senate who visited Svalbard in 2004 gained a new perspective. Because seeing is believing.

In conclusion, this is why I regard the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region as an important ally – an ally in our common efforts to realise the vast opportunities and meet the important challenges of the north.

Thank you.