Common Concern for the Arctic
Conference in Ilulissat, Greenland, 9-11 September 2008
Background
Developments in the Arctic are increasingly a subject for political dialogue and policy discussion in global and regional international fora and within individual states. There is an obvious need for coordinated international action to meet the many challenges facing the Arctic region due to globalization and climate change. The rest of the world is also affected by the consequences of melting ice in the Arctic.
The Nordic Council of Ministers will during its current Presidency (Sweden) arrange an Arctic Conference in Ilulissat, Greenland in September 2008. It can be seen as a follow-up to the Conference “The Northern Dimension and the Arctic Window” during the Danish Presidency of the EU in 2002.
Objectives
The Conference will provide a forum for exchange of views on activities and policies, pursued by individual states and in particular the European Union, that are of importance for or that directly affect developments in the Arctic region.
The Conference aims to raise awareness of the new challenges and opportunities that are a result of changing environmental, economic and social conditions in the Arctic region.
The Conference will address the role of circumpolar and regional cooperation in the implementation of governmental and EU policies and the need to enhance synergies in order to improve consistency and avoid overlapping activities.
Policy Areas
The Conference agenda will consist of a number of focussed presentations and panel discussions regarding new opportunities and challenges within the following policy areas:
- Terrestrial Living Resources
- Marine Living Resources
- Non-renewable Resources
- Local Development and Capacity Building in the Arctic
- Scientific Research and Traditional Knowledge.
Conference Participants
The participants are intended to be ministers, politicians, senior representatives from EU bodies and member states of the EU, the Arctic Council, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, the NCM and the partners of the Northern Dimension as well as experts on Arctic issues and representatives of indigenous peoples´ organisations, relevant NGOs and the media.
Since the Conference venue has an upper limit of approximately 100 participants, all participation will be by invitation only.
Venue
The Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Conference will offer an opportunity for participants to reflect on the impact of climate change on this important natural heritage site in the Arctic region.
View the conference brochure as a
pdf-file here
Photo: Lars Reimers/Greenland Tourism |
