Deputy Ministers’ Meeting in the Arctic Council, 27 May 2010
Information from the Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials: For the first time in the history of the Arctic Council a meeting was held between Deputy Ministers in Copenhagen on 27 May 2010. The meeting was a part of the Danish Chairmanship programme in the Arctic Council, which will conclude at the Ministerial Meeting in May 2011.
The Deputy Ministers from the eight Arctic member states, Permanent Participants and observers had the occasion to discuss a range of important issues of relevance to the future of the Arctic region. The meeting opened with a general discussion under the heading “responding to emerging challenges in the Arctic”, where the importance of securing follow-up on the International Polar Year was highlighted by several member states. The discussion also highlighted possible issues arising in relation to future oil investigations in the Arctic area in light of the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It was agreed that the Arctic Council should carefully consider measures that can prevent such accidents from occurring when establishing future projects within this field.
Furthermore Search and Rescue operations and the increased demand were discussed and it was emphasized by all that a legally binding agreement between the eight Arctic states ought to be ready for signature by the Foreign Ministers at the Ministerial Meeting in 2011. The present negotiations in this field are progressing according to plan and the aim is to create a better search and rescue preparedness to coordinate efforts to aid, as an example, cruise ships in need of assistance in arctic waters in the future. IMO’s role in establishing a binding international polar code was reviewed with great interest.
The Deputy Ministers also had the possibility to discuss the effects of short lived climate forcers to the Arctic climate and environment and furthermore the exchange mechanism of scientific data. Finally the Deputy Ministers continued the discussion on the role of observers in the Arctic Council and the discussion on how to secure that the Arctic Council fulfill its objectives in the best possible and efficient way. The debate emphasized the leadership role of the Arctic Council in the further sustainable development in the Arctic.