Finnish Chairmanship News

There is more to connectivity than mobile phone coverage. Access to broadband for example facilitates e-learning for children and adults in remote communities and enables the development of digital health and social services. The Finnish Chairmanship program speaks of well-functioning communication networks and services as a lifeline for human activities and as a prerequisite for economic development in the Arctic.

One of the Finnish priority areas that Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, emphasizes as a success, is meteorological cooperation. “Already now we could say that we have achieved a breakthrough when the WMO and national meteorological institutes decided to actively contribute to meteorological cooperation in the Arctic.” In its Chairmanship program, Finland emphasized the need for enhancing both meteorological and oceanographic cooperation across the Arctic States. This would improve public safety, benefit international shipping and air traffic, and enhance Arctic climate science.

Environmental protection lies at the core of the Arctic Council – ever since its establishment. In the Council’s founding document, the Ottawa declaration, the eight Arctic States affirmed their commitment to protect the Arctic environment and healthy ecosystems, to maintain Arctic biodiversity, to conserve and enable a sustainable use of natural resources.

Senior Arctic Officials approve deliverables for the upcoming Ministerial meeting.

Fourth Senior Arctic Officials’ meeting during Finland’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council sums up achievements of the past two years.

At the meeting just concluded in Rovaniemi, Finland, the Arctic Council focused its discussions on Arctic biodiversity and received updates from all the Council’s subsidiary bodies on their ongoing work.

On 1-2 November 2018, the Arctic Council will gather in Rovaniemi, Finland for the third Senior Arctic Officials’ meeting held during the Chairmanship of Finland (2017-2019).

The Arctic Environment Ministers’ meeting held in Rovaniemi 11-12 October ended with discussions about cooperation in addressing climate change, protecting biodiversity and preventing pollution in the Arctic region. The two-day meeting brought together ministers and high-level representatives from the eight Arctic Council States and from six Permanent Participants representing the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. The Observer countries and organizations of the Arctic Council had also been invited.

The Finnish Chairmanship is organizing an Arctic Environment Ministers’ meeting (AEMM) in Rovaniemi, Finland, 11-12 October 2018. The meeting will gather the Ministers of the Environment of the eight Arctic States, six indigenous Permanent Participant organizations, Arctic Council’s six Working Groups, as well as Arctic Council Observers. The meeting will be chaired by Mr. Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing of Finland.

The Arctic Resilience Forum held in Rovaniemi, Finland, 10-11 September gathered around 100 Arctic experts, policymakers, and various key stakeholders. The purpose of the event was to strengthen cooperation on work related to resilience to the impacts of climate change and to present and discuss resilience best-practices from Arctic Council Working Groups’ and other stakeholder’s projects.

The Arctic Resilience Forum, an international conference organised by Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Rovaniemi on 10–11 September 2018, seeks to develop the resilience of the Arctic region to climate change.

In a panel held at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, several speakers highlighted the unique model of the Arctic Council in supporting science diplomacy, bringing governments, indigenous peoples, and the scientific community together in support of sustainable development in the region.

The Arctic Council is proud to host a Ministerial side event at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2018, taking place in New York.

At the meeting just concluded in Levi, Finland, the Arctic Council addressed the major themes of meteorological cooperation and improvement of telecommunications in the region.

On 22-23 March 2018, the Arctic Council will gather in Levi, Finland for the second Senior Arctic Officials’ meeting held during the Chairmanship of Finland (2017-2019).

A table-top exercise of the 2013 Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic will be run in Oulu, Finland, on 7 March 2018. The exercise will test cooperation and coordination processes in the event of a real-world marine oil incident.

At the end of January, we spoke with Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, about what the Arctic Council has coming up in 2018. It will be a year that is "both daunting and full of opportunity."

At the meeting just concluded in Oulu, Finland, the Arctic Council addressed overarching issues for the region like pollution prevention and education. 

On 25-26 October 2017, the Arctic Council will gather in Oulu, Finland for the first Senior Arctic Officials’ meeting held during the Chairmanship of Finland (2017-2019).

When the Arctic Council Chairmanship passed from the United States to Finland in May of 2017, Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen assumed the role of Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials (SAO Chair), charged with overseeing the Arctic Council's work during the Finnish Chairmanship. Read the interview below to learn more about his background and thoughts on the upcoming years of the Council's work.