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Speaking points

Mr Eirik Sivertsen, Chair of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the

Arctic Region

Check against delivery

Seminar in Paris 6th February 2015

[Managing the Arctic]

Bonjour

Thank you for inviting me to this seminar on “Managing the Arctic”.

First of all, let me start with expressing my deepest compassion with you all for

the terrible happenings in Paris last month. My thoughts and deepest sympathy

goes to the relatives of those who were killed.

It is an honor for me to address you this morning and talk about Arctic

cooperation. The Arctic continues to be an increasingly important topic, and it

is very positive that it remains high on the agenda also here in France.

France is a nation with strong polar traditions, especially related to polar

research activities. Your priorities and analyses give interesting perspectives

also to the Arctic nations.

We have seen nations with limited polar traditions showing increasing interest

in the Arctic, such as Singapore and India. This development underlines the

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political importance of the Arctic region, and I will come back to the role of

observers in the Arctic cooperation.

At Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament, we have had the great pleasure of

receiving visits of political delegations from France. I myself had the pleasure of

meeting Senator Gattolin just before Christmas in 2013. My colleague in the

Foreign affairs committee, Mr. Kristian Norheim, met with Mr. Gaymard and

Mr. Mamère August last year, to discuss the High North policy of Norway.

As a parliamentarian attending many Arctic meetings over the past five years, I

have also noted an increased French participation in Arctic meetings. In

November last year, I had the pleasure of listening to the French country

session during the Arctic Circle plenary in Reykjavik.

In Reykjavik, Polar Ambassador and former Prime Minister Mr. Rocard outlined

the French interests in the Arctic in a very convincing manner.

I also recall the presentation at the Arctic Circle from the director of the French

Polar Institute, which was mainly about the French research station in Ny-

Ålesund at Svalbard, and the activities there, both the facilities and some of the

projects. A high level of activity was presented and as a Norwegian I am very

supportive of the French/German cooperation and activities in Svalbard on

Polar research. It is an important contribution to global research on climate

issues.

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I also know France, as a longtime observer to the Arctic Council, participates

and contributes to the work of the Arctic Council. The role of scientists in the

different working groups of the Arctic Council is the most significant

contribution an observer country can give to the work of the Arctic Council.

French scientists, through the “French Polar Initiative”, are making significant

contributions to our knowledge about the Arctic. I am really looking forward to

the presentation of the Arctic Roadmap for France later this spring.

The cooperation on science in the Polar Regions is a main basis for the Arctic

cooperation. There is a task-force under the Arctic Council looking at how we

can improve the cooperation on science in the Arctic. This is important work

and we will soon learn the conclusions of the task force.

Dear friends,

You have chosen highly interesting and relevant topics for your seminar today.

The topics reflect to some extent the agenda items at the latest Conference of

Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, which took place in Whitehorse, Canada,

in September last year.

In the Conference Statement adopted by all participants we address what we

find are the most important areas in the Arctic cooperation at the moment.

1. Sustainable infrastructure development,

2.Arctic governance and decision-making processes,

3. Innovative capacity building and economic development,

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4. Environmental challenges

[Arctic governance]

Arctic governance was actually a topic at both of the two previous

parliamentary conferences. In connection to the conference in Akureyri in

2012, the Standing Committee of Arctic parliamentarians adopted the report

“Arctic Governance in an evolving Arctic region”. This report and the joint

statement from the Akureyri conference is the basis for the views on Arctic

governance.

In brief, the report notes the fundamental importance of the International Law

of the Sea and especially the UN Convention on the law of the sea as the basis

for regulating activities related to the Arctic Ocean. Furthermore we

acknowledge the success of the Arctic Council, the role of the Permanent

Participants and how their participation is a key to the success of the Arctic

Council. We also underline that we in general wish observers welcome to the

Arctic cooperation, as they have valuable contributions to the work of

promoting a sustainable future for the Arctic.

In Whitehorse, the perspective on governance was more directed to the

importance of involving the people living in the Arctic in the decision-making

about the Arctic.

There is a need to balance the role of the nation states and the capitals with

the experiences and the views of the people who are actually living in the

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region. This perspective is also important when discussing development of the

natural resources in the Arctic. The local people need to be involved in the

processes and they need to see advantages from the development themselves.

The involvement of the people living in the North is to some extent already

happening through the participation of the indigenous peoples as Permanent

Participants in the Arctic Council.

But there are also other northerners living here, and their voices need to be

heard when making decisions about their future. This is also an important

national discussion as the capitals are located relatively far to the south in all

the Arctic countries.

[Arctic geopolitics]

Your second topic for today’s seminar is also highly relevant, but not directly a

topic on the agenda of the Arctic cooperation. As you will know military

cooperation and security issues is explicitly excluded from the Arctic Council

cooperation in the Ottawa declaration from 1996. That being said, much of

what is happening in the Arctic and the Arctic cooperation has geopolitical

aspects. I think a discussion about where we should discuss these matters is

needed. I will not go into further details here, but I look forward to listen to

speakers and the debate.

The third topic however, is a topic of considerable interest for the Arctic

cooperation. This is still a fairly new topic in the Arctic Council, but has received

additional momentum under the Canadian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council

with the establishment of the Arctic Economic Council last year.

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From the view of the Arctic parliamentarians we have chosen to focus on two

sides of economic development –strengthen Arctic innovation and capacity

building to make the people living in the North able to make use of the new

opportunities in the region.

As you will note, innovation and capacity building are closely linked. We believe

that we through cooperation with the universities and the business sector, and

by building on local knowledge on how to operate and survive in harsh climate

conditions, we will be able to find the solutions we need for a solve the

challenges we meet in the Arctic.

We should build on already existing networks, such as the University of the

Arctic and the Arctic Economic Council, and build on internationally recognized

standards for Corporate Social Responsibility.

It is of paramount importance that the people living in the Arctic must be fully

involved in the new opportunities arising in the Arctic. One of the main

questions we ask ourselves in the Arctic parliamentary cooperation is how we

best prepare the ground for sustainable economic development in the Arctic

that benefits the people in the region?

As a parliamentarian I am committed to focusing on the peoples living in the

Arctic, the peoples who are experiencing the changes first hand. We must build

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on the knowledge and experiences of the people in the Arctic to shape a

sustainable future for the people and the environment.

The Arctic is rich in both human and natural resources and the increased access

to, and knowledge of, these natural resources has attracted global attention

and interest. Mines are opening up and new commercial shipping routes are

opening up, while cruise ships are entering more remote areas in the Arctic.

These developments will change the Arctic in many ways.

The social benefits and costs are potentially huge in many of the development

projects, especially related to the utilization of natural resources. The impact

on small societies when new industry opens up, with the potential influx of

thousands of workers, many of them from other nations, is dramatic. The Arctic

countries with their Northern communities must prepare to meet the

challenges and opportunities

Developing natural resources involves additional risks to the local environment

and to the societies concerned. For the local people to accept this risk as

worthwhile, they need to be able to see direct benefits from the activity. Thus,

strong partnerships between Arctic communities, business and governments

are crucial. As non-renewable natural resource extraction will inevitably end,

the period of natural resource development must be utilized to help build

societies that last beyond the life of the resource.

In many small societies around the Arctic the development of the natural

resources will create new opportunities for the people, including jobs that are

not currently available. However, responsible development depends on

cooperation and understanding with the people living in the Arctic. The

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development must take place in cooperation between the governments, the

companies and the peoples.

However, I believe it is time to address Arctic innovation beyond the

development of natural resources. What will the people living in the Arctic live

off in addition to its rich resources? How do we stimulate innovation in the

Arctic which addresses the needs of future Arctic societies?

Many of the challenges and opportunities facing the peoples of the Arctic are

similar. In the Conference Statement from Whitehorse we call for broader

cooperation between the Arctic states to enable local residents to make use of

new opportunities in the Arctic. Innovation in the Arctic must be an area of

Arctic cooperation with a system that links the science community, the

business sector and political society with the local populations.

Dear friends,

Later this year the most important Arctic meeting will take place here in Paris.

A successful outcome of the COP 21 is very decisive for the future of the Arctic,

for the environment, and for the people living there.

In our statement from Whitehorse we ask the Arctic governments to “Raise a

strong Arctic message to communicate the consequences of climate change in

the Arctic” at the COP 21 negotiations in Paris in December 2015.

We see and feel the consequences of climate change in the Arctic. The

changing weather with stronger winds, bigger waves and higher temperatures

is changing the world we live in. The ice is melting; the tundra is thawing and

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the coastal erosion increasing. This is affecting our societies and our ways of

life.

There are between four and ten million people living in the Arctic, depending

on how you count. It is not we alone that have created the climate changes.

We will take our part of the responsibility, but we do not solve the globes

climate crisis by making the Arctic into a sanctuary.

We will have to continue to address climate change, mitigation, as well as

adaptation, also in 2016. A deal in Paris this fall would be very important in

recognizing the shared responsibility we have for the future of our planet –

“Our Common Future”.

I look forward to participating here today and listen to the next presentations.

Thank you for your attention.