White paper on opportunities and challenges in the northern areas. Norwegian chairmanship of the Arctic Council

The white paper Opportunities and Challenges in the North (Report No. 30 (2004-2005) to the Storting) was presented to the Council of State today. In the white paper, the Government gives an account of the new opportunities and challenges Norway is facing in the northern areas and how it intends to address them with a view to securing political stability and sustainable development in the region.

The Arctic Council is the most important multilateral co-operation forum for the Arctic part of the northern areas. The main focus of the co-operation is on environmental protection, climate issues and sustainable development in the Arctic region. Norway will assume chairmanship of the council in the autumn of 2006. The Norwegian chairmanship will thus coincide with the International Polar Year.

“The Arctic Council should be developed into an effective organ for both political and project-based co-operation,” said Foreign Minister Jan Petersen. “In Norway’s view, the council should take the initiative for exploring issues of interest to the Arctic as a whole. The Arctic Council should also be in a position to set the agenda for national and international measures. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment shows the kind of results the council can achieve by co-operating closely with scientists from a broad range of fields,” said Mr Petersen.

During the Norwegian chairmanship the Government will support various Norwegian-led projects on the environment and sustainable development. The Government is of the opinion that the Arctic Council should have a permanent secretariat, which would follow up issues between the ministerial meetings. The Government will consult with other Arctic Council member states and advocate that a secretariat should be located in Tromsø.

The Government attaches great importance to the role of the Arctic Council as a forum for strengthening the position of the indigenous peoples. The Arctic co-operation benefits greatly from the fact that the indigenous peoples participate fully in the co-operation. The Government will therefore give priority to issues connected with the indigenous peoples’ living conditions and traditional industries in the council’s further work.

The Government will also seek to strengthen international research co-operation within the Arctic Council framework, and propose the establishment of an international research fund for the northern areas under the auspices of the council. The Government will encourage the member states of the Arctic Council to contribute to the fund, and will submit a proposal to the Storting regarding Norway’s contribution at a later date. The Government will advocate that the fund should be located in Tromsø in order to strengthen the city’s position as a centre for polar research.