Download International governance mechanisms and actors

International Governance
Mechanisms and Actors
Functioning in the Arctic and their Climate Policy
Päivi Kähkönen and Jaana Ojuva
CIGSAC, Pyhätunturi 31.8.-3.9.2006
Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is a regional forum for sustainable
development, mandated to address all three of its
main pillars: the environmental, social and economic.
From the beginning, Arctic governments and
indigenous peoples joined together to make
environmental monitoring and assessment a key
element of the Arctic Council's agenda.
Groundbreaking reports have been prepared and have
attracted global attention to the state of the Arctic
environment.

Working groups:
- Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP)
- Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
- Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment
(PAME)
- Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response
(EPPR)
- The Sustainable Development Working Group
(SDWG)

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
(AMAP), the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna
(CAFF) and the International Arctic Science
Committee (IASC) participated in the ACIA Steering
Committee. AMAP and CAFF were the conveners of
a drafting group of representatives from Arctic
Council Member States and Permanent Participants,
that produced early drafts of recommendations to
relate the findings from ACIA to the policy needs of
the Arctic Council. SAOs then assumed responsibility
for the drafting of these policy recommendations.
Climate Policy

The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA): The
Arctic States note with concern the ongoing warming
of most of the Arctic and recognize that the impacts
of global climate change can have major
consequences in the Arctic. The Arctic Council's
project on the assessment of the consequences of
climate variability and change, the Arctic Climate
Impact Assessment (ACIA), examines present status
and possible future impacts of climate change and
variability and UV radiation on the environment and
its living resources; on human health, and social and
economic activities, as well as possible adaptations
and responses.
The Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the
Arctic Region (SCPAR)


The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic
Region is a parliamentary body comprising
delegations appointed by the national parliaments of
the Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, Russia, Sweden, U.S.A.) and the European
Parliament. The conference also includes Permanent
Participants representing Indigenous peoples, as well
as observers.
The Conference and Standing Committee take
initiatives to further Arctic cooperation, and act, in
particular, as a parliamentary forum for issues
relevant to the work of the Arctic Council.



Arctic Parliamentarians have an observer status in AC
Parliamentarians follow: 1.the meetings of AC senior
Arctic officials 2. the meetings of sustainable
development working group.
”So, these are the two ways which the
parliamentarians are working. Trying to follow up
and of course in traditional way to push the
governments to do more or to be more precise etc.”
(Interview with K. Myhre-Jensen, SCPAR)
Climate Policy of SCPAR

The committee does not have any climate policy.
They only follow up the ACIA report.
Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers


The purpose of Nordic co-operation is to achieve
more together than the individual countries are
capable of on their own. They call it "Nordic
synergy”.
Nordic parliamentary co-operation aims to promote
political, economic, environmental, social and other
developments in the Nordic countries and in northern
Europe. The overall objective of the current
programme is for the work of the Council's Presidium
and committees to focus on fewer situations and
activities, but in greater depth than previously.
Climate Policy


Climate group was established in 1996, concentrating
on current energy and climate questions.
“So I wouldn’t say that we have an overall climate
strategy in the Nordic Council of ministers, we have
many. We have the ACIA document, which we support
the work with, we have the environmental ministers,
they mention the ACIA work but then they also
mention a few other strategies, and other things they
want get involved with…So we don’t have a single
one, we have many, that sort of support each other.”
(Interview with N. Bock, Nordic Council of
Ministers)
Barents Euro-Arctic Region


The primary goal of BEAC is to promote sustainable
economic and social development in the Barents
Region and thus contribute to peaceful development
in the northernmost part of Europe.
Cooperation in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region was
launched in 1993 on two levels: intergovernmental
(Barents Euro-Arctic Council, BEAC), and
interregional (Barents Regional Council, BRC).
Climate Policy

Barents region established Arctic climate change
policy measures relevant for the Barents region,
based on the ACIA report. (Policy paper, which was
approved in November last year, in the meeting of
foreign ministers in Harstadt.) Working group of
environment was very actively involved preparing it.
“We are in the situation that we promote its
enforcement.” (Interview with H. Haapala, BEAR)
EU: Northern Dimension

The Northern Dimension in the external and crossborder policies of the European Union reflects the
EU’s relations with Russia (and particularly Northwest Russia) in the Baltic Sea region and Arctic Sea
region. The Northern Dimension addresses the
specific challenges and opportunities arising in those
regions and aims to strengthen dialogue and
cooperation between the EU and its member states,
the northern countries associated with the EU under
the EEA (Norway and Iceland) and the Russian
Federation.
Priority themes for dialogue and cooperation under
the Northern Dimension have been identified,
including
- economy, business and infrastructure
- human resources, education, culture, scientific
research and health
- the environment, nuclear safety, and natural
resources
- cross-border cooperation and regional development
- justice and home affairs
Climate Policy


Northern Dimension does not have its own climate
policy.
EU: A strategy to combat climate change represents a
four-fold challenge: the climate risk itself and the
political will to face up to it, international
participation in efforts to tackle climate change, the
innovation needed for changes in the production and
use of energy, and adaptation of countries to the
unavoidable effects of climate change.
Northern Forum


The Northern Forum is a non-profit, international
organization composed of sub-national or regional
governments from nine northern countries (Canada,
China, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Mongolia,
Russia, USA).
Their mission is to improve the quality of life of
Northern peoples by providing Northern regional
leaders a means to share their knowledge and
experience in addressing common challenges
UNEP/GRID-Arendal, Polar Programme


The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has
designated UNEP/GRID-Arendal as "the UNEP key
centre on Polar environmental assessments and early
warning issues, with particular focus on the Arctic"”
The Polar Programme of UNEP/GRID-Arendal is
responsible for carrying out our role as UNEP's key
Polar Centre. In collaboration with numerous
partners and regional stakeholders, they undertake
numerous projects and initiatives that aim to:
- Stakeholder processes
- Assessments
- Communication
- Expertise
WWF Arctic

WWF’s International Arctic Programme was created
in 1992 as a co-ordination office to serve as a focal
point for arctic conservation issues and to promote
WWF’s activities in the Arctic, whether they be in the
US, Canada, Russia or Scandinavia. As well as
lobbying arctic governments to accelerate
conservation strategies and sustainable development
in the Arctic, the Programme is also responsible for
running a number of its own projects on.
Climate Policy



WWF has its own climate policy.
National climate experts work on a variety of
domestic issues, including climate and energy policy,
energy projects, business cooperations, sciencedriven work on climate change impacts, and
resistance and resilience building for communities
that are already affected.
The national climate campaigners are often also
supporting international policy issues. WWF trains all
staff in international policy and even newcomers
become part of the WWF delegations to international
climate conferences.

There is a project concentrating on communication on
impact of climate change in the Arctic, as an
argument for an urgent action on climate change.
“Also we are also in the process of developing
adaptational, what we call resilience building
projects, where we look at how we adapt nature
management or management of natural resources to
the changing environment because of climate”.
(Interview with T. Folkestad, WWF Arctic)
Saami Council
 The Saami Council is a voluntary Saami organization
(a non–governmental organization), with Saami
member organizations in Finland, Russia, Norway
and Sweden. Saami Council is one of the indigenous
peoples’ organizations which have existed longest.
 The primary aim of the Saami Council is the
promotion of Saami rights and interests in the four
countries, to consolidate the feeling of affinity among
the Saami people, to attain recognition for the Saami
as a nation and to maintain the economic, social and
cultural rights of the Saami in the legislation of the
four states. This objective can be achieved through
agreements between these states and the bodies
representing the Saami people, the Saami
parliaments.
Climate Policy


Arctic and Environment Unit of Saami Council
“We haven’t really done anything ourselves and that’s
also kind of what we are seeking on how to do it. But
we have kind of been active in getting other people to
do it. ---we have participated in the ACIA for
example. ” (Interview with G-B, Retter, Saami
Council)
Inuit Circumpolar Conference

Main focus of ICC is to improve Inuit’s position in
every way (protect, strengthen and develop the Inuit
rights). They aim to strengthen the unity among all
the Inuit of the circumpolar region. Environment is a
relatively big part of it since they live with the nature.
Climate Policy

“We have, ICC has it’s own book called ‘Principles
and elements for a comprehensive Arctic policies’.
And we have developed it in 1992 and we are in a
process of reviewing it now. Most of what our policies
cover like are the policy goals of Inuit rights, peace
and insecurity issues, environmental issues, social
issues, cultural issues, economic issues, integration
and scientific issues and intimidation.” (Interview
with C.C. Olsen, ICC)
Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the
North

The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the
North (RAIPON) was formed by the first Congress of
Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and Far
East. RAIPON is a non-government organization
formed on territorial and territorial-ethnic principles
and comprising thirty regional ethnic associations of
indigenous peoples of the North.

Its main purpose is to protect the interests and lawful
rights of the peoples it represents, including their
right to land, natural resources, and self-government
in accordance with international standards and
Russian legislation, and their right to resolve their
own social and economic problems. RAIPON also
provides assistance in cultural development and
education, promotes international exchange and cooperation, and organizes humanitarian aid.
Summary





11 organisations
4 climate policies
ACIA
Project-oriented work
Produce and disseminate information