10 YEARS OF ARTIC ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

Some thirty years ago, Akira Kurosawa's movie Dersu Uzala spread awareness about the living conditions of indigenous peoples in the Russian North and their close relationship with nature. Traditional indigenous knowledge has proved to be very valuable in monitoring and assessing the state of the fragile Arctic environment.

The combination of science and traditional knowledge within the Rovaniemi process has resulted in a series of reports that have alerted governments and other interested parties to the environmental challenges present in the Arctic. I want to commend all those numerous governmental and non-governmental experts and researchers whose work is indispensable in the Arctic network.

The Arctic is facing a mixture of hopes, possibilities, challenges and threats. There are environmental experts who have followed with some concern the extension of the Arctic Council agenda to cover all aspects of sustainable development. Could the environmental core substance of circumpolar cooperation possibly become diluted?

I see no conflict between sustainable development and protection of the environment. On the contrary, long-term successful environmental protection is a precondition for comprehensive sustainable development. This calls also for a horizontal approach.

The Barrow Chapeau on sustainable development provides the Arctic Council with a useful platform for the development of its Sustainable Development Program, which should be based on sound scientific findings. Arctic research is needed to strengthen the Arctic case in international cooperation.

Madam Chair,

Ten years ago in this city the idea of the Arctic was launched. The Arctic environmental agenda was established and is still very relevant. The fight against toxic substances, transported to the Arctic by sea currents, rivers and along atmospheric pathways, was listed as the first priority.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, signed only two weeks ago, is a historic achievement also for the Arctic. We shall do our utmost to secure its entry into force before the Johannesburg 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Arctic Council projects on PCB, dioxins and furans, heavy metals and obsolete pesticides are well under way. Finland is planning to reinforce its participation in the Arctic Council Action Plan Against Pollutants as a part of our implementation of the new POP convention. I firmly believe that all Arctic Governments share a joint responsibility in this regard.

The fight against toxic substances must continue, be they POPs, heavy metals or nuclides. The newly launched project on food safety and toxic substances led by RAIPON, (The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North) and AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) contributes to our deeper understanding of how toxic substances accumulated in the food chain affect people's health. This project complements corresponding studies already carried out in western parts of the Arctic.

The unique biodiversity of the Arctic must be safeguarded as part of a global endeavour. I congratulate the Arctic Council and its expert working group on the brand new biodiversity report, which will be unveiled later today.

Madam Chair,

Ten years ago in Rovaniemi, climate issues were more or less neglected. Only the NGOs raised their critical voices. Today, we are standing on firm scientific ground in dealing with challenges pertaining to climate variability and change. According to the most recent report of the International Panel on Climate Change it is likely that the biggest temperature changes will take place in the Arctic. In addition, the ozone depletion phenomenon is closely related to climate change and to increased solar UV radiation reaching the biosphere.

Some recent scientific findings have suggested that there is a risk of change in the circulation of the North Atlantic, which would have possible regional or even global consequences. A severe weakening of the Gulf Stream could lead to a colder climate in the European Arctic while other areas would have to adjust to the thawing of permafrost and the retreat of the ice cover.

Even if we cannot assess all the possible effects brought about by climate change, it is only sensible to call for action to decelerate this phenomenon and thus make it easier to adjust to new conditions, in the natural environment as well as in societal and economic activities. The continuation of the Kyoto process is an urgent matter for the Arctic.

The future economic base of the Arctic is often linked to climate change, which may facilitate the transport of natural resources in the Arctic. Transport along new Arctic sea routes may become economically viable. Rising hopes have been attached to the Northeast Passage (The Northern Sea Route) ever since the historic voyage of Baron Nordenskiöld, the Finnish-born Arctic explorer and geologist who first proved that the route was navigable back in the 1870s. Increased Arctic transport brings new challenges related to the prevention and control of emergencies.

Market demands will sooner or later expand the use of Arctic natural resources. In fact, there is already an upsurge in exploration for oil and gas in many Arctic sub-regions. This requires the development of sound Arctic technology, and construction based on scientific information.

An Arctic Code of Conduct for the exploitation of natural resources, based on the principle of precautions, is needed. Impacts on the environment should be assessed as well as on the living conditions of indigenous and other local populations and their traditional sources of livelihood. The oil and gas guidelines of the Arctic Council form a good starting point and deserve more attention.

Tourism is rapidly expanding, also into hitherto pristine wilderness areas or ice-covered seas. In some places tourism has acquired features of non-sustainability. The WWF has risen to this challenge and has already produced recommendations for sustainable tourism. This is another platform for the Arctic Council to build upon.

Modern information and communications technology may offer Arctic communities new opportunities for sustainable development and employment. But it requires a huge effort to bridge the digital divide, which has left vast Arctic regions outside the information society.

Education among young people and senior citizens alike is urgently needed. The University of the Arctic has accurately identified the needs, starting with the development of an Arctic curriculum and making it available to students in all parts of the Arctic using modern information technology, and thereby reducing isolation and improving creativity through mobility programs. Distance learning and working, as well as telemedicine, are crucial ingredients for a better quality of life in the Arctic.

Madam Chair,

It is a tall order for the Arctic states and the Arctic Council, to manage all these forces that stronglyinfluence the future of the Arctic, the quality of life of the people living there and its fragile nature. External forces cannot be tamed only from inside the region. The Arctic urgently needs a mouthpiece in the international arena and good supporters. The impressive list of Arctic Council observers confirms that the Arctic does have friends outside the region.

Among those friends I recognize the European Commission, an increasingly important partner in the Arctic. The EU's Northern Dimension, successfully carried forward by the current Swedish EU Presidency, has its roots in regional northern cooperation, which expanded across out-dated cold war barriers in the early nineties, starting with the launch of circumpolar Arctic environmental co-operation. The European Council in Gothenburg later this week will stake out the further implementation of the Northern Dimension Action Plan adopted in Feira one year ago. Denmark is planning to put the Arctic on the agenda of her EU-Presidency in 2002. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership among international financing institutions, the EU and the countries of the north is highly relevant for the Arctic.

Dr Klaus Töpfer's role today as a keynote speaker illustrates the close cooperative relationship between UNEP and the Arctic Council. We very much look forward to UNEP's next Global Environment Outlook, which is expected to include an Arctic chapter.

Dr Claude Martin will open an exhibition later today, produced by WWF, UNEP and the Arctic Centre in Rovaniemi. I hope it will stimulate the dialogue between governments, indigenous peoples, NGOs and researchers.

One purpose of the discussions today is to prepare for an initial Arctic message to the preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. I am, therefore, particularly pleased to see Mr Lowel Flanders from the United Nations among the participants at this anniversary gathering.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Arctic cooperation has developed remarkably during the past 10 years. We have managed -not only to create Arctic Council and other forms of intergovernmental cooperation- but we have also established a functioning network of Universities, NGO?s, regions, cities, researches, experts and indigenous peoples. Today's seminar is the best proof of the vitality of Arctic cooperation. I wish all success to your work for sustainable development in the Arctic.

Thank you