Arctic Ocean Conference
Encyclopedia
The inaugural Arctic Ocean Conference was held in Ilulissat
, Greenland
May 27 — May 29, 2008. Five countries, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States, discussed key issues relating to the Arctic Ocean
. The meeting was significant because of its plans for environmental regulation, maritime security, mineral exploration, polar oil oversight, and transportation. Before the conclusion of the conference, the attendees announced the Ilulissat Declaration
.
The conference was the first ever held at the ministerial level that included the five regional powers. It came at the invitation of Per Stig Møller
, Denmark's Foreign Minister, and Hans Enoksen
, Greenlandic Premier in 2007 after several territorial disputes in the Arctic
. States Møller, "We must continue to fulfill our obligations in the Arctic
area until the UN
decides who will have the right to the sea and the resources in the region. We must agree on the rules and what to do if climate change
s make more shipping possible." "We need to send a common political signal to both our own populations and the rest of the world that the five coastal states will address the opportunities and challenges in a responsible manner."
Ilulissat's melting glacier was an appropriate backdrop for the landmark conference.
The key ministry level attendees were:
, while excluding others (indigenous peoples, Finland
, Iceland
, and Sweden
) from the conference caused controversy.
Defending Denmark's decision to exclude certain council members, Thomas Winkler, head of the Denmark's International Law Department stated, "This meeting in Ilulissat is not a competition to the Arctic Council. The issues that we're going to discuss will be issues that is [sic] the responsibility of the five coastal states of the Arctic Ocean."
The reaction by Aqqaluk Lynge
, a Greenlandic politician and former president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, was concern that indigenous peoples of the Arctic are being "marginalised
". "Inuit
have their own definition of sovereignty
."
Ilulissat
Ilulissat is a town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland, located approximately north of the Arctic Circle. With the population of 4,546 as of 2010, it is the third-largest settlement in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut....
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
May 27 — May 29, 2008. Five countries, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States, discussed key issues relating to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. The meeting was significant because of its plans for environmental regulation, maritime security, mineral exploration, polar oil oversight, and transportation. Before the conclusion of the conference, the attendees announced the Ilulissat Declaration
Ilulissat Declaration
The Ilulissat Declaration was announced on May 28, 2008 by five Arctic circumpolar nations meeting at the political level during the Arctic Ocean Conference in Ilulissat, Greenland to discuss the Arctic ocean, climate change, the protection of the marine environment, maritime safety, and division...
.
The conference was the first ever held at the ministerial level that included the five regional powers. It came at the invitation of Per Stig Møller
Per Stig Møller
Per Stig Møller was Culture Minister of Denmark. He has been a member of Folketinget for the Conservative People's Party since 1984, and was Minister for the Environment from December 18, 1990 to January 24, 1993 as part of the Cabinet of Poul Schlüter IV and Foreign Minister from November 27,...
, Denmark's Foreign Minister, and Hans Enoksen
Hans Enoksen
Hans Enoksen is a Greenlandic politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Greenland from 2002 to 2009.A Greenlandic monoglot, he has been a member of the Parliament of Greenland since 1995...
, Greenlandic Premier in 2007 after several territorial disputes in the Arctic
Territorial claims in the Arctic
Under international law, no country currently owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. The five surrounding Arctic states, Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark , are limited to an exclusive economic zone of adjacent to their coasts.Upon ratification...
. States Møller, "We must continue to fulfill our obligations in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
area until the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
decides who will have the right to the sea and the resources in the region. We must agree on the rules and what to do if climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
s make more shipping possible." "We need to send a common political signal to both our own populations and the rest of the world that the five coastal states will address the opportunities and challenges in a responsible manner."
Ilulissat's melting glacier was an appropriate backdrop for the landmark conference.
The key ministry level attendees were:
- Canada: Gary LunnGary LunnGary Vincent Lunn, PC, MP is the former Canadian Member of Parliament for the British Columbia riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands. He served in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2011, first as a member of the Reform Party of Canada and subsequently as a member of the Canadian Alliance and the...
, Canadian Minister for Nature Resources - Denmark: Per Stig Møller; Hans Enoksen
- Norway: Jonas Gahr StøreJonas Gahr StøreJonas Gahr Støre is the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, having been appointed to Jens Stoltenberg's second cabinet on 17 October 2005. He represents the Norwegian Labour Party.-Personal life:...
, Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs - Russia: Sergey LavrovSergey LavrovSergey Viktorovich Lavrov is the Foreign Minister of Russia. Prior to that, Lavrov was a Soviet diplomat and Russia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala....
, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs - United States: John D. Negroponte, Deputy Secretary of State
Controversy
The inclusion of some members of the Arctic CouncilArctic Council
The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.- History of the Arctic Council :...
, while excluding others (indigenous peoples, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) from the conference caused controversy.
Defending Denmark's decision to exclude certain council members, Thomas Winkler, head of the Denmark's International Law Department stated, "This meeting in Ilulissat is not a competition to the Arctic Council. The issues that we're going to discuss will be issues that is [sic] the responsibility of the five coastal states of the Arctic Ocean."
The reaction by Aqqaluk Lynge
Aqqaluk Lynge
Aqqaluk Lynge was the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council from 1995 to 2002. He is a former member of the Parliament of Greenland and one of the founders of the Greenlandic political party Inuit Ataqatigiit...
, a Greenlandic politician and former president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, was concern that indigenous peoples of the Arctic are being "marginalised
Marginalization
In sociology, marginalisation , or marginalization , is the social process of becoming or being made marginal or relegated to the fringe of society e.g.; "the marginalization of the underclass", "marginalisation of intellect", etc.-Individual:Marginalization at the individual level results in an...
". "Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
have their own definition of sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
."