Arctic Council Declaration May 28 2008
A conference of the Arctic Council was held at Iluissat in Greenland on May 28 2008.
At the conference the country representatives including the Russian Minister for
Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jonas
Støre, the Canadian Minister for Nature Resources Gary Lunn and the American Deputy
Secretary of State John Negroponte all agreed on the following:
The Ilulissat Declaration:
The Arctic Ocean stands at the threshold of significant changes. Climate change
and the melting of ice have a potential impact on vulnerable ecosystems, the livelihoods
of local inhabitants and indigenous communities, and the potential exploitation
of natural resources.
By virtue of their sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in large areas
of the Arctic Ocean the five coastal states are in a unique position to address
these possibilities and challenges.
In this regard, we recall that an extensive international legal framework applies
to the Arctic Ocean as discussed between our representatives at the meeting in Oslo
on 15 and 16 October 2007 at the level of senior officials. Notably, the law of
the sea provides for important rights and obligations concerning the delineation
of the outer limits of the continental shelf, the protection of the marine environment,
including ice-covered areas, freedom of navigation, marine scientific research,
and other uses of the sea. We remain committed to this legal framework and to the
orderly settlement of any possible overlapping claims.
This framework provides a solid foundation for responsible management by the five
coastal States and other users of this Ocean through national implementation and
application of relevant provisions. We therefore see no need to develop a new comprehensive
international legal regime to govern the Arctic Ocean. We will keep abreast of the
developments in the Arctic Ocean and continue to implement appropriate measures.The
Arctic Ocean is a unique ecosystem, which the five coastal states have a stewardship
role in protecting. Experience has shown how shipping disasters and subsequent pollution
of the marine environment may cause irreversible disturbance of the ecological balance
and major harm to the livelihoods of local inhabitants and indigenous communities.
We will take steps in accordance with international law both nationally and in cooperation
among the five states and other interested parties to ensure the protection and
preservation of the fragile marine environment of the Arctic Ocean. In this regard
we intend to work together including through the International Maritime Organization
to strengthen existing measures and develop new measures to improve the safety of
maritime navigation and prevent or reduce the risk of ship-based pollution in the
Arctic Ocean. The increased use of Arctic waters for tourism, shipping, research
and resource development also increases the risk of accidents and therefore the
need to further strengthen search and rescue capabilities and capacity around the
Arctic Ocean to ensure an appropriate response from states to any accident. Cooperation,
including on the sharing of information, is a prerequisite for addressing these
challenges. We will work to promote safety of life at sea in the Arctic Ocean, including
through bilateral and multilateral arrangements between or among relevant states.
The five coastal states currently cooperate closely in the Arctic Ocean with each
other and with other interested parties. This cooperation includes the collection
of scientific data concerning the continental shelf, the protection of the marine
environment and other scientific research. We will work to strengthen this cooperation,
which is based on mutual trust and transparency, inter alia, through timely exchange
of data and analyses. The Arctic Council and other international fora, including
the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, have already taken important steps on specific
issues, for example with regard to safety of navigation, search and rescue, environmental
monitoring and disaster response and scientific cooperation, which are relevant
also to the Arctic Ocean. The five coastal states of the Arctic Ocean will continue
to contribute actively to the work of the Arctic Council and other relevant international
fora.
Ilulissat, 28 May 2008.
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