Home | Databases | WorldLII | Search | Feedback Australian Indigenous Law Reporter

Editors --- "Inari Declaration on the occasion of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council - Digest" [2003] AUIndigLawRpr 31; (2003) 8(2) Australian Indigenous Law Reporter 95

Indigenous Statements

Inari Declaration on the occasion of the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Arctic Council

Inari Finland

10 October 2002

Ministers representing the eight Arctic States, convening in Inari, Finland, for the third ministerial of the Arctic Council;

Reaffirming the commitment of the Governments of the Arctic States and indigenous peoples^[*] to work together to promote sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic region with increased focus on climate change, sustainable use of resources and human development in the Arctic;

Acknowledging the character of the Arctic Council as a unique partnership among Governments and organizations representing indigenous peoples and communities in the Arctic;

Referring to the special features of the Arctic environment as an indicator of global environmental impacts, such as climate change and long-range trans-boundary pollution, and the importance this information may have on the work in international fora;

Noting with appreciation the strengthened role of the Arctic Council as an international voice for the circumpolar region, reflecting the ongoing dialogue involving national Governments, indigenous peoples, regional authorities, scientific experts, and civil society;

Noting with satisfaction the work of the Arctic Council Working Groups, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (‘AMAP’), Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (‘CAFF’), Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (‘EPPR’), Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (‘PAME’), Sustainable Development Working Group (‘SDWG’) as well as the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (‘ACIA’) and the Action Plan against Pollution in the Arctic (‘ACAP’);

Welcoming increased participation of the indigenous peoples in the work of the Arctic Council and its subsidiary bodies;

Hereby:

Human Conditions in the Arctic

1. Declare our commitment to improve the human condition in the Arctic, and to this end
commit to reinforce circumpolar cooperation to promote sustainable development in the Arctic as a basis for enhanced prosperity and welfare;
approve as a priority project under Iceland's lead, the Arctic Human Development Report (‘AHDR’) to be developed into a comprehensive knowledge base for the Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Programme and request that traditional knowledge be fully used in this report;
acknowledge the significant contribution to this report by other AC projects, such as the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic (‘SLICA’);

commit to develop an action plan on sustainable development to realize the Framework Document adopted by the ministers in Barrow, the priorities in the Inari Declaration, latest scientific knowledge and the decisions by the Johannesburg WSSD 2002, with the aim to adopt this action plan at the next Arctic Council Ministerial meeting;
encourage the development by the Arctic States of concrete projects of mutual interest in the field of economic cooperation;
note the Council's successful efforts to expand ecological and cultural tourism through circumpolar cooperation for the benefit of local communities.

2. Take note of the recommendations of the participants in the Taking Wing – Conference on Gender Equality and Women in the Arctic;
recognize the crucial role of women in developing viable Arctic communities;
emphasize the urgent need to take action against all forms of violence against women in the Arctic and encourage efforts to break the silence surrounding this problem; and
encourage the integration of gender equality and women and youth perspectives in all efforts to enhance human living conditions in the Arctic.

3. Encourage continued cooperation on health issues, including assessing the relationships between pollution and health, sharing information on the incidence of infectious diseases, evaluating telemedicine as a method of overcoming long distances, and new initiatives to address the effects of domestic violence on women's health, the exchange of information on promoting healthier lifestyles, and the role of education and training in improving the health and well being of children and youth.

4. Emphasize the significance of infrastructure, including aviation, marine and surface transport and modern telecommunications, in the efforts to enhance sustainable development in the Arctic, bearing in mind the significant impact climate change may have on infrastructure in the Arctic; and
agree to explore ways and means to expand Arctic aviation links and to strengthen marine transportation and telecommunication services in the Arctic region.

Further Actions Against Pollutants

5. Welcome with appreciation AMAP’s ‘Arctic Pollution 2002’ Report, and take the recommendations into consideration in our policies and programmes to reduce pollution affecting the Arctic, and agree to take appropriate steps to ensure that Arctic concerns are adequately addressed in regional and global developments;

note with appreciation the actions taken since the publication of the previous AMAP report including the adoption of the Aarhus Protocols on Persistent Organic Pollutants (‘POPs’) and on Heavy Metals and the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which singles out the Arctic, and further note that all Arctic states and observer countries have signed this convention and emphasize the urgency of their early entry into force, recalling that their progressive character allows for the inclusion of new substances on the basis of scientific findings;

acknowledge with satisfaction the significance of the Arctic Council's monitoring work and its importance in assessing the effectiveness of international agreements on pollution control;

welcome UNEP’s global assessment of mercury and international efforts to outline and consider policy options, express concern about increasing mercury levels in some parts of the Arctic documented in the AMAP Assessment Report, and agree to intensify our efforts to achieve global cooperation to address the manmade sources of mercury pollution, and in this respect welcome the initiation of the Arctic Council project on mercury;

reconfirm our readiness and will to continue, further develop and implement the Action Plan to Eliminate Pollution of the Arctic, and note with appreciation the initiation and successful implementation of several priority projects as concrete actions towards reducing pollution in the Arctic, including projects on cleaner production and control/elimination of PCBs, obsolete pesticides, and dioxins/furans, all of which are priority pollutants under the Stockholm Convention;

encourage further implementation, development and updating of the Regional Programme of Action for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Landbased Activities and development and implementation by Arctic countries of corresponding National Plans of Action as appropriate,
welcome the adoption by Russia of the National Plan of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Anthropogenic Pollution in the Arctic Region of the Russian Federation (‘NPA-Arctic’), which constitutes an important component of the implementation of the Regional Programme of Action;
reconfirm our collective efforts to facilitate member states' adherence of international and regional pollution regulations, and to this end
welcome multilateral and bilateral financial support of Russian NPA-Arctic and the projects derived from it as well as projects aimed to eliminate pollution in the Russian Federation;

recognize that existing and emerging activities in the Arctic warrant a more coordinated and integrated strategic approach to address the challenges of the Arctic coastal and marine environment and agree to develop a strategic plan for protection of the Arctic marine environment under leadership by PAME.

6. Take note with great concern of the new information provided by AMAP on the problems with releases of radionuclides in the Arctic environment originating from reprocessing plants, and urge European non-Arctic States to continue with their plans for substantially reducing releases of radioactivity from reprocessing facilities;

intend to continue civilian cooperation with Russia to enhance the safety of nuclear power installations and nuclear waste sites.

Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

7. Welcome with appreciation the CAFF report Arctic Flora and Fauna, Status and Conservation; and

acknowledge the recommendations arising from this report as a strategy for future biodiversity conservation work of the Arctic Council;

emphasize the significance of circumpolar cooperation aimed at promoting the conservation of biodiversity and unfragmented habitats and promoting the sustainable use of natural resources;

recognize that effective conservation of many circumpolar species and other natural resources requires close cooperation with non-arctic states;

recognize that enhanced monitoring of biodiversity at the circumpolar level, fully utilizing traditional knowledge, is required to detect the impacts of global changes on biodiversity and to enable Arctic communities to effectively respond and adapt to these changes;

take note of recommendations generated by projects on timberline forests, sustainable reindeer husbandry and sacred sites and encourage further dialogue among stakeholders on this basis;

recognize the potential for the development of oil, gas, metals and minerals in many Arctic regions to impact on the local standard of living and emphasize the importance of responsible management of these resources, including emergency prevention, to promote environmental protection and the sustainable development of the Arctic indigenous and local communities;

consider the ecological and other impacts of natural resource development, and undertake, as appropriate, strategic assessments;

acknowledge the need to pay particular attention to the impact of development and the use of natural resources on the traditional sources of livelihood of indigenous peoples and their communities.

Climate Change

8. Note with concern the ongoing significant warming of most of the Arctic, and recognize that the impacts of global climate change with increased possibilities of extreme weather events will have large consequences in the Arctic, and that the Arctic can act as an early warning of global climate changes, and to this end

welcome with appreciation the good progress of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (‘ACIA’) and the significant progress in evaluating and synthesizing knowledge on climate variability and change and increased ultraviolet radiation, and underline its importance as a future input to the global process on climate;
note the methodology of incorporating indigenous knowledge and perspectives into the Assessment;
welcome the international recognition of this ground-breaking project at the World Summit on Sustainable Development;

emphasize the importance of continued dialogue on the consequences of climate change and on policy measures among national governments, indigenous and other local communities, regional administrations, the business community and scientific experts with the aim for a transparent and open process, and of enhancing early capacity building to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change;
agree to present the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, including the social, ecological and economic consequences in the Arctic, to the World Conference on Climate in 2003 in Russia and to other appropriate international events;
recognize the increasing importance of prevention of and response to emergencies originating in climate variability and change;
intend to reinforce the dialogue between the Arctic states on climate policy that help deal with vulnerability and adaptability in the Arctic and contribute to a common understanding on how to deal with global climate change.

Arctic Council as a Partner in International Cooperation

9. Declare that the Arctic States, in view of the intensified need for global and regional action, will continue to collaborate closely in international fora on environmental protection and sustainable development issues of importance to the Arctic, and when appropriate, request the Arctic Council to deliver jointly agreed Arctic messages; and
acknowledge the role of the Permanent Participants in developing Arctic Council policies of regional and global significance.

10. Favor closer cooperation between the Arctic Council and the European Commission; and
take note of the European Union's intentions to prepare a Northern Dimension Action Plan for the years 2004–2006, with appropriate attention to the northernmost parts of the Northern Dimension region, thus further defining the Arctic Window concept;
welcome the increased contributions to Arctic cooperation by non-arctic observer countries as well as scientific institutions, international organizations and NGOs;
note with appreciation the financing and expertise provided by the Global Environment Facility (‘GEF’), UNEP-Chemicals, the Nordic Environment Financing Corporation (‘NEFCO’) and look forward to working with International Financing Institutions, such as the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (‘EBRD’) and the Nordic Investment Bank (‘NIB’).

11. Note with satisfaction the inclusion of Arctic concerns in the Plan of Implementation adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, especially those dealing with the eradication of poverty among indigenous communities, the impact of climate change, the actions to reduce POPs and other pollutants, oceanic issues, as well as sustainable use of natural resources;
welcome the reaffirmation by the WSSD of the vital role of the indigenous peoples in sustainable development; and
reassert the role of the Arctic Council as a regional partnership for environmental protection and sustainable development with the firm aim of contributing to the implementation of the Johannesburg outcomes.

Capacity Building

12. Recognize capacity building among people in the Arctic as an important part of circumpolar cooperation;
urge all subsidiary bodies of the Arctic Council to take capacity building into account in all their activities;
recognize the usefulness of information and communications technology in circumpolar capacity building efforts; and
welcome the good progress of the University of the Arctic (‘UArctic’) and encourage appropriate authorities in the Arctic states to increase their efforts to secure financing of the core activities of the UArctic;
welcome ECORA as an integrated ecosystem approach to the management of natural resources wherein individuals and communities improve their capacity to make responsible decisions about their natural environment.

Call for Efficiency, Prioritization and Interaction

13. Endorse the recommendations in the Senior Arctic Officials' report on the review of the working structures of the Arctic Council;

emphasize the importance of interaction with the regional administrations;

take note of the recommendations issued by the 5th Conference of the Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region and welcome their continuous cooperation and support;

welcome the enhanced cooperation with regional bodies, such as the Nordic Council of Ministers (‘NCM’), the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (‘BEAC’), the Council of Baltic Sea States (‘CBSS’), the Northern Forum and call for continued coordination to enhance synergies and avoid duplication of work;

approve the status as observers of the Arctic Council for the period of time until the 4th Ministerial Meeting:

a) observer countries:

France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the United Kingdom,

b)international organizations:

Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (‘IFRC’), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (‘IUCN’), Nordic Council of Ministers (‘NCM’), Northern Forum, North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (‘NAMMCO’), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (‘UN-ECE’) and United Nations Environment Program (‘UNEP’), United Nations Development Programme (‘UNDP’),

c) non-governmental organizations:

Advisory Committee on Protection of the Seas (‘ACOPS’), Association of World Reindeer Herders, Circumpolar Conservation Union (‘CCU’), International Arctic Science Committee (‘IASC’), International Arctic Social Sciences Association (‘IASSA’), International Union for Circumpolar Health (‘IUCH’), International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (‘IWGIA’), University of the Arctic and Worldwide Fund for Nature (‘WWF’).

14. Welcome with appreciation the report of the Senior Arctic Officials, note with appreciation the progress made by the Council's subsidiary bodies and adopt the SAO recommendations as included in the report, including the working mandates for the Working Groups and other subsidiary bodies;

welcome with appreciation the continuing offers of Norway to host AMAP and ACAP secretariats, of Iceland to host CAFF and PAME secretariats, of the USA to host ACIA secretariat, of Denmark to host IPS, and the new offer of Canada to host a secretariat for the SDWG and provide a temporary secretariat for EPPR, and encourage all partners to assist the hosts in financing the secretariats.

15. Recognize the need to reinforce efforts to finance circumpolar cooperation.

16. Acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the Arctic Environmental Cooperation, which was initiated in 1991 in Rovaniemi, Finland as the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS), and incorporated into the Arctic Council.

17. Congratulate Finland for her chairmanship of the Arctic Council during the period 2000–2002.

18. Welcome and accept with appreciation the offer of Iceland to chair the Arctic Council during the period 2002 - 2004 and host the 4th Ministerial Meeting in 2004.

Signed by the representatives of the Arctic Council on the 10th October in Inari, Finland.

For the Government of Canada, William Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs

For the Government of Finland, Erkki Tuomioja, Minister for Foreign Affairs

For the Government of Norway, Kim Traavik, State Secretary

For the Government of Sweden, Anna Lindh, Minister for Foreign Affairs

For the Government of Denmark, Ole Samsing, Senior Arctic Official

For the Government of Iceland, Halldór Ásgrímsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs

For the Government of the Russian Federation, Roald F. Piskoppel, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade

For the Government of the United States of America, Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs

^[*] The United States notes that the use of the term ‘peoples’ in this Declaration and related documents shall not be construed as having any implications as regard the rights which may attach to the term under international law.