Norway and the Arctic: the Importance of Knowledge for Sustainable Development Mona Elisabeth Brøther
ARCTIC COUNCIL Norway and the Arctic: The importance of knowledge for sustainable development Mona Elisabeth Brøther
ike Canada, Norway is a country with a strong L - name of our country indicates, the Norwegian coast - has been the gateway to the High North of Europe tion, there are university colleges in Finnmark and - Narvik, and a Saami University College in Kauto- eries outside Lofoten and in the Barents Sea were - the main basis for prosperity under otherwise hard tion and research at these institutions, the Norwe- gian government has steadily increased the number and increased activity are changing the image of the of students, and has earmarked research funding for maritime activity around the Arctic, putting Norway strategically on a new sea route between Asia and The dynamic developments in the Arctic are not A region rich in resources only opening up new opportunities, but are at the same time creating challenges for the environment Harvesting the riches of the sea is still of crucial im- and for the safety and security of the people living - access to current, high quality information that can - This is the reason why ‘knowledge’ is one of has provided new types of employment and has had the Norwegian government has systematically pro- moted the development of knowledge on the North level ever, and, thanks to the agreement with Rus- by funding research and strengthening infrastruc- sia on the delimitation line in the Barents Sea, new ture at universities, university colleges, and other any licenses are issued, an environmental assessment has to be completed and subjected to political scru- - ing strong environmental standards for the oil and Norway’s High North Strategy to establish a research center for petroleum activities The overall objective of the High North strategy is to provide a framework for increased value creation Increased maritime activity poses both challenges in the High North, and on maintaining modern and working group presented their recommendations on prosperous communities far from the mainstay of Eu- how Norway should work nationally and internation- ally to ensure effective, safe, and secure handling of threatened by emigration, an aging population, and - tional Maritime Organization (IMO) on Arctic ship- Norway has systematically built a network of ping standards is key, but Norway also needs to build universities and university colleges in Northern Nor- up its own infrastructure to regulate and monitor
52 Northern Public Affairs, September 2013 Onshore, there are also possibilities that need - It is important to ensure that economic develop- pleted a strategy to develop the mining and mineral ment in areas with Indigenous populations are un- dertaken in a balanced and environmentally sustain- ongoing initiatives to stimulate the tourism sector able way through consultations between all parties, - and that new employment opportunities can also be der cooperation and development of regional infra- Climate and environment Indigenous peoples The work to resolve global climate and environmen- Norway is home to the largest population of the tal challenges is an important aspect of Norway’s Saami speaking peoples of Scandinavia and the priority and Norway wants to be a leader in envi- of Saami culture and society is a priority in Nor- - - velopment in the North must be achieved in a way way-Saami relations include: the establishment of that brings into account the environment and the the Saami Parliament and establishment of Saami language educational institutions up to the univer- One of the Norwegian government’s most im- - portant initiatives to increase our knowledge about ly with the Saami Parliament on High North poli- the changing climate in the North is the Fram Cen- cies and supports Saami participation in the Arctic Council and the Euro-Barents cooperation, as well already an internationally renowned research centre as in the international cooperation between reindeer -
focus areas (Arctic Ocean, Terrestrial, Hazardous SIU also administers a programme on behalf of At the heart of the Centre is the Norwegian Polar the Ministry of Foreign Affairs known as the Fellow- Institute, with its research centre for Ice, Climate - program offers scholarships to students from the US, Canada, and Russia who are enrolled in an institu- The Ministry of Environment recently announced tion in Northern Norway as part of their higher ed- the opening of a new research centre on the Arctic contribute to increased academic collaboration and Norway’s Northernmost territory, Svalbard, has become an important arena for international co- operation on research and education on the High - - Norway, a predictable and active partner in the Arctic capacity to host students has increased at the Uni- Norway is a resourceful Arctic nation that aims to maintain its sovereignty in the North in a reliable Svalbard has become an important internation- - vention on the Law of the Sea, is the basis for our stations in Ny-Ålesund, including emerging powers policies, and Norway will continue working for its implementation and for the development and im- plementation of new international standards for the has also initiated the establishment of SIOS - Sval- bard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System, places high priority on cooperation with the other - Arctic nations in the Arctic Council and the Eu- tries are cooperating to establish a system that will combine data from all other observation systems for both at land and at sea, and have common interests in developing the region in a sustainable manner for Canada and Norway share the same objective: to develop the Northern parts of our countries in Canada who live there, and to protect the rights and culture 1 shows Canada, I hope to further develop and strengthen much in common, with mutually strong specializa- Norway’s cooperation with Canada on all issues re- of the Arctic Council, Norway will stand ready to provide its support and contribute in the construc- - tive exchange of ideas and best practices for man- see that there is extensive ongoing collaboration be- Her Excellency Mona Elisabeth Brøther is the Norwegian - Ambassador to Canada. ured by co-publication, collaboration has more than Footnote The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Re- 1 Michelle Picard-Aitken, Grégoire Coté, and Éric Archambault, aims to further stimulate cooperation between Nor- Bibliometric Indicators, Report prepared by Scien- ce-Metrix Inc for Forskningsradet — The Resear- administrated by the Norwegian Centre for Interna- Northern Public Affairs, September 2013