Symposium

15. Reaching International Agreement on Arctic Issues

Coordinator: Ambassador David Balton, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries, U.S. Department of State

Speakers: 

1. Major General Tom Lawson, Armed Forces Canada; Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement
   
2. Andrew Kendrick, Vice President, BMT Fleet Technology Limited; Polar Shipping Code
   
3. Tom Laughlin, International Union for the Conservation of Nature; Ecosystem-based Management in the Arctic Ocean
   
4. Wegger Chr. Strømmen, Ambassador of Norway to the United States

Summary:

The Arctic Region is warming, faster on average that other parts of the planet.  Climate change on other factors are combining to raise the profile of the Arctic as never before.  Governments and stakeholders are grappling with an unusual variety of emerging Arctic issues that are demanding attention at the international level.

This session will explore a variety of efforts to forge international agreement on key Arctic issues, including the negotiation of an agreement to coordinate search and rescue operations throughout the Arctic, the development of a Polar Shipping Code and an initiative to use “ecosystem-based management” approaches to deal with a broad array of expanding human activity in the Arctic Ocean.  The session will also consider the perspective of Arctic indigenous peoples on these and other matters.