FOU, Alm.del - 2008-09 - Bilag 187: Invitation til seminar: Arctic Nuclear Weapon Free Zone

Arctic Nuclear Weapon Free ZoneMonday, 10 August 2009, 15.30-17.30Danish Institute for International StudiesMain AuditoriumStrandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen KBackgroundThe rapid shrinking of the Arctic’s polar ice will not only produce rising ocean levels in the regionand globally, but will also open Arctic waters to new shipping lanes and exploration of the Arcticseabed previously prevented by an impenetrable ice cap. Increasing commercial and exploratorynavigation will perhaps produce additional military deployment. The 1959Antarctic Treatyprohibits the military use of the southern polar region and bans all nuclear explosions and disposalof radioactive materials south of 60 degrees latitude, but can the same be done for the Polar North?Since 1959, four other regional “nuclear weapons free zones” (NWFZ) have come into force in LatinAmerica, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and, most recently just this year, in Central Asia.Mongolia declared itself a NWFZ in 1992, and Africa is only one ratification away from makinganother continent entirely nuclear weapon free. All of the NWFZ, however, were established inregions where nuclear weapons were already, or had recently been made, absent.The Arctic, however, includes Russia and the United States, both nuclear weapons states, whichalso regularly deploy nuclear-capable submarines in the region. Would a regional NWFZ includingthose Arctic nations that are already free from nuclear weapons (Canada, Iceland, Greenland,Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland) be a logical first step? What steps can we take todemilitarize and protect the Arctic from accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons? Thesequestions are among those that will be analyzed by three international experts.Michael Hamel-Greenis Associate Professor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts,Education and Human Development at Victoria University, Australia. His recent publicationsincludeRegional Initiatives on Nuclear-Weapon and WMD-Free Zones(Geneva, UNIDIR, 2005)andNuclear-Weapon-Free Zones in Asia: Problems and Prospects, Global Change, Peace &Security 17,(October, 2005)Adele Buckleyis a former Chair of Canadian Pugwash, and a member of the Pugwash Council.Formerly Vic President for Technology and Research, Ontario Centre for EnvironmentalTechnological Advancement, she worked on environmental technology, science and climate changeissues. She recently led an expert roundtable on Freshwater Problems –Threats and Priorities, andhas written extensively on Arctic and other security issues.Steven Staplesis President of the Rideau Institute on International Affairs. During the last 15years, he has acted as the Director of Security Programs for the Polaris Institute, the IssueCampaigns Coordinator for the Council of Canadians and Coordinator for End the Arms Race.Programme

Chair:Cindy Vestergaard,PhD Candidate, DIISPractical InformationThe seminar will be held inEnglish.Participation isfree of charge,butregistration is required.Please use ouronline registration formno later thanFriday, 7 August 2009 at 12.00 noon.Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.Sincerely,Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)The Conference SectionStrandgade 56DK-1401 Copenhagen KDenmarkPh. (+45) 32 69 87 51Fax (+45) 32 69 87 00E-mail:[email protected]Web:www.diis.dkFeel free to forward this invitation to others with a potential interest in the seminar.For other public DIIS meetings, please visit our website onwww.diis.dk.If you did not receive this invitation directly from DIIS and wish to receive invitations to futureevents at DIIS, please use the following link:www.diis.dk/sw7899.aspIf you no longer wish to receive invitations directly from DIIS, please send an e-mail about this to[email protected](and please remember to state your name and organisation).Please note that DIIS is not responsible for invitations forwarded to you by others.