GRU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 32: Invitation til konference fra James Arroyo OBE, The Ditchley Foundation den 7. februar 2017.

Grønlandsudvalget 2016-17
GRU Alm.del Bilag 32
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7. februar 2017

Invitation til konference fra James Arroyo OBE, The Ditchley Foundation

den 7. februar 2017.

Ditchley Foundation conference

The Arctic at the crossroads: cooperation or competition?

9-11 June 2017

The Ditchley Foundation is organising a conference in June 2017, hosted by

the Canadian Ditchley Foundation, to consider ‘The Arctic at the crossroads:

cooperation or competition?’ The conference will take place in Whitehorse,

the capital of northwest Canada’s Yukon territory, and will be co-chaired by

former Premier of Quebec and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, The Hon

Jean Charest PC, and Mr Duane Ningaqsiq Smith, Chief Executive Officer of

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation

and a former President of the

Inuit Circumpo-

lar Council – Canada.

I am writing to bring this conference to your attention and to invite you to par-

ticipate. The context of the conference is explained below.

This conference, under the auspices of the Canadian Ditchley Foundation, will

also be Ditchley’s contribution to the 2017 150

anniversary of the establish-

ment of the Confederation of Canada.

Just over 20 years ago, the Arctic Council was founded in Ottawa by the eight

Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden,

and the United States). Its rotating biennial chairmanship will be held by six

European states in a row from 2017, at a time when new forces – climate

change, resource development, globalisation and geopolitical developments –

are transforming the fabric of the region and producing new challenges and

opportunities for the people who call the Arctic home, the eight Arctic states

and other countries and businesses seeking to benefit.

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GRU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 32: Invitation til konference fra James Arroyo OBE, The Ditchley Foundation den 7. februar 2017.

The interconnectedness of these new forces makes the development of ra-

tional and proactive Arctic policies an imperative but also a formidable chal-

lenge. Particular questions which arise include territorial claims and rights of

access to shipping routes and fishing grounds; management of the environ-

ment; ownership and management of mineral and fishing resources; and se-

curity issues. These, in turn, bring to the fore concerns about the design of the

institutional machinery to govern the region.

Hydrocarbons are probably the most obviously valuable commodity in the

Arctic, with up to 25% of the world’s undiscovered deposits, but there are

many other rich mineral resources, including zinc, copper, nickel, iron-ore and

diamonds. The potential for generation of clean energy is considerable. The

reduction of ice cover means greater access for fisheries and for tourism and

scope for sea transport. The increased economic interest in the region com-

pounds the existing problems of how its resources should be managed, while

protecting the interests of its indigenous inhabitants and the Arctic ecosys-

tems.

The Arctic will remain a very expensive place to do business. The challenges

of access, by land or sea, the high costs of construction and maintenance of

infrastructure, and the unique risks from severe and unpredictable weather,

are only some of the problems. The stakes are therefore high.

The Arctic is fundamentally different from the Antarctic since the vast majority

of its area falls within the extended sovereignty rights of littoral states. The

region has also been the home of its indigenous peoples for centuries. It is

therefore difficult to envisage an international treaty on its protection along the

lines of the Antarctic Treaty, although this is advocated by some. The mari-

time dimension of the Arctic region means that the United Nations Convention

on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a central feature in its governance. It is

the undisputed forum to redraw the boundaries of the Arctic Ocean and de-

fines the rights of coastal states over activities within their maritime zones.

There nevertheless remain areas of contention with respect to boundaries and

control of international maritime traffic and fishing rights. The Arctic Council

itself has no treaty basis, and its limited membership means its policy-making

capacity is also limited, despite its success in many other ways. Can it be

effective in the future, or might something else be required?

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GRU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 32: Invitation til konference fra James Arroyo OBE, The Ditchley Foundation den 7. februar 2017.

The looming challenges include:



How should the continuing disputes about boundaries be handled?

Are the rights and interests of the indigenous peoples being properly pro-

tected?

Military and Search and Rescue cooperation around the Arctic has so far

been good, including fora discussions and joint exercises, but how might

any future security tensions or threats to militarise the region be best

handled, given their explicit exclusion from the ambit of the Arctic Council

itself?

Are we adequately investing in "Arctic science" to be able to understand

and manage this unique ecosystem?

How should the increased interest in the region by Asian and European

states be harnessed to enhance the capacity to deal with the environmen-

tal, economic, social and geopolitical challenges that confront the region?



This conference will aim to bring together policy-makers, experts, representa-

tives of indigenous communities and other interested parties from a wide ar-

ray of countries, including those of the Arctic Council, to examine the chal-

lenges and recommend cooperative ways forward for the future.

The Ditchley Foundation brings together brilliant and influential people

to tackle big and complex problems. Rebuilding consensus and confi-

dence in the future remains more important than ever. Ditchley aims to

do this through frank and private discussion. The atmosphere of infor-

mality, trust and expertise makes Ditchley events a unique opportunity

for leaders and experts alike. Ditchley was founded in 1958 by the vi-

sionary philanthropist Sir David Wills and is independent of all gov-

ernments. Please visit our soon to be modernised website at

www.ditchley.co.uk.

Around 50 participants from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds are

expected to attend the conference. The discussions will be informal and off-

the-record – with emphasis placed on frank debate and dialogue rather than

on formal presentations – and subject to the Ditchley Rule, akin to the Chat-

ham House Rule and strictly observed, whereby no participant may attributa-

bly quote anything heard at the conference to anyone outside. My Director’s

Note on the broad thrust of the proceedings will be publicly available and the

discussions themselves may be written about freely afterwards. There is no

obligation to present anything in writing or to make any other special prepara-

tion for the event.

The conference will run from the morning of Friday, 9 June (with participants

arriving on 8 June) until mid-morning on Sunday, 11 June. Participants are

requested to commit themselves to the conference as a whole, since the aim

is an interactive debate that runs from the opening to the closing session. In

addition to plenary sessions, the programme creates time for discussion in

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GRU, Alm.del - 2016-17 - Bilag 32: Invitation til konference fra James Arroyo OBE, The Ditchley Foundation den 7. februar 2017.

smaller groups. All those invited are guests of the Canadian Ditchley Founda-

tion during their stay. Three nights’ accommodation and meals will be provid-

ed at the Westmark Hotel & Conference Center in Whitehorse. Participants

are expected to cover their own travel costs, although a number of travel bur-

saries will be available in exceptional cases to assist with these costs.

In addition to the main programme, an optional overnight excursion will be

arranged to Inuvik, within the Arctic Circle, to include presentations by local

experts on life in the Arctic Circle and on the local environment. A

chartered

flight to Inuvik will depart from Whitehorse at the conclusion of the conference

at 11:30am on Sunday, June 11, 2017. The return flight on Monday, June 12,

2017, will be scheduled to allow participants to connect with the 12:10pm

flight from Whitehorse to Vancouver. Details including the itinerary and pre-

cise cost of this excursion will follow but will not exceed CAD$2,200 (based on

a minimum of 20 participants; the price will fall, if the number of participants is

higher than 20).

I should be most grateful if you could let me know by

24 February

whether

you will be able to attend the conference. Please also indicate whether you

are interested,

in principle,

in taking the optional excursion.

If you can attend the conference, we will send you the papers for the discus-

sion, together with a list of participants, a detailed programme and detailed

travel advice, six to eight weeks before the conference, at which time we will

also confirm whether the excursion to Inuvik will operate.

I very much hope that you will be able to join us, and I much look forward to

welcoming you to Whitehorse as a guest of the Ditchley Foundation and of the

Canadian Ditchley Foundation. Please include the Conference Coordinator in

your response.

Yours sincerely,

James Arroyo OBE,

Director, The Ditchley Foundation, Ditchley Park, Enstone, Chip-

ping Norton, OX7 4ER, UK.



e-mail:

[email protected]



tel:

+44 (0)1608 677346



fax:

+44 (0)1608

677399



web:

www.ditchley.co.uk

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