Arctic Region

The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada, Danish Realm, northern Finland, Iceland, northern Norway, Russia, northernmost Sweden and the United States.

Importance of Arctic Region

• Arctic ice acts as a big reflector of sunlight and helps maintain radiation balance and moderating the temperature.
• Arctic region has rich deposits of coal, gypsum and diamonds and also substantial reserves of zinc, lead, placer gold and quartz.
• The opening of the shipping routes and possibilities of increased resource extraction has led to scramble for establishing position of influence among Russia, China, the US (and the NATO) among others

Governance of the Arctic

• Unlike Antarctica, that has the Antarctic Treaty System, there is a lack of comprehensive overarching framework for the governance of the Arctic.
• The most successful has been the Arctic Council, a forum of the 8 Arctic nations; Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Russian Federation, and the US. It was established by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996, and is the preeminent intergovernmental forum for addressing issues related to the Arctic Region.

Other institutions and organizations associated with the Arctic include:

• Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC)
• Nordic Council (NC)
• Northern Forum (NF)
• Northern Dimensions (ND)
• Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR)

Challenges in Governance of the Arctic

• Arctic does not conceptually qualify as a global commons (much of the region’s ocean falls within the recognized national jurisdictions of the Arctic coastal states).
• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been conducting regular exercises in the region while partner countries are investing in upgrading military capabilities.
• Northern Sea Route is emerging as a new strategic international energy corridor. Russia has demanded for restrictive measures along the shipping route.
• At the same time, China, which calls itself to be a near-Arctic State, has also announced ambitious plans for a ‘Polar Silk Route’ to connect to Europe as well building massive icebreakers.

India’s approach towards the Arctic

India unveiled its Arctic Policy (‘India and the Arctic: Building a Partnership for Sustainable Development’) in March 2022.

The Policy has laid down 6 Pillars:

• Strengthening India’s scientific research and cooperation;
• Climate and environmental protection;
• Economic and human development;
• Transportation and connectivity;
• Governance and International Cooperation; and
• National capacity building in the Arctic Region.