Natalia Loukacheva

The Arctic Economic Council – the Origins

On 2 September 2014, in the Canadian town of Iqaluit – the territorial capital of Nunavut – the founding meeting of the Arctic Economic Council took place. By relying on founding documents, interviews with stakeholders who were engaged in the development of the concept of the Council, and by following the process of its establishment, the author examines why the Arctic Council established this new independent body. The article looks back at the history of the Arctic Council’s relationships with business and examines what the objectives of the new Arctic Economic Council are. It also explores how the new council will do business and concludes by posing questions about how the Council might facilitate economic development, entrepreneurship, a new vision and dialogue, and generally how it can best serve the circumpolar business community, Northern and Indigenous stakeholders.

Polar Law and Resources

Current Polar law developments indicate that both the Arctic and the Antarctica will continue to be the focus of growing scientific, international, political, media and public discourse for the foreseeable future. The regulation of resources and associated issues form one of the key areas of Polar law and will thus continue to constitute the crux of legal, geopolitical, socio-economic, and environmental developments. An overview of Polar law questions and topical developments was provided in the pioneering 2010 Polar Law Textbook and in the 2013 Polar Law Textbook II both of which covered a number of topics relevant to the Polar resources debate. Building on this work, this new volume focuses on topical issues of law and resource development in the Polar Regions and covers topics of current and emergent resource-related issues mainly from a legal and political perspective.

Developments in the Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is currently going through fundamental changes. Despite some criticism since its establishment by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996, the Council has evolved towards an efficient body able to address the emerging challenges and issues posed by the great transformation taking place within and outside the Arctic rim. The Council’s recent reforms have brought important changes to its architecture and jurisdictional capacity. The scope of this article is limited to the analysis of the key areas of the Council’s recent developments and its future in light of current realities.