A Sustainable Arctic The Nordic Council Of Ministers Arctic Co Operation Programme 2022 2024

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-737/ A Sustainable Arctic – the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Arctic Co-operation Programme 2022–2024 – is the ninth programme of its kind. The Nordic Council of Ministers has a vision of the Nordic Region being the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. By focusing on a green, competitive and socially sustainable Region, the Nordic countries will seek to show the way to a sustainable future. In the Arctic, they will work together to develop knowledge, build expertise about developments and identify opportunities for the region and its people.

For many years, the Nordic countries have worked together successfully on the environment and climate, which has contributed to significant progress both in the Nordic Region and internationally. However, in recent years, the challenges we face have grown in size and quantity, making co-operation increasingly important. Between 2019 and 2024, the Nordic countries will work together to bring about sustainable development in the Nordic Region, the EU, and internationally. Together, the countries will pursue the ambitious implementation of international agreements on the environment and climate – in particular the Paris Agreement – and work together to strengthen the EU’s regulatory framework regarding the environment and climate. The Nordic countries will continue to be front-runners in terms of bringing about change. Nordic co-operation on the environment and climate seeks to halt the loss of biodiversity and bring about the sustainable use of natural resources. Together, we will work to accelerate the transition to a circular economy that limits our consumption and production to the capacity of nature. Other important areas of co-operation include efforts to minimise the risks posed by chemicals and hazardous substances, and stop the discharge. Compared with previous programme periods, there is a stronger emphasis on co-operation on sustainable cities, climate adaptation, and green financing.

Nordic Partnerships for the Arctic, the Nordic Council of Ministers' Arctic Co-operation Programme 2018–2021, is the eighth programme of its kind since 1996. The Arctic is a rapidly developing region with a need for both conservation and development. Continuous, systematic and stable co-operation is a prerequisite for the type of development required in the Arctic. Nordic Partnerships for the Arctic is a contribution to those endeavours.The Nordic Council of Ministers has a policy objective of generating sustainable development in the Arctic. Nordic Partnerships for the Arctic 2018–2021 strives to achieve a sustainable Arctic and revolves around four priority themes: Peoples, Planet, Prosperity, Partnerships.

In 2016, the Nordic Cooperation Ministers decided to put more emphasis on economic development in the Arctic within the Arctic Cooperation Program of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic Council of Ministers partnered up with the Arctic Economic Council in carrying out an Arctic Business Analysis. The aim was to qualify knowledge on the business environment in the Nordic Arctic and how to take the business environment to a next level. The analysis covers 1) Entrepreneurship and Innovations; 2) Public- Private Partnerships & Business Cooperation; 3) Bio-economy, and 4) Creative and Cultural Industries. The general findings of the analysis are: → a need for an increased collection and dissemination of Arctic specific data; → a need for strengthened cross-border business collaboration between regions and actors in the Arctic; and → a need for a positive branding of the Arctic as an attractive and sustainable market for investments and economic development.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-704/ This co-operation programme describes the most important priorities for the Council of Ministers for Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food, and Forestry in the period 2021-2024. The programme focuses on sustainable bioeconomy and value creation, sustainable and health-promoting food supply systems in the Nordic region, and associated initiatives, all of which support the vision for the Nordic region to be the world’s most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. At the same time, the Nordic co-operation contributes to the resolution of many of the most important global challenges that the world’s countries have agreed to prioritise through the UN’s 17 Global Sustainability Goals.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2022-719/ The Nordic Council of Ministers for Health and Social Affairs’ (MR-S) co-operation programme for 2022–2024 will generate knowledge and exchange information about shared challenges in the field of health and welfare throughout the Nordic Region. The main purpose is to generate initiatives and solutions that will contribute to the development of policy and guarantee the sustainability of the Nordic welfare societies at local, regional, national and Nordic levels at a time of limited resources.