Arctic Youth Council Secretariat
Rovaniemi
ROVANIEMI DECLARATION
On the occasion of the Rovaniemi Meeting of
the Arctic Youth Council
We, the representants of three Arctic States, have gathered in Rovaniemi, Finland,
Recognize the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and constructive cooperation in the
Arctic,
Recognize the importance social development and environmental protection within the
boundaries of the sustainable use of resources and the frameworks of what is economically possible.
Recognize that the Arctic is first and foremost an inhabited region with diverse economies,
cultures and societies, further recognizing the rights of the indigenous peoples and interests of all Arctic inhabitants, and emphasizing that a fundamental strength of the Council is the unique role played by Arctic indigenous peoples, and the likewise the unique role that young people could play for their own future,
Express serious concern that global emissions of greenhouse gases are resulting in rapid
changes in the climate and physical environment of the Arctic with widespread effects for societies and ecosystems and repercussions around the world, reiterating the urgent need for increased national and global actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change,
Noting the substantial progress we have made to strengthen our cooperation and
acknowledging the leadership of the Arctic Council in taking concrete action to respond to new challenges and opportunities,
WE DEMAND THE ARCTIC COUNCIL TO:
IMPROVING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Question the importance of striving for economic growth if the type of growth and the goal of
it are not clearly specified.
Recognize that climate change is threatening the indigenous peoples’ way of living according
to their tradition, especially the danger of eventual oil leaks.
Acknowledge that we have already seen signs showing how ingenious people have had to
change their way of living, as a result of the companies and the climate changes which have led to flooding of the Artic which in turn leads to problems in collecting food and supplies.
Recognize that all companies and organizations that are staying or have something to do with
the Artic should get assistance by the Artic Council to work sustainable and in that way to not disturb Artic life.
Decide to set aside financial resources for police or control authorities to ensure compliance
with existing and coming regulations for the industries.
Strive to coordinate and synchronize laws and regulations concerning environmental
protection and the protection of endangered species on a high standard level capable of ensuring a sustainable environmental protection.
Ensure the survival of all Arctic communities by deciding to further enhance the support to
local and regional decision makers by extending to substantial financial measures for climate adaptation and disaster management.
Decide to establish a fund dedicated to education in sustainable development at universities
and institutes among the Arctic countries. The fund should be supervised by members of all member states and organizations. Furthermore, to encourage schools and universities in the member states into tighter cooperation in fields and studies connected to sustainable
Decide to actively protect and sustain the languages and cultures of indigenous people in the
region. Furthermore, decide to establish one or several truth and reconciliation commissions mandated with discovering and revealing all past and contemporary wrongdoings by member governments against Arctic indigenous peoples. This requires all member governments to open up their archives for research. The commission should also be tasked with suggesting appropriate measures on how to spread awareness of the abuses, such as through education or museums, and on how to compensate the abused groups and individuals.
ACTING ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Recognize the historical debt, due to unsustainable amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, of
each and every one of the member states of the Arctic council, towards countries and peoples in the world that now and in future suffer from the effects of climate change, establish an investigation for the purpose of independently calculating the magnitude of the debts in order to collectively determine the exact sum for each country, and then demand of each member to pledge in a binding agreement to give the remaining amount to the United Nations Green Fund.
Urge its members to pledge to a binding target of greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 65%
until 2030, compared to their emission levels in 1990.
Take initiative in forming a new tax alliance, with the two primary goals of
1) setting a high and equal price on all products that have or will contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and
2) setting a customs duty on all products that are imported from countries which are not yet part of the tax alliance.
Urge its members to pledge to a binding agreement to never again decide on or subsidize
projects, such as coal plants or motor highways that might emit new amounts of greenhouse gas, without combining it with building a carbon-capture plant with a corresponding capacity.
PROTECTING THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT
Take further mandatory actions against oil pollution, reducing the number of oil platforms
through stricter restrictions and require all companies to develop a fully adequate action plan on oil pollution prevention, which include containment practices. This is critical to ensure the protection of the Arctic marine environment from oil pollution incidents.
Strengthen the mandatory rules on shipping, to prevent unnecessary pollutions and ensure the
biodiversity and ecosystems in the Arctic region.
Recognize that the Arctic ecosystems and biodiversity needs to be protected as a basis for
sustainable development prosperity, and develop collective recommendations for the Arctic States to cooperate on adaptive management strategies for vulnerable species and ecosystems, and to continue existing Arctic biodiversity research and monitoring efforts.
Provide enhanced guidance to Arctic States on strengthening governance in the Arctic
through collaboration, appropriate follow-up actions and report on progress at ministerial meetings.
Take actions on the potential impact of acidification on marine life and people that are
dependent on healthy marine ecosystems, and demand the Arctic States to continue to take actions on mitigation and adaption as well as to monitor and assess the state of Arctic Ocean acidification.
Recognize the persistent organic pollutants that pose threats to human health and the
environment in the Arctic, and demand Arctic States to monitor and assess activities and enhance their efforts.
Demand further development of new technology and a cooperative scientific research across
the circumpolar Arctic to gain information for a sustainable environment. This is critical for sustaining vulnerable species and ecosystems and preventing potential oil leaks.
Sustaining the rare ecosystems and biodiversity is something that needs to be a priority. Therefore we demand that all the above is mandatory for all the Arctic States and that actions are taken.
STRENGTHENING THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
Pledge on becoming a fully transparent political body so that citizens can demand
accountability for the decisions taken, and on seeking new ways to raise awareness among common citizens of the Arctic issues and the existence of the Arctic Council.
Recognize the importance of making youths part of the decision making in the Arctic
Council, by establishing a youth section of the Arctic Council, with independent consultative status towards the minister meetings and with observer status in the official meetings of the minister meetings.
