THE ARCTIC ECONOMIC COUNCIL
Presentation to the Arctic Council
Iqaluit, Canada, April 24, 2015
The AEC Executive Committee
Tom Paddon
Tero Vauraste
Tara Sweeney
Evgeny Ambrosov
GETTING STARTED: 2013-2015
Minister Aglukkaq, Vince Rigby, Tom Paddon at AEC founding meeting, Sept 2014
The AEC was established during Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship under the
leadership of Leona Aglukkaq, Minister for the Arctic Council 2013-2015
Purpose
• Independent
• Arctic business-to-business forum, including a
focus on indigenous business activities
• Sharing of best practices, standards and
innovative solutions to promote responsible
economic development in the Arctic
• Reflect accurately the significance of current
Arctic business activity
• Synthesis of Arctic business perspectives for
consideration by the Arctic Council
Results
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2 AEC assembly meetings: Fall 2014 & Spring 2015
Presentation to SAOs March 2015
Governance and operational structures established
Secretariat under establishment
2-year work plan
35 active representatives and Executive Committee
30-40 outreach presentations around the world
40-50 meetings with business and government reps.
6 areas of focus integrated with 5 themes
3 thematic working groups
Transparent and accessible
Addressing Key Issues…
Integrated Approach
Areas of focus
1. Energy & natural
resources
2. Infrastructure
3. Tourism
4. Fishing & marine
resources
5. HR investment &
capacity building
6. Traditional Arctic
livelihoods
Themes
1. Market connections
2. Public Private
Partnership
3. Stable regulatory
framework
4. Exchange between
business and academia
5. Arctic stewardship:
TK/SME/Corporate
citizenship
…in Working Groups
• Arctic Stewardship
Focus on traditional knowledge, SME development and the
development of guidelines for corporate stewardship with an
emphasis on being good business partners in the Arctic
• Maritime Transportation
Best practices to guide shipping in environmentally
fragile locations to ensure the highest safety and quality
standards in Arctic
• Responsible Resource Development
Enhancing sustainable mining, oil and gas exploration in the
Arctic by promoting and sharing best practices
Principle: Participation not limited to players from Arctic nations. AEC
will gather relevant data from best sources
LOOKING AHEAD: 2015-2017
www.arcticeconomiccouncil.com
Supporting AC Priorities
AEC work plan that aligns with U.S. Arctic Council
priorities 2015-2017 in the following areas:
Arctic Ocean & Communities
 Response operations
 Infrastructure: Marine and telecommunications
 Energy: Arctic Energy Summit
Response Operations
• Establish partnership with, and support work
product from, Arctic Waterways Safety Commission
• Search and Rescue (SAR)
• Food security
• Spill response
• Situational Awareness
• Vessel tracking
Infrastructure: Marine
• Increased maritime infrastructure pan-Arctic that also
contributes to food and border security
• Marine transportation, safety, protection and
procedures
• Catalogue economic development opportunities
• Develop partnerships at the local, regional, federal and
international levels to enhance tabletop, full-scale live
exercises and SAR capabilities in the Arctic
• Port development
Infrastructure: Telecomm
• Assess pan-Arctic capabilities and gaps
• Catalogue economic development opportunities
• Develop strategies for promoting communications
infrastructure through economic development
• Support Arctic Council SDWG Arctic-wide
telecommunications infrastructure assessment by
serving as the telecommunications experts group
needed to meet this goal
Energy
• Collaborate with SDWG
• Work with renewable and non-renewable energy sector
experts in the Arctic to understand the energy needs of
Arctic communities
• Develop best practices guidelines for Arctic energy
development
• Make recommendations on how to address Arctic
energy needs, including costs and sustainability
Milestones and Reporting
• April 2015: Selection of new AEC Chair
• May 2015: Establishment of Secretariat in Tromsø
• November 2015: AEC Board meeting
• November 2015: WGs to have completed first series
of meetings
• March 2016: WG interim reports
• April 2016: First full assembly under U.S. leadership
• November 2016: Final drafts of WGs reports
Contact us
Website: www.arcticeconomiccouncil.com
Twitter: @ArcticEcom
Email:
[email protected]