We, the members of the Icelandic Parliament, the
European Parliament, the Norwegian Parliament, and the Federal Assembly
of the Russian Federation, with the participation of the Baltic Assembly,
the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, the Canadian Parliament,
the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, the Nordic
Council, the Parliamentary Assembly for North West Russia and the
West Nordic Council;
a. meeting
in Reykjavík to discuss the development of the Northern Dimension
(ND) Policy, with focus on green energy, the sustainable utilization
of marine resources in the North, gender equality and social wellbeing;
b. having regard to the fourth Senior Official Meeting
of the renewed ND held in Oslo on 8 April 2014 and the progress
report on the development of the Northern Dimension;
c. recalling the conference statements
from the First ND Parliamentary Forum held in Brussels on 25-26
February 2009, the Second ND Parliamentary Forum held in Tromsø
on 22-23 February 2011 and the Third ND Parliamentary Forum held
in Arkhangelsk on 11–12 November 2013;
d. confirming the importance of the ND
cooperation in order to improve the living conditions, opportunities
and addressing the challenges for the people living in the ND area;
e. stressing the importance of a deeper
involvement of indigenous peoples in the ND policy;
f. encouraging all the Partners to continue
regional cooperation enhancing mutual understanding in the interest
of the peaceful and sustainable development of the ND region;“
g. ask Partners and the governments of
the ND coopeNy revisjon på Dokument 18ration;
1. Increase the ND’s
contribution to cooperation in the European Arctic area and strengthen
coordination of activities with regional councils and organizations
operating in the North;
2. Further develop the ND and strengthen
cooperation based on common interests.
3. Support the ND Partnership on Culture (NDPC)
as a focal point for networks, projects and other cultural activities
in the ND area and encourage the Partnership to promote creative cultural
industries and to develop new projects in the field of cultural
tourism.
4. Support the ND Partnership on Transport
and Logistics (NDPTL) as an efficient cooperation tool for the development
of the transport system of the region and improvement of the international
logistics chains.
5. Support project implementation and
the development of new projects with high regional added value using
the NDPTL's support fund and enhance its general coordinating role
in the field of transport and logistics in the ND area.
6. Encourage the NDPTL to promote development
of environmentally friendly transport in the ND area.
7. Enhance synergies between all relevant
regional cooperation formats and programmes in the ND area in view
of a more systematic approach to cooperation in the Baltic Sea and
European Arctic regions.
8. Use the full potential of the ND Institute,
ND Business Council, and the contribution of sub-regional and parliamentary
cooperation in support of the ND Policy.
9. Support the Northern Dimension Partnership in
Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) as a highly valued and
innovative regional network, significantly contributing to the improvement
of peoples’ health and social well-being in the Northern Dimension
area, including its efforts to coordinate the new NDPHS 2020 Strategy
and its Action Plan.
10. Continue the work of the EU-Russia
Working Group on Cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region, aiming to
define common themes for cooperation based on joint priorities identified
in the “Strategy of Social and Economic Development of the North-Western
Region up to 2020” of the Russian Federation and the EU Strategy for
the Baltic Sea Region;
11. Use the full potential of the Northern
Dimension Institute and its coordinators to develop appropriate
studies in the ND area.
1. Support technological
development in renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency
in Northern regions and set renewable energy targets that support
sustainable economic growth in the ND area.
2. Work towards an effective, ambitious,
durable international climate agreement in Paris in December 2015
that is applicable to all, with the determination to work to limit
the increase in global average temperature to below two degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
3. Support the ND Environmental Partnership´s (NDEP)
efforts on energy efficiency and environmental protection in the
ND area.
4. Recognise the key role of the NDEP
in successfully implementing projects with high cross-boundary environmental
benefits in the ND region in its environmental and nuclear windows, contributing
significantly to the health of the Baltic Sea and reducing the risk
of nuclear hazards in the Barents region.
5. Support effective implementation of
NDEP projects, noting that as NDEP projects have led to 98.5% of
wastewaters in St Petersburg now being treated, the closest attention
must be drawn to the swift completion of the Kaliningrad Wastewater
Treatment Plant.
6. Take actions for the mitigation of
black carbon emissions due to their detrimental impact on the Arctic
ice shelf and consider utilizing NDEP experience for the implementation
of concrete measures for cutting the black carbon emissions by modernization
of heating facilities in the Barents region.
7. Call on International Financial Institutions
to find solutions to continue with the financing of new projects
with environmental cross-border effect in the whole region within
the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership.
1. Encourage mutual
understanding of the rights of the communities of the North to utilize
their resources in a sustainable way, and the importance of safe
guarding their livelihoods by providing access to the markets for
traditional products, such as seal products, in line with applicable
legislation.
2. Stress the importance of implementing
an Ecosystem Based Management approach in the coastal, marine and
terrestrial environments of the North.
3. Reinforce regional cooperation of coastal states
in order to secure long-term sustainable management and utilization
of joint fish stocks.
4. Highlight the detrimental consequences
of ocean acidification for global food security, as well as the
need to halt ocean acidification, in the current negotiations for
a new global climate agreement.
5. Initiate and carry out projects that
contribute to the realization of the goals and objectives of the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, aiming at achieving good ecological
status of the Baltic marine environment by 2021 at the latest.
1. Focus on human health
and well-being with an emphasis on preventative measures and food safety
among peoples of the ND area.
2. Recommend that gender based analyses
are used in the development, implementation and assessment of relevant
policies in the region, as part of creating preconditions for social
wellbeing.
3. Conduct research on the causes of the
evident emigration of women from some areas in the North and build
up policies preventing this trend.
1. Give priority to
the implementation of the NDPHS 2020 Strategy and its Action Plan
and ensure their active engagement and sufficient financial resources.
2. Take determined action based on scientific knowledge
and exchange best practices to promote healthy lifestyles in order
to avoid early mortality and chronic conditions leading to the loss
of human and economic potential.
3. Work to prevent alcohol related harm,
diseases and accidents as use of alcohol represents the biggest
health challenge in the Northern Dimension area.
4. Take due note of the threat to social
well-being caused by high unemployment, particularly among the young,
and look at the possibilities to increase the cooperation to fight
this problem.
asks Partners and
the governments of the ND cooperation to report at the next Parliamentary
Forum on the general development of the policy of the ND;
asks the Chairs of the Partnerships supported
by the Partnership´s secretariats to report at the next Parliamentary
Forum on the results of the Partnerships;
acknowledges the interest and presence
of parliamentary observers and representatives from governments
and non-governmental organizations at this Conference and recognizes
their important role in conveying the relevant messages to their
governments and supporting the actions herein discussed;
acknowledges the importance of, and supports, the
active participation of indigenous
peoples throughout ongoing and future activities;
suggests that the possibility of arranging
annual conferences of the Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum
is explored;
suggests that the Forum works on developing practical
guidelines for the ND Parliamentary Forum that will be put forth
at the next conference in 2017;
welcomes and accepts with gratitude the
invitation of the European Parliament to host the Fifth ND Parliamentary
Forum in 2017.