Published:
On 18-19 April, members of the Riksdag participated in the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR), in Fairbanks, USA. The conference adopted a statement on the main themes of infrastructure and energy security, space, security and situational awareness in the Arctic, as well as cooperating in a changing Arctic.
Johnny Svedin (SweDem), Lisa Murkowski (Senator, Alaska, USA), Alexandra Anstrell (Mod), Peter Welch (Senator, Vermont, USA), Eric Palmqvist (SweDem), Maria Stockhaus (Mod).
The Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR), which is the parliamentary equivalent of the Arctic Council, is a forum for political dialogue.
The conference, which takes place every other year, gathers parliamentarians from the Arctic region and from the European Parliament. Representatives of indigenous peoples are also included as permanent participants. Observers from parliaments and organisations with an interest in developments in the Arctic region also participate.
The purpose of this cooperation is to promote matters of importance for the Arctic region and its population. The previous conference took place in Kiruna, Sweden in March 2024 and was hosted by the Riksdag.
At the conferences, the CPAR adopts statements targeted primarily at the Governments of the Arctic states, the Arctic Council and other relevant international bodies. The key themes of the statement adopted in Fairbanks were stronger cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and energy security, space, security and situational awareness in the Arctic, and cooperation in a changing Arctic in a range of areas including research.
In the statement, the participants confirmed the common aim of peaceful cooperation, sustainable development and welfare and that the voices of indigenous people need to be included in decision-making processes. The importance of maintaining the Arctic as a region characterised by dialogue, stability and cooperation was emphasised. The statement also highlighted climate change and fact that its serious consequences in the Arctic need to be taken into account in political decision-making.
During the conference, Alexandra Anstrell (Moderate Party), Chair of the Riksdag CPAR delegation, was elected Chair of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR), which is the permanent political body of the Conference. For two years, she has been CPAR’s Climate Rapporteur in an Arctic context with a special focus on waste management, and she presented her final report at the Conference.
Three members of the Riksdag CPAR delegation participated in the Conference: Alexandra Antrell (Moderate Party), Chair of the delegation, Johnny Svedin (Sweden Democrats) and Eric Palmqvist (Sweden Democrats), as well as Deputy Chair of the Riksdag delegation to the Nordic Council Maria Stockhaus (Moderate Party) who participated as a representative of the Nordic Council.
On 17 April, as part of the arrangement, the members of the CPAR delegation also participated in the annual Arctic Encounter Summit (AES) in Anchorage, USA. The members participated in a panel discussion with other Arctic parliamentarians in a session on the overarching theme “The Arctic speaks - a global dialogue of elected leaders on the future of the North”.
In connection with the trip, a visit was also made to the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) military base in Anchorage for meetings on Arctic security. A study visit was furthermore made to Chena Hot Springs north of Fairbanks, where the visitors learnt more about low-temperature geothermal power production, and to Fairbanks permafrost tunnel (CRREL), a research facility where, among other things, climate change is studied.
Helena Lundstedt, International Adviser, International Department of the Riksdag, +46-(0)76-861 95 16, helena.lundstedt@riksdagen.se
