Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Americas and Caribbean
(): My noble Friend, the
Minister of State (Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy,
Climate and Environment) ( of Richmond Park) has made
the following Written Ministerial Statement:
Today, the Government is publishing a new UK Arctic Policy
Framework, Looking North: The UK and the Arctic. This
updates the UK’s current Arctic Policy Framework, Beyond the
Ice, published in 2018.
Looking North brings together all the UK’s policies and
strategies relevant to the Arctic under a single, integrated
framework, in line with the Integrated Review. It builds in the
Ministry of Defence’s The UK’s Defence Contribution in the
High North paper, published in March 2022. It outlines the
full range of UK interests in the region, and sets out the
long-term priorities and objectives which shape our engagement
and actions on the Arctic.
This new Framework is designed to represent evolution, rather
than revolution, in the UK’s approach to the Arctic, underlining
our longstanding interests in the region, particularly at a time
of heightened tension in the region, following Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine, and amid growing competition from China. Our approach
will remain dynamic, responsive to changes in the Arctic region
and across the globe.
Our long-term strategic objective remains for the Arctic to be a
peaceful and stable region, characterised by cooperation. The new
Framework reiterates that the UK will remain an active,
influential and reliable partner in the Arctic.
In doing so, the UK will focus activity across four priority
areas:
-
Partnering and Collaborating – The UK is open
to the world, with a global network of friends and partners,
and with the opportunity to forge new and deeper relationships.
-
Protecting the Climate, People and Environment
– The Arctic is, first and foremost, home to the people that
live there. But climate change poses an existential threat to
the Arctic as we know it, and to all who rely on its ecosystems
and biodiversity.
-
Preserving Security and Stability – The Arctic
has, for many years, enjoyed constructive international
co-operation and has, historically, been characterised by low
tension. The UK remains committed to the long-term stability
and security of the Arctic region.
-
Promoting our shared Prosperity – The UK aims
for a prosperous Arctic, where economic and commercial
development is achieved in a way that is safe, responsible and
sustainable. The people who live in the Arctic should benefit
from increasing prosperity in the region.
Through this new Framework, the UK will take a
whole-of-government approach to the Arctic. Drawing on the
diplomatic excellence of our Diplomatic Missions across the
region, the defence capabilities of the UK’s Armed Forces, and
the world-class scientific expertise of the UK Arctic research
community, we will work with our partners and Allies to help
maintain the Arctic as a place that is safe, secure, peaceful,
and well-governed, protecting its environment and the communities
who call the Arctic their home. A copy of the Framework has been
placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
