Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation
About the agreement
The purpose of the agreement, which was signed in 2017, is to enhance cooperation in scientific activities in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the development of scientific knowledge about the Arctic. The agreement facilitates access to terrestrial, coastal, atmospheric, and marine areas by scientists of the eight Arctic governments to Arctic areas covered by the agreement.
The legally binding agreement is designed to enhance cooperation in scientific activities in the Arctic between Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States of America (hereafter referred to as the “parties”). The agreement does not preclude cooperation between the parties and non-parties (Annex 17).
The agreement facilitates:
- Entry and exit of persons, equipment, and material
- Access to research infrastructure and facilities
- Access to research areas
- Access to data
- Education, career development and training opportunities
- Use of traditional and local knowledge
Arctic geographic areas to which the agreement applies
Annex 1 describes the identified geographic areas to which the agreement applies. In Norway, this includes marine areas north of 62 degrees north latitude, and land areas north of the Arctic Circle (66.6 degrees north latitude).