The work of the Arctic Council, and the Future Cooperation with the new BBNJ Agreement

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to explore the role of the Arctic Council and its working groups vis-à-vis the future BBNJ Agreement. What will the impact of the BBNJ agreement on Arctic governance be? How will the Arctic Council, as one of the main actors in preserving and protecting the marine environment cooperate with the BBNJ agreement? This thesis will focus particularly on the working groups in the Arctic Council and what areas they possibly would cooperate with the new BBNJ agreement. The focus will be on scientific cooperation as the BBNJ agreement could contribute to filling the important legal and governance gaps related to the marine biodiversity in the Arctic region. The importance of this future cooperation between the Arctic Council and the BBNJ would be not to undermine the central role that the Arctic Council has and not duplicate the existing work and accomplishments of the working groups. Instead, use this opportunity for the new ILBI to become a global body that can implement legal frameworks that the Arctic Council cannot do. Using the Arctic Council as the primary provider of science and knowledge within areas that the Arctic Council and the BBNJ agreement will cooperate. This includes the principles and management for Area-Based Management Tools (ABMT) and Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which have not been consistently incorporated into existing agreements or applied in practice to a full range of human activities the ABNJ in the Arctic region.