Image by Danish Shipowners' Association |
9 October 2014
The Danish Shipowners' Association was one of the participants at the founding meeting of the Arctic Economic Council in Iqaluit, Canada, on 2-3 September.
The new Arctic Economic Council (AEC) will help to create growth in Arctic areas – with an emphasis on taking the environment and local population into consideration.
The AEC was formally established last week at a two-day meeting in Iqaluit, the largest town in Nunavut territory in Canada – a region which is larger than Western Europe but only has a population of just over 30,000 people, primarily Inuits.
"We are very interested in the opportunities for growth which exist in the Arctic, and Danish shipping has the necessary experience and expertise to offer its services when opportunities arise. The AEC is a good initiative which can help to ensure Arctic growth in a sustainable manner, which is also crucial for us, just as it is important that the work is done in close cooperation with the local representatives in the Arctic," says Deputy Director General Jan Fritz Hansen.
Approx. 20 representatives of business in all the Arctic states and the indigenous people of the Arctic took part in the meeting. The Danish representatives at the founding meeting were the Foreign Ministry, the Confederation of Danish Industry and the Danish Shipowners' Association because there is great potential hidden in the Arctic which could provide an increased number of new tasks for shipping in the long term.
The purpose of the meeting was to create a general framework for further work, which will focus on market access and investments, public-private partnerships, establishing local foundations and developing employment and educational opportunities for the indigenous people.
"This is the beginning for the AEC. Soon working groups will be set up, in which the focus from our side will be on shipping and offshore," says Jan Fritz Hansen.
Danish Shipowners' Association press release