India participates in the “3rd Arctic Science Ministerial”

Contents

• 1
• 2 What is the News?
• 3 About Arctic Science Ministerial(ASM):
• 4 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3):
• 5 Arctic Council:

What is the News?

India is participating in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) meeting.

About Arctic Science Ministerial(ASM):

• Arctic Science Ministerial(ASM) is a global platform for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region.
• The USA and Germany held the first two Arctic Science Ministerial(ASM) meetings in 2016 and in 2018 respectively.

3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3):

• Iceland and Japan have jointly organised The 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial(ASM3). It is the first Ministerial meeting being held in Asia.
• Purpose: The meeting is designed to provide opportunities to various stakeholders to enhance collective understanding of the Arctic region. The meeting also emphasizes the constant engagement in monitoring and strengthen Arctic observations.
• Theme: ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.

India’s Engagement in the Arctic Region:

• Firstly, India’s engagement with the Arctic dates back to 1920 with the signing of the Svalbard Treaty in Paris.
• Secondly, since July 2008, India has had a permanent research station in the Arctic called Himadri at NyAlesund, Svalbard Area in Norway.
• Thirdly, India has also deployed a multi-sensor moored(anchored) observatory called IndARC in the Kongsfjorden fjord since July 2014.
• Fourthly, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa, coordinates the research in the Arctic region from India. The NCPOR falls under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.

Arctic Council:

• The Arctic Council was formally established in 1996 by the Ottawa Declaration.
• Purpose: It is an intergovernmental forum for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States.
• Members: The members of the Arctic Council include Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.
• Observer Status: Since 2013, India enjoys ‘Observer’ status in the Arctic Council. Twelve other observer countries are Japan, China, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Singapore, and South Korea.

Source: PIB

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