Challenges of the Arctic Council's Sustainable Development Working Group: How to Improve?
FNI Report 2/2017. Lysaker, FNI, 2017, 23 p.
FNI Report 2/2017. Lysaker, FNI, 2017, 23 p.
The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) has main responsibility within the Arctic Council for dealing with the social and economic dimensions of sustainable development. However, since its establishment in 1998, the working group has experienced both confusion and criticism. This report aims to shed light on how the SDWG operates, the challenges it faces, and to recommend ways of improving the working group. The main challenges facing the SDWG concern its mandate, project arrangements and organization. Recommendations include developing a long-term work plan, focusing on projects with broad anchoring among member states, and utilizing the SDWG’s expert groups more actively.