International conference: "New chances and new responsibilities in the Arctic Region"

Due to global warming, the Arctic Ocean is already facing pressing environmental challenges. The melting of polar ice will have far-reaching consequences for the region, making access to new resources easier as well as opening new trade routes.

The question of how cooperation can be achieved in the Arctic Ocean was the focus of the international conference "New Chances and New Responsibilities in the Arctic Region", held from March 11 to 13, 2009 in Berlin, and jointly organized by the foreign ministries of Germany, Denmark and Norway, with support from adelphi and the Max-Planck-Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg. Around 150 international participants from politics, economy and science attended the conference at the Federal Foreign Office to discuss especially the prospects for sustainable development, resource exploration and maritime traffic as well the challenges for international law in this region.