DISEC
Implementation of the declaration of the North Pole
as a ‘Zone of Peace’
1. Introduction
The area called ‘North Pole’ is defined as the
4.1 square kilometers large ice shelf on the
northern top of the world, located in the
middle of the Arctic Ocean. Whereas the
South Pole is located on a continental land
mass, the North Pole is amid waters which
are almost permanently covered with
constantly shifting sea ice. Without a
continental land mass beneath the ice it’s
difficult to construct any kind of permanent
station at the North Pole. The North Pole’s
neighbouring states are the USA, Russia,
Denmark (via Greenland), Norway and
Canada.
2. Political status
No country owns the region of the North Pole or of the
continental shelf! The five surrounding countries are
limited to a 200-nautical-mile (370km) exclusive economic
zone (EEZs) around their coasts. The area beyond the EEZ
is administered by the International Seabed Authority.
With regard to the ‘United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea’ (1982 - UNCLOS III), each country can request
an increase of the 200 nmi border 10 years after the ratification of the UNCLOS. That would
include parts of the continental shelf. Claims to extended continental shelves, if deemed
valid, give the claimant state exclusive rights to the sea bottom and resources below the
bottom. Because of this regulation four of the five states fronting the Arctic Ocean - Norway
(ratified the UNCLOS in 1996), Russia (1997), Canada (2003) and Denmark (2004) announced the filing of a UN application seeking to vastly expand their Atlantic sea
boundary. Since the U.S. has yet to ratify the UNCLOS, the date for its submission is
undetermined at this time.
Many (mainly Russian and
Canadian) politicians and lawyers
are complaining that the UNCLOS
would not be able to handle the
special geographical position and
the economic importance of the
North Pole region. They want to
urge the UN to implement the socalled “Sector-Solution”. That
would split the North Pole into
parts, one for every surrounding
nation.
3. Economic importance
of the Arctic region
The Arctic region will be an important economic advantage for the nation it belongs to,
scientists estimate up to 25 percent of the world’s global oil and gas stockpiles. Today, the
world´s fossil fuels are running out. The massive amount of fossil fuels and gases in the
North Pole region are one of the reasons why, in the past, the surrounding nations tried to
claim a part of the Atlantic Ocean as large as possible. But the development in the Arctic is
not limited to oil production and gas extraction. Mining operations and hydro power
development, power lines, windmill parks and military bombing ranges have also been
developed over the past decades. The Arctic holds large quantities of minerals, including
phosphate, bauxite, iron ore, copper, and nickel. These are of pervasive use in industrialized
economies. Another point is that the growing affluence allows ever-greater numbers of
tourists to visit remote areas. Even fishing is an important economic value for the region.
4. Canada
Canada ratified UNCLOS on 7 November 2003 and had to file its claim to an extended
continental shelf throughout 2013. As of December 2013, Canada announced that it would
file a claim which includes the North Pole. Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper said that
the Russian activities in the Atlantic region are a "violation of international understanding or
and Canadian sovereignty".
5. Denmark
Denmark ratified UNCLOS on 16 November 2004 and had to file a claim to an extended
continental shelf through 2014. On 14 December 2014 Denmark claimed an area of
895,000 km2 extending from Greenland past the North Pole to the Russian continental shelf.
Denmark launched three expeditions (2006, 2009, 2013) which should clarify, among others,
the tectonic situation of the arctic region.
6. Norway
Norway ratified the UNCLOS on 24 June 1996 and had to file a claim to an extended
continental shelf through 2006. On November 27, 2006, Norway made an official submission
to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in accordance with the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They contain arguments to extend the Norwegian
seabed claim beyond the 200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi) EEZ in three areas of the northeastern
Atlantic and the Arctic. The submission also states that an additional submission for
continental shelf limits in other areas may be posted later.
Norway, a NATO member state that shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, has been
closely monitoring the military buildup of Russia in the Arctic region.
7. USA
As of March 2015, the United States had not ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea (UNCLOS) and, therefore, was not eligible to file an official claim to an extended
continental shelf with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
8. Russia
Russia ratified the UNCLOS in 1997 and had to make a claim to an extended continental shelf
through 2007. In August 2015, Russia submitted a claim to the UN for a large expanse of
approximately 460,000 square miles of the Arctic Sea, including the North Pole, which
directly conflicts with claims from other countries. In August 2007, a Russian expedition
named Arktika 2007, led by Artur Chilingarov, planted a Russian flag on the seabed at the
North Pole. This should be a symbol for the Russian claim to the North Pole Region. But the
United States and Canada dismissed the flag planting as purely symbolic and legally
meaningless.
Part of Russia's current Arctic policy includes maintaining a military presence in the region.
The first nuclear icebreaker, the Lenin, began operating in the Northern Sea Route in July
1960. Russia says that it has military units specifically trained for Arctic combat. On October
4, 2010, Russian Navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky was quoted as saying: "We are
observing the penetration of a host of states which . . . are advancing their interests very
intensively, in every possible way, in particular China," and that Russia would "not give up a
single inch" in the Arctic. Russia's Arctic policy statement, approved by President Medvedev
on September 18, 2008, called for the establishment of improved military forces in the Arctic
to "ensure military security" in that region, as well as the strengthening of existing border
guards in the area.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian troops will be stationed in the Arctic on
a permanent basis, with a focus on increasing the Kremlin's control over the region’s
airspace. “This will expand the armed forces’ capabilities for securing the defense of the
national interests in the region.” Russia continues to build up the fleet with new bases in the
region; four were completed in 2015, the defense minister said. He went on to describe that
the creation of Russia’s Arctic force and the distribution of “equipment with weapons for the
whole Arctic” will be completed by 2018.
In May 2015, their actions made headlines when in response to a NATO Arctic Challenge
Exercise, Russia mobilized 12,000 troops and 250 aircraft - a massive response compared to
the only 4,000 NATO troops taking part. The show of strength was clearly very integral to
Russian ambitions in the Arctic. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin responded to
the mobilization saying, “It is our territory, it is our shelf, and we’ll provide its security. And
we will make money there.”
9. A Zone of peace
Peace zones offer a strategy for dealing with conflicting claims about the ownership of a
particular piece of land or water. Rather than attempting to resolve the dispute by giving
ownership to one side, sovereignty for the area would be granted to a neutral body (such as
the United Nations) which would be responsible for administering the area for the benefit of
all parties and for making the innumerable compromises which are required whenever
conflicting parties inhabit the same area. Zones of peace have been proposed, for example
for Jerusalem, Kurdistan, the South Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean (links to the resolutions
below). A United Nations Zone of Peace should express the need to preserve the region from
measures of militarization, the arms race, the presence of foreign military bases and, above
all, nuclear weapons. Furthermore, a Zone of Peace should support the co-operation and
the peaceful existence of the neighbouring countries in the mentioned region.
10.The idea of a Zone of peace in the Arctic Region
Regarding the complicated political status of the North Pole and the Arctic Region, and
further the value of the natural resources which are expected to be found, a strong military
presence will only tighten the situation of the Arctic, which is tense in any way. A Zone of
Peace would prevent an armed international conflict in the Arctic Region and it would
guarantee a fair and legal decision for further claims and expansions of the EEZs of the
surrounding nations. This Zone of Peace can be limited to the continental shelf of the North
Pole, but it could include the surrounding Arctic See. It could even limit the military power of
Russia’s military bases located on the surrounding islands in one way or another in order to
ensure the success of the Zone of Peace. The Zone of Peace should be established until the
affiliation of the North Pole and the Arctic See have finally been declared by the United
Nations or, accordingly, changes in the UNCLOS have been made.
11.Helpful links and sources
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http://swmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Arctic_North_Pole_Map.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_claims_in_the_Arctic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pole#Territorial_claims_to_the_North_Pole_an
d_Arctic_regions
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Seabed_Authority
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea
http://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1378484/russia-and-canada-declaretheir-rights-north-pole-region
http://www.grida.no/publications/vg/arctic/page/2671.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_policy_of_Russia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_claims_in_Antarctica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_resources_of_the_Arctic
http://www.ibtimes.com/russia-military-increases-arctic-permanent-presence-amidregional-tension-2285782
http://intpolicydigest.org/2016/01/24/5-ways-russia-is-positioning-to-dominate-thearctic/
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/41/a41r011.htm
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/51/ares51-19.htm
http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/peacezns.htm