Statement by the Press Secretary on the National Strategy for the Arctic Region

Today, the President signed the National Strategy for the Arctic Region.  The United States is pleased to join our Arctic Council colleagues Canada, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Russia, and Sweden in articulating our strategic priorities for this critical region of the world.

The Administration solicited input from Alaska Natives, the State of Alaska and others as it was developing the National Strategy for the Arctic. Successful implementation of the high-level lines of effort identified in the National Strategy will depend upon active engagement with Alaska Natives, the State of Alaska and other key stakeholders. In particular, proceeding with the stewardship of Arctic resources under an Integrated Arctic Management approach requires, by its terms, meaningful, up-front input by the State, Alaska Natives, and others. As a further demonstration of its commitment to such input, Administration officials will be hosting roundtable discussions in Alaska in the coming weeks to discuss how best to move forward with the implementation of the concepts laid out in this National Strategy. The initial meetings will include high-level Administration officials from the White House, and from key agencies. The meetings will be held in mid-June, at a time and location that will be confirmed shortly.

The strategy can be found here.