Michael de Laine

By Michael de Laine, The Copenhagen Voice, 6 June 2009

The UN Secretary-General will visit Norway and Svalbard in August and September, when he will discuss the challenges posed by climate change with the government.

United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is to visit Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic on 30 August to 2 September, when he will discuss the challenges posed by climate change with the leading members of the government.

According to the office of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, other matters to be discussed include the Millennium Development Goals, the financial and economic crisis and reform of the UN.

As well as Stoltenberg, Ban Ki-moon will meet with Jonas Gahr Støre, the foreign minister, and King Harald.

The trip to Svalbard includes visits to glaciers to see how climate change affects the polar ice masses. Ban will also visit the Norwegian and Korean research stations in Ny-Ålesund, as well as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Longyearbyen, also called the Doomsday Vault. The Secretary-General will be accompanied by Minister of Environment Erik Solheim.

“The fact that Ban’s first visit to Norway as UN Secretary-General focuses on climate challenges is of special importance now, when the world society is preparing to gather for COP15, a new climate agreement in Copenhagen in December,” Stoltenberg said.

Svalbard, located about halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, is made up of three large islands: Spitsbergen, Nordaustlandet and Edgeøya. The largest settlement is Longyearbyen.

Coal mining is the archipelago’s main industry, while research and tourism have developed rapidly in recent years.

Svalbard has a major Russian settlement based in the mining town of Barentsburg. In 2005, Svalbard had a population of about 2,400 people (55% Norwegians, 45% Russians, Ukrainians and Poles). Because of the international research projects there is a growing contingent from other countries.