|
Warming
up to the idea of a circumpolar chamber of commerce
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| Show us the way
to the nearest chamber of commerce |
Quebec
City, Canada 16 September 2003
- Can chambers of commerce and bus
iness communities in northern latitudes
find enough common ground and funds to launch a transnational Circumpolar
Chamber of Commerce?
This is one of the
many questions to be answered at the 3rd World Chambers Congress now in
full swing in this Canadian city.
The world's circumpolar
region is home to a diverse cross-section of cultures. The Arctic, known
for its mysterious and forbidding terrain, covers millions of square kilometers
of rugged, largely uninhabited land mass.
The people who live
in this remote part of the globe have more than geography in common. Anthony
Parkes, Director of the World Chambers Federation (WCF), believes business
growth and trade will be the catalyst for bringing these groups even closer.
The WCF, a specialized division of the International Chamber of Commerce
charged with increasing cooperation between chambers, is one of the groups
promoting a transnational chamber.
Timo Rautajoki, President
of the Lapland Chamber of Commerce located in Rovaniemi, Finland, the
Christmas capital of the world, is enthusiastic about the idea. "I
support the Circumpolar Chamber concept. In the Arctic we have learned
to survive and we need to cooperate more in business ventures. We need
to work together."
According to Mr Parkes,
"Arctic communities have their own unique strategies for trade, economic
development, tourism, natural resources, and fisheries. They also have
their own ways of dealing with cultural identity, social justice, and
environmental protection. A Circumpolar Chamber of Commerce would facilitate
international cooperation and knowledge-sharing in these areas."
Establishing transnational
chambers of commerce across local, regional, and national lines is not
new. Successful models, bringing together business communities from varied
backgrounds, can be found in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
The idea of bringing
a similar formula to the north is starting to take on momentum. The WCF
currently has strong interest from a number of chambers from the countries
in the region, including Finland, Canada, Alaska, and Iceland Chamber
of Commerce.
Another central figure
in support of the project is Canadian Senator and longtime northern spokesman,
Charlie Watt. In August 2002, Mr Watt submitted a report entitled "A
Time for Action on Circumpolar Economic Union" to the Unuit Circumpolar
conference, held in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (Arctic Quebec). Of a circumpolar
chamber of commerce, Mr Watt says "There is a gap between political
and business development in the Arctic, which results in reduced autonomy
for northern peoples. The chamber of commerce model works and we should
have recourse to it in order to become more self-reliant."
Mr Parkes notes: "Interest
in a Circumpolar Chamber of Commerce is growing across the region. Bringing
the key players together in Quebec City at the 3rd World Chambers Congress
will definitely help increase support for this initiative."
World
Chambers Competition
>3rd
World Chambers Congress
World
Chambers Federation website
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