Hossain makes his case in an article published in The Polar Connection website. According to him, admission of Bangladesh as an observer would offer the Council a broader understanding of the Arctic’s links with the rest of the world and reinforce a global approach to Arctic governance. The impacts of climate change on Bangladesh and the Arctic, in particular their severity, link the two rather closely, prompting consideration of their interrelationship. 

Currently, Arctic Council’s Southeast and East Asian observers are China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. “Given the interlinkage between the impacts of climate change on Bangladesh, the Arctic and other regions in the cryosphere, such as the Antarctic and Himalayas, it would serve all parties’ interests if Bangladesh became a part of the institutional mechanisms available in the Arctic”, says Hossain.

Additional information:

Research professor Kamrul Hossain
Arctic Centre, University of Lapland
kamrul.hossain(at)ulapland.fi
tel. +358 40 484 4281