Working Group on Environment

Climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution are serious challenges to the environment, societies and communities of the Barents region. The responsibility of the Working Group on Environment (WGE) is to promote
environmental cooperation in the region to deal with these environmental
challenges.
Important framework agreements for the cooperation are the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its sustainable development goals, the Paris Agreement and other global environmental conventions and acts. Priority areas for cooperation are climate change, environmental hot spots, nature protection, water issues and regional level cooperation. The work of the group is guided by biennial ministerial declarations and the priorities set out by each chair in a work programme.
The Working Group on Environment has two subgroups: Subgroup on Hot Spots Exclusion (SHE) and the Subgroup on Nature and Water (SNW). In addition, the Regional Working Group on environment carries out cooperation projects between the Barents regions and works in close co-operation with the WGE and its subgroups.
WGE Chairmanship 2020-2023 is held by Finland. Finland aims to boost the transition into a carbon neutral circular economy, promote biodiversity protection and find means to reduce the use of black carbon.
Read more about the Finnish Chairmanship of the WGE in the Work Programme in English and Russian.
Meetings and Events:
- WGE#57 Video Meeting, October 2020
- WGE#56 Video Meeting, June 2020
- 14th Meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Luleå, Sweden, 4-5 February 2020
- WGE#55 Telephone Meeting, January 2020
- WGE#54 Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden, November 2019
- WGE#53 Meeting, Umeå, Sweden, September 2019
- WGE#52 Meeting, Stora Sjöfallet, Sweden, March 2019
- WGE#51 Meeting, Skellefteå, Sweden, November 2018
- WGE#50 Meeting, Piteå, Sweden, May 2018
- 13th Meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Vadsø, Norway, 29-30 November 2017
- WGE#49 Meeting, Oslo, November 2017
- WGE#48 Meeting, Kjerringøy, Norway, September 2017
- WGE#47 Meeting, Tromsø, Norway, February - March 2017
- WGE#46 Meeting, St. Petersburg, Russia, September 2016
- WGE#45 Meeting, Svanhovh, Norway, March 2016
- 12th meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Sortavala, Russia, 24-25 November 2015
- WGE#44 Meeting, Syktyvkar, Russia, November 2015
- WGE#43 Meeting, Naryan-Mar, Russia, June 2015
- WGE#42 Meeting, Arkhangelsk, Russia, December 2014
- WGE#41 Meeting, Petrozavodsk, Russia, April 2014
- 11th meeting of Barents Environmental Ministers, Inari, Finland, 4-5 December 2013
Relevant documents:

Working Group on Environment in Kjerringøy, September 2017
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