50 



-6- 



Conclusion 



Pollution of the Arctic, and in particular the 

 bioaccumulation in indigenous peoples of organochlorine residues, 

 is of great concern to Canada. We remain optimistic that these 

 and other examples of environmental degradation in the Arctic can 

 be reversed. The eight signatories of the Rovaniemi Declaration 

 on the Protection of the Arctic Environment and the accompanying 

 Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy recognise that these 

 problems cannot be addressed in isolation or by nations acting 

 alone. Through the Strategy, the Arctic nations have achieved a 

 workable institutional arrangement to bring about co-ordinated and 

 comprehensive action. Although still young, this approach has 

 already achieved significant advances through its ovm initiatives 

 (e.g. the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) and through 

 its influence on other activities (e.g. the ECE Task Force on 

 Persistent Organics) . The Strategy will continue to evolve under 

 direction from the ministerial meetings, and Canada looks forward 

 to achieving further progress at the 1993 session, in Greenland. 



