United Kingdom launches an updated Arctic Policy Framework built on five priorities

16 October 2026

The United Kingdom launched an update to its Arctic Policy Framework at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London on 15 October 2026, with Uma Kumaran, Minister for the Polar Regions, speaking at the launch. The update follows the earlier policy paper Looking North and is built on five priorities: understanding and responding to a changing Arctic, enhancing security and stability, supporting effective governance, building responsible economic partnerships and strengthening resilience. A Written Ministerial Statement on the framework was laid before Parliament. The Natural Environment Research Council has invested more than 145 million pounds in Arctic science since 2014, an initial 13 million pounds goes to Arctic Ocean research alongside the Research Council of Norway, and more than 4 million pounds over three years supports research partnerships, including with the Arctic Council and early-career Arctic researchers. The speech noted that Arctic winter sea ice in March 2025 reached the lowest annual maximum in the 47-year record.