The Norwegian government has formulated as a goal that Ny-Ålesund is to be developed into a leading international Arctic environmental research and monitoring station. The Norwegian Ministry of The Environment White Paper #42 "Norwegian Polar Research", 1992-93, states that:

• A prerequisite for Ny-Ålesund continuing to attract Norwegian as well as foreign scientific activities is that the local human impacts on the environment are kept at a very low level.
• Other activities in the area must adapt to the conditions set by scientific research and monitoring.

The Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police prepared The report to the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) about Svalbard in 2009. The report describes the Norwegian policy ambitions regarding management of Svalbard, and points to and describes Ny-Ålesund as one of the platforms for Norwegian and international research and environmental monitoring. It is stated that:

• Ny-Ålesund is defined as a "green" research station and shall work as a laboratory for natural sciences.
• Kings Bay AS shall provide services to the international research community, promote the scientific activities, and contribute in developing Ny-Ålesund as an international Arctic natural scientific research base.
• The Government emphasizes that Ny-Ålesund shall be managed as a reference area for scientific research.
• The Government will continue its work to secure that activities in and around Ny-Ålesund do not compromise or reduce the quality of the area for Norwegian and international research.
• Emissions from the settlement or activities in the area should be kept at a minimum.
• Svalbard Science Forum can be used to strengthen the development of Ny-Ålesund as a research arena. Cooperation between institutes should generate professional and strategic goals for the research activities.

The following mission statement was adopted by the Ny-Ålesund Science Managers Committee at the 7^th NySMAC meeting 24 August 1997:

THE MISSION OF NY-ÅLESUND, SVALBARD, IS TO

1. serve as an international station for scientific research and monitoring;
2. encourage international scientific cooperation;
3. give priority to scientific research and monitoring that is dependent on the near pristine environment or unique qualities of the Ny-Ålesund area, in particular research related to long range pollution, climate change and polar ecology;
4. preserve the near pristine environment of the Brøgger Peninsula and the Kongsfjorden area, as well as the cultural heritage of Ny-Ålesund;
5. keep local human environmental impacts at the lowest possible level so as not to jeopardise scientific research and monitoring;
6. give scientific research and monitoring priority over other local human activities, such as tourism and commercial fishing;
7. be a prime example of the sustainable operation and development of a research station in the Polar Regions.

THE SUCCESS OF THE STATION WILL BE JUDGED ON ITS

SCIENTIFIC MERITS AND ACHIEVEMENTS