Arctic Council
Encyclopedia
The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental
forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic
governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.
(AEPS). The Ottawa Declaration of 1996 formally established the Arctic Council as a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. The Ottawa Declaration named eight members of the Arctic Council: Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the United States, Sweden and Finland. The Arctic Council has conducted several studies on climate change, oil and gas, and Arctic shipping.
Only states with territory in the Arctic -of which there are eight- can become member of the Council. As all eight are members, the Arctic Council is a true circumpolar forum.
Observer status in the Arctic Council is open to non-Arctic states
that the Council determines can contribute to its work.
Currently six non-Arctic states have the status of Permanent Observer: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Observer states receive invitations for most meetings of the Council, such as the Meetings of Senior Arctic Officials (SAO-Meetings), the Ministerial Meetings, and many of the Working Group meetings. Their participation in projects and task forces within the Working Groups is not always possible, but this poses few problems as few Observer States show an interest to participate at such a detailed level.
Ad-hoc observer States, of which there are four plus the European Union, need to request permission for their presence at each individual meeting. Such requests are mostly granted as a matter of routine.
Only the Ministerial Meetings (once every 2 years) can decide on the granting of full observer status to ad-hoc applicants. At the last Ministerial Meeting in Tromsø
(Norway) in April 2009 the requests for full Observer status from China, the EU, Italy and Korea were not granted, basically because the 8 member states do not have a shared vision about the role of Observer States. Since then Japan has joined the ranks of Ad-hoc Observer States. The upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Council in spring 2011 in Nuuk (Greenland) will decide anew on these Observer applications. In the meantime, the Danish Chairmanship has sent out questionnaires to all six permanent and five Ad-hoc Observers for them to explain their interest in the Arctic and in the Arctic Council; to show what they can contribute to the Arctic Council, and to provide a list of their Arctic activities. It is hoped that on this basis the Member States can come to agreement on how to deal with the increased interest in Arctic affairs by non-Arctic nations.
The indigenous Permanent Participants (PP's) also have mixed views with regard to a growing group of non-Arctic Observer nations. Some of them fear that their roles will be marginalized if large players such as China and the EU will receive more attention.
Organizations of Arctic indigenous peoples, i.e. with a majority Arctic indigenous constituency, can obtain the status of Permanent Participant to the Arctic Council, but only if they represent a single indigenous people resident in more than one Arctic State or
more than one Arctic indigenous people resident in a single Arctic State. The number of Permanent Participants should at any time be less than the number of members. The category of Permanent Participants has been created to provide for active participation and full consultation with the Arctic indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council. This principle applies to all meetings and activities of the Arctic Council.
Permanent Participants may address the meetings. They may raise points of order that require immediate decision by the Chairman. Agendas of Ministerial Meetings need to be consulted beforehand with them; they may propose supplementary agenda items. When calling the twice-yearly meetings of Senior Arctic Officials, the Permanent Perticipants must have been consulted beforehand. Finally, Permanent Participants may propose cooperative activities, such as projects. All this makes the position of Arctic indigenous peoples within the Arctic Council quite unique compared to the (often marginal) role of such peoples in other international governmental fora. However, decision making in the Arctic Council remains in the hands of the eight member states, on the basis of consensus.
As of 2010, six Arctic indigenous communities have the status of Permanent Participants (or PP's) on the Council. These groups are represented by the Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), and the Saami Council
.
These indigenous organisations differ widely as to the number of people they represent and in their organisational capacities. RAIPON represents some 250.000 indigenous people of various (mostly Siberian) tribes; the ICC some 150.000 Inuit. But the Gwich'in Council and the Aleut Association each represent only a few thousand people. It is obviously quite costly for these groups to be represented at each and every meeting of the Council, especially since the meetings take place in towns and villages within the entire circumpolar realm. To enhance the capacity of the PP's to pursue the objectives of the Arctic Council and to assist them develop their internal capacity to participate and intervene in the Arctic Council meetings, the Council has established (and provides financial support to) the "Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat" (IPS). The Board of the IPS decides on the allocation of funds. The IPS is located in Copenhagen.
However prominent the role of Arctic indigenous peoples in the Arctic Council, their status as Permanent Participant does not confer onto them any legal recognition as peoples. The Ottawa Declaration, by means of which the Arctic Council was established, makes this very explicit by stating (in a footnote): "The use of the term "peoples" in this declaration shall not be construed as having any implications as regard the rights which may attach to the term under international law".
Indeed, the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007 after 22 years of negotiations, was rejected by Canada and the United States, while Russia abstained. This means that the overwhelming majority of Arctic indigenous people is not covered by this UN Declaration.
There is quite a number of them: Arctic Parliamentarians, IUCN, the International Red Cross Federation
, the Nordic Council
, the Northern Forum, UNEP, UNDP; and a handful of non-governmental organizations such as the Association of World Reindeer
Herder
s, the University of the Arctic
and the WWF
-Arctic Programme.
At the end of the two-year cycle, the Chair hosts a Ministerial-level meeting, which is the culmination of the Council's work for that period. Most of the eight member nations are represented by a Minister from their Foreign Affairs, Northern Affairs or Environment Ministry.
A formal, though non-binding, "Declaration", named for the town in which the Ministerial meeting is held, is announced, which generally sums up the past accomplishments and the future work of the Council. These Declarations cover the main topical areas that the Council is concerned with, including climate change
, sustainable development
, Arctic monitoring and assessment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other contaminants in the Arctic, and the work of the five Working Groups of the Council. The last Ministerial meetings took place October 26, 2006 in Salekhard
, Russia and April 29, 2009 in Tromsø
, Norway. A Ministerial meeting in was held in Nuuk
, Greenland on May 12, 2011. This is the first meeting since the establishment of the Arctic Council back in 1996, United States have sent representatives. Representing the United States is Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton
.
, which handles overall coordination of Council activity, which includes organizing the semi-annual meetings, hosting the Council website, and distribution of the various reports and documents pertinent to the work of the Council. Several of the member nations would like to establish a permanent Secretariat, but this idea has been consistently vetoed by the United States since the inception of the Council. The Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø hosts the Arctic Council Secretariat for the 6-year period from 2007–2013; this is based on an agreement between the three successive Scandinavian Chairs (Norway, Denmark and Sweden). This temporary Secretariat has a staff of 3.
In addition, the Arctic Council works through six Working Groups and four Programs and Action Plans:
Working Groups
Programs and Action Plans
In 2011, the Council member states concluded the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement
, the first binding treaty concluded under the Council's auspices.
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.
History of the Arctic Council
The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection StrategyArctic Environmental Protection Strategy
The Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy is a multilateral, non-binding agreement among Arctic states aimed at Arctic environment protection. Discussions began in 1989, with the AEPS adopted in June 1991 by Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the USSR, and the United States...
(AEPS). The Ottawa Declaration of 1996 formally established the Arctic Council as a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. The Ottawa Declaration named eight members of the Arctic Council: Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the United States, Sweden and Finland. The Arctic Council has conducted several studies on climate change, oil and gas, and Arctic shipping.
Member states
;; representing also the dependencies of
Ad-hoc Observer States
Only states with territory in the Arctic -of which there are eight- can become member of the Council. As all eight are members, the Arctic Council is a true circumpolar forum.
Observer status in the Arctic Council is open to non-Arctic states
that the Council determines can contribute to its work.
Currently six non-Arctic states have the status of Permanent Observer: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. Observer states receive invitations for most meetings of the Council, such as the Meetings of Senior Arctic Officials (SAO-Meetings), the Ministerial Meetings, and many of the Working Group meetings. Their participation in projects and task forces within the Working Groups is not always possible, but this poses few problems as few Observer States show an interest to participate at such a detailed level.
Ad-hoc observer States, of which there are four plus the European Union, need to request permission for their presence at each individual meeting. Such requests are mostly granted as a matter of routine.
Only the Ministerial Meetings (once every 2 years) can decide on the granting of full observer status to ad-hoc applicants. At the last Ministerial Meeting in Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
(Norway) in April 2009 the requests for full Observer status from China, the EU, Italy and Korea were not granted, basically because the 8 member states do not have a shared vision about the role of Observer States. Since then Japan has joined the ranks of Ad-hoc Observer States. The upcoming Ministerial Meeting of the Council in spring 2011 in Nuuk (Greenland) will decide anew on these Observer applications. In the meantime, the Danish Chairmanship has sent out questionnaires to all six permanent and five Ad-hoc Observers for them to explain their interest in the Arctic and in the Arctic Council; to show what they can contribute to the Arctic Council, and to provide a list of their Arctic activities. It is hoped that on this basis the Member States can come to agreement on how to deal with the increased interest in Arctic affairs by non-Arctic nations.
The indigenous Permanent Participants (PP's) also have mixed views with regard to a growing group of non-Arctic Observer nations. Some of them fear that their roles will be marginalized if large players such as China and the EU will receive more attention.
Chairmanship
As of 2009, Denmark is serving as Chair of the Council until 2011. Chairmanship of the Council rotates every two years among the eight national members. Canada (1996–1998) served as first Chair of the Arctic Council, followed by the United States (1998–2000), Finland (2000–2002), Iceland (2002–2004), Russia (2004–2006), and Norway (2006–2008). Sweden will be Chair of the Council from 2011 until 2013. Norway, Denmark and Sweden have agreed on a set of common priorities for the three chairmanships.Arctic Indigenous Peoples
Seven of the eight member states have sizeable indigenous communities living in their Arctic areas (only Iceland does not).Organizations of Arctic indigenous peoples, i.e. with a majority Arctic indigenous constituency, can obtain the status of Permanent Participant to the Arctic Council, but only if they represent a single indigenous people resident in more than one Arctic State or
more than one Arctic indigenous people resident in a single Arctic State. The number of Permanent Participants should at any time be less than the number of members. The category of Permanent Participants has been created to provide for active participation and full consultation with the Arctic indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council. This principle applies to all meetings and activities of the Arctic Council.
Permanent Participants may address the meetings. They may raise points of order that require immediate decision by the Chairman. Agendas of Ministerial Meetings need to be consulted beforehand with them; they may propose supplementary agenda items. When calling the twice-yearly meetings of Senior Arctic Officials, the Permanent Perticipants must have been consulted beforehand. Finally, Permanent Participants may propose cooperative activities, such as projects. All this makes the position of Arctic indigenous peoples within the Arctic Council quite unique compared to the (often marginal) role of such peoples in other international governmental fora. However, decision making in the Arctic Council remains in the hands of the eight member states, on the basis of consensus.
As of 2010, six Arctic indigenous communities have the status of Permanent Participants (or PP's) on the Council. These groups are represented by the Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), and the Saami Council
Saami Council
The Saami Council is an umbrella organization for Sámi organizations in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Saami Council was founded during the 2nd Sámi Conference held in Karasjok, Norway on August 18, 1956 as the Nordic Saami Council. After the first Russian Sámi organization was accepted...
.
These indigenous organisations differ widely as to the number of people they represent and in their organisational capacities. RAIPON represents some 250.000 indigenous people of various (mostly Siberian) tribes; the ICC some 150.000 Inuit. But the Gwich'in Council and the Aleut Association each represent only a few thousand people. It is obviously quite costly for these groups to be represented at each and every meeting of the Council, especially since the meetings take place in towns and villages within the entire circumpolar realm. To enhance the capacity of the PP's to pursue the objectives of the Arctic Council and to assist them develop their internal capacity to participate and intervene in the Arctic Council meetings, the Council has established (and provides financial support to) the "Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat" (IPS). The Board of the IPS decides on the allocation of funds. The IPS is located in Copenhagen.
However prominent the role of Arctic indigenous peoples in the Arctic Council, their status as Permanent Participant does not confer onto them any legal recognition as peoples. The Ottawa Declaration, by means of which the Arctic Council was established, makes this very explicit by stating (in a footnote): "The use of the term "peoples" in this declaration shall not be construed as having any implications as regard the rights which may attach to the term under international law".
Indeed, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly during its 62nd session at UN Headquarters in New York City on 13 September 2007....
, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007 after 22 years of negotiations, was rejected by Canada and the United States, while Russia abstained. This means that the overwhelming majority of Arctic indigenous people is not covered by this UN Declaration.
Observing Organisations
Inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organizations (global and regional) and non-governmental organizations that the Council determines can contribute to its work, can also obtain Observer Status to the Arctic Council.There is quite a number of them: Arctic Parliamentarians, IUCN, the International Red Cross Federation
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
, the Nordic Council
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
, the Northern Forum, UNEP, UNDP; and a handful of non-governmental organizations such as the Association of World Reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
Herder
Herder
A herder is a worker who lives a possibly semi-nomadic life, caring for various domestic animals, in places where these animals wander pasture lands....
s, the University of the Arctic
University of the Arctic
The University of the Arctic is an international cooperative network based in the circumpolar region, consisting of universities, colleges and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the North...
and the WWF
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
-Arctic Programme.
Meetings
The Arctic Council convenes approximately every six months at a site within the host Chair's nation for a Senior Arctic Officials (SAO) meeting. SAO's are high level representatives of each of the eight member nations – sometimes Ambassadors, often just senior foreign ministry officials entrusted with staff-level coordination. Representatives of the six Permanent Participants and the official Observers also are in attendance.At the end of the two-year cycle, the Chair hosts a Ministerial-level meeting, which is the culmination of the Council's work for that period. Most of the eight member nations are represented by a Minister from their Foreign Affairs, Northern Affairs or Environment Ministry.
A formal, though non-binding, "Declaration", named for the town in which the Ministerial meeting is held, is announced, which generally sums up the past accomplishments and the future work of the Council. These Declarations cover the main topical areas that the Council is concerned with, including climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
, Arctic monitoring and assessment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other contaminants in the Arctic, and the work of the five Working Groups of the Council. The last Ministerial meetings took place October 26, 2006 in Salekhard
Salekhard
-International relations:-Twin towns/sister cities:Salekhard is twinned with:*Azov, Rostov Oblast, Russia-External links:*...
, Russia and April 29, 2009 in Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, Norway. A Ministerial meeting in was held in Nuuk
Nuuk
Nuuk, is the capital of Greenland, the northernmost capital in North America and the largest city in Greenland. Located in the Nuup Kangerlua fjord, the city lies on the eastern shore of the Labrador Sea and on the west coast of Sermersooq. Nuuk is the largest cultural and economic center in...
, Greenland on May 12, 2011. This is the first meeting since the establishment of the Arctic Council back in 1996, United States have sent representatives. Representing the United States is Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
.
Coordinating the Work of the Arctic Council
Each rotating Chair nation accepts responsibility for creating a secretariatSecretariat
Secretariat may refer to:* Secretariat , racehorse that won the Triple Crown in 1973* Secretariat , 2010 film about the racehorse...
, which handles overall coordination of Council activity, which includes organizing the semi-annual meetings, hosting the Council website, and distribution of the various reports and documents pertinent to the work of the Council. Several of the member nations would like to establish a permanent Secretariat, but this idea has been consistently vetoed by the United States since the inception of the Council. The Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø hosts the Arctic Council Secretariat for the 6-year period from 2007–2013; this is based on an agreement between the three successive Scandinavian Chairs (Norway, Denmark and Sweden). This temporary Secretariat has a staff of 3.
In addition, the Arctic Council works through six Working Groups and four Programs and Action Plans:
Working Groups
- Arctic Monitoring & Assessment Programme (AMAP)
- Conservation of Arctic Flora & Fauna
- Emergency Prevention, Preparedness & Response (EPPR)
- Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Working Group is a subdvision of the Arctic Council. It is one of the six working groups that currently comprises the Council....
- Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG)
- Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) (since 2006)
Programs and Action Plans
- Arctic Biodiversity Assessment
- Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP)
- Arctic Climate Impact AssessmentArctic Climate Impact AssessmentThe Arctic Climate Impact Assessment is a study describing the ongoing climate change in the Arctic and its consequences: rising temperatures, loss of sea ice, unprecedented melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and many impacts on ecosystems, animals, and people...
- Arctic Human Development Report
In 2011, the Council member states concluded the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement
Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement
The Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic, or in short the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement, is an international treaty concluded among the member states of the Arctic Council – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the...
, the first binding treaty concluded under the Council's auspices.
See also
- Barents Euro-Arctic Council
- Arctic Climate Impact AssessmentArctic Climate Impact AssessmentThe Arctic Climate Impact Assessment is a study describing the ongoing climate change in the Arctic and its consequences: rising temperatures, loss of sea ice, unprecedented melting of the Greenland ice sheet, and many impacts on ecosystems, animals, and people...
- International Arctic Science CommitteeInternational Arctic Science CommitteeThe International Arctic Science Committee is a non-governmental organization which is composed of international science groups participating in arctic science research. IASC is an International Scientific Associate of ICSU, and was established in 1990...
- United Nations Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment ProgrammeThe United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaThe United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
- Antarctic Treaty SystemAntarctic Treaty SystemThe Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land...
- Ilulissat DeclarationIlulissat DeclarationThe Ilulissat Declaration was announced on May 28, 2008 by five Arctic circumpolar nations meeting at the political level during the Arctic Ocean Conference in Ilulissat, Greenland to discuss the Arctic ocean, climate change, the protection of the marine environment, maritime safety, and division...
- Arctic Cooperation and PoliticsArctic Cooperation and PoliticsArctic cooperation and politics are partially coordinated via the Arctic Council, composed of the eight Arctic nations of the United States of America, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Denmark with Greenland and The Faroe Islands...
External links
- www.arctic-council.org – Arctic Council Documentaries and films about Arctic and Inuit