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Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic region. At present, eight countries exercise sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle, and these constitute the member states of the council: Canada; Denmark; Finland; Iceland; Norway; Russia; Sweden; and the United States. Other countries or national groups can be admitted as observer states, while organizations representing the concerns of indigenous peoples can be admitted as indigenous permanent participants.[1]

Arctic Council
  members
  observers
FormationSeptember 19, 1996; 27 years ago (1996-09-19) (Ottawa Declaration)
TypeIntergovernmental organization
PurposeForum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities
HeadquartersTromsø, Norway (since 2012)
Membership
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • Iceland
  • Norway
  • Russia
  • Sweden
  • United States
Main organ
Secretariat
Websitearctic-council.org

History edit

The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when the eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). The 1996 Ottawa Declaration[2] established the Arctic Council[3] as a forum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on issues such as sustainable development and environmental protection.[4][5] The Arctic Council has conducted studies on climate change, oil and gas, and Arctic shipping.[1][5][6][7]

In 2011, the Council member states concluded the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement, the first binding treaty concluded under the council's auspices.[5][8]

On March 3, 2022, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States declared that they will not attend meetings of the Arctic Council under Russian chairmanship because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[9][10] The same countries issued a second statement on June 8, 2022 that declared their intent to resume cooperation on a limited number of previously approved Arctic Council projects that do not involve Russian leadership or participation.[11][12]

Membership and participation edit

The council is made up of member and observer states, Indigenous "permanent participants", and observer organizations.[1]

States edit

Member states edit

Only states with territory in the Arctic can be members of the council. The member states consist of the following:[1]

  • Canada
  • Denmark; representing Greenland
  • Finland
  • Iceland
  • Norway
  • Russia
  • Sweden
  • United States

Observer states edit

Observer status is open to non-Arctic states approved by the Council at the Ministerial Meetings that occur once every two years. Observers have no voting rights in the council. As of September 2021, thirteen non-Arctic states have observer status.[13] Observer states receive invitations for most Council 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 want to participate at such a detailed level.[5][14]

As of 2021, observer states included:[13]

  • Germany, 1998
  • Netherlands, 1998
  • Poland, 1998
  • United Kingdom, 1998
  • France, 2000
  • Spain, 2006
  • China, 2013
  • India, 2013
  • Italy, 2013
  • Japan, 2013
  • South Korea, 2013
  • Singapore, 2013
  • Switzerland, 2017

In 2011, the Council clarified its criteria for admission of observers, most notably including a requirement of applicants to "recognize Arctic States' sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the Arctic" and "recognize that an extensive legal framework applies to the Arctic Ocean including, notably, the Law of the Sea, and that this framework provides a solid foundation for responsible management of this ocean".[5]

Pending observer states edit

Pending observer states need to request permission for their presence at each individual meeting; such requests are routine and most of them are granted. At the 2013 Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden, the European Union (EU) requested full observer status. It was not granted, mostly because the members do not agree with the EU ban on hunting seals.[15]

The role of observers was re-evaluated, as were the criteria for admission. As a result, the distinction between permanent and ad hoc observers were dropped.[15]

Indigenous permanent participants edit

Seven of the eight-member states have sizeable indigenous communities living in their Arctic areas (only Iceland does not have an indigenous community). Organizations of Arctic Indigenous Peoples can obtain the status of Permanent Participant to the Arctic Council,[5] but only if they represent either one indigenous group residing in more than one Arctic State, or two or more Arctic indigenous peoples groups 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.[citation needed]

Permanent Participants may address the meetings. They may raise points of order that require an 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 biannual meetings of Senior Arctic Officials, the Permanent Participants must have been consulted beforehand. Moreover, though only states have a right to vote in the Arctic Council, the permanent participants must, according to the Ottawa Declaration be fully consulted, which is close to de facto power of veto should they all reject a particular proposal.[16] This mandatory consultation process matches the consultation and « free, prior and informed consent » (FPIC) requirement mentioned in the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Finally, Permanent Participants may propose cooperative activities, such as projects. All this makes the position of Arctic indigenous peoples within the Arctic Council quite influential compared to the (often marginal) role of such peoples in other international governmental fora. The status of "permanent participant" is indeed unique and enables circumpolar peoples to be seated at the same table as states' delegations while in any other international organization it is not the case. Nevertheless, decision-making in the Arctic Council remains in the hands of the eight-member states, on the basis of consensus.[citation needed]

As of 2023, six Arctic indigenous communities have Permanent Participant status.[5] These groups are represented by

However prominent the role of indigenous peoples, the Permanent Participant status does not confer any legal recognition as peoples. The Ottawa Declaration, the Arctic Council's founding document, explicitly states (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."[citation needed]

The Indigenous Permanent Participants are assisted by the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat.[1]


Observer organizations edit

Approved intergovernmental organizations and Inter-parliamentary institutions (both global and regional), as well as non-governmental organizations can also obtain Observer Status.[13]

Organizations with observer status currently include the Arctic Parliamentarians,[23] International Union for Conservation of Nature, the International Red Cross Federation, the Nordic Council, the Northern Forum,[24] United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme; the Association of World Reindeer Herders,[25] Oceana,[26] the University of the Arctic, and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Arctic Programme.[citation needed]

Administrative aspects edit

 
Foreign Minister Timo Soini of Finland chairs the May 2019 ministerial meeting.

Meetings edit

The Arctic Council convenes every six months somewhere in the Chair's country for a Senior Arctic Officials (SAO) meeting. SAOs are high-level representatives from the eight-member nations. Sometimes they are ambassadors, but often they are senior foreign ministry officials entrusted with staff-level coordination. Representatives of the six Permanent Participants and the official Observers also are in attendance.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

A formal, although non-binding, "Declaration", named for the town in which the meeting is held, sums up the past accomplishments and the future work of the council. These Declarations cover climate change, sustainable development, Arctic monitoring and assessment, persistent organic pollutants and other contaminants, and the work of the council's five Working Groups.[citation needed]

Arctic Council members agreed to action points on protecting the Arctic but most have never materialized.[27]

List of Arctic Council Ministerial Meetings
Date(s) City Country
17–18 September 1998 Iqaluit Canada
13 October 2000 Barrow United States
10 October 2002 Inari Finland
24 November 2004 Reykjavík Iceland
26 October 2006 Salekhard Russia
29 April 2009 Tromsø Norway
12 May 2011 Nuuk Greenland, Denmark
15 May 2013 Kiruna Sweden
24 April 2015 Iqaluit Canada
10–11 May 2017 Fairbanks United States
7 May 2019 Rovaniemi Finland
19–20 May 2021 Reykjavík Iceland

Chairmanship edit

Chairmanship of the Council rotates every two years.[28] The current chair is Norway, which serves until the Ministerial meeting in 2025.[29]

  • Canada (1996–1998)[30]
  • United States (1998–2000)[31]
  • Finland (2000–2002)[32]
  • Iceland (2002–2004)[32]
  • Russia (2004–2006)[32]
  • Norway (2006–2009)[32]
  • Denmark (2009–2011)[32][33]
  • Sweden (2011–2013)[28][34]
  • Canada (2013–2015)[35]
  • United States (2015–2017)[31]
  • Finland (2017–2019)[36][37]
  • Iceland (2019–2021)
  • Russia (2021–2023)
  • Norway (2023-2025)

Norway, Denmark, and Sweden have agreed on a set of common priorities for the three chairmanships. They also agreed to a shared secretariat 2006–2013.[32]

The secretariat edit

Each rotating Chair nation accepts responsibility for maintaining the secretariat, which handles the administrative aspects of the council, including organizing semiannual meetings, hosting the website, and distributing reports and documents. The Norwegian Polar Institute hosted the Arctic Council Secretariat for the six-year period from 2007 to 2013; this was based on an agreement between the three successive Scandinavian Chairs, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. This temporary Secretariat had a staff of three.[citation needed]

In 2012, the Council moved towards creating a permanent secretariat in Tromsø, Norway.[5][38]

Past Directors edit

  • Magnús Jóhannesson (Iceland) February 2013-October 2017[39]
  • Nina Buvang Vaaja (Norway) October 2017-August 2021[40]
  • Mathieu Parker (Canada) August 2021 – Present

The Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat edit

It is costly for the Permanent participants to be represented at every Council meeting, especially since they take place across the entire circumpolar realm. To enhance the capacity of the PPs to pursue the objectives of the Arctic Council and to assist them to develop their internal capacity to participate and intervene in Council meetings, the Council provides financial support to the Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat (IPS).[41]

The IPS board decides on the allocation of the funds. The IPS was established in 1994 under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). It was based in Copenhagen until 2016 when it relocated to Tromsø.[citation needed]

In September 2017, Anna Degteva replaced Elle Merete Omma as the executive secretary for the Indigenous Peoples´ Secretariat.[42]

Working groups, programs and action plans edit

Arctic Council working groups document Arctic problems and challenges such as sea ice loss, glacier melting, tundra thawing, increase of mercury in food chains, and ocean acidification affecting the entire marine ecosystem.[citation needed]

The six Arctic Council workings groups:

Programs and action plans edit

Security and geopolitical issues edit

Before signing the Ottawa Declaration, a footnote was added stating; "The Arctic Council should not deal with matters related to military security".[51] In 2019, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that circumstances had changed and "the region has become an arena for power and for competition. And the eight Arctic states must adapt to this new future".[52] The council is often in the middle of security and geopolitical issues since the Arctic has peculiar interests to Member States and Observers. Changes in the Arctic environment and participants of the Arctic Council have led to a reconsideration of the relationship between geopolitical matters and the role of the Arctic Council.[citation needed]

Disputes over land and ocean in the Arctic had been extremely limited. The only outstanding land dispute was between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island, which was resolved in the summer of 2022 with agreement to split the island in half.[53] There are oceanic claims between the United States and Canada in the Beaufort Sea.[54][55]

 
Claims to the Arctic Seabed and Arctic Sea.

The major territorial disputes are over exclusive rights to the seabed under the central Arctic high seas. Due to climate change and melting of the Arctic sea-ice, more energy resources and waterways are now becoming accessible. Large reserves of oil, gas and minerals are located within the Arctic. This environmental factor generated territorial disputes among member states. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows states to extend their exclusive right to exploit resources on and in the continental shelf if they can prove that seabed more than 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) from baselines is a "natural prolongation" of the land. Canada, Russia, and Denmark (via Greenland) have all submitted partially overlapping claims to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), which is charged with confirming the continental shelf's outer limits. Once the CLCS makes its rulings, Russia, Denmark, and Canada will need to negotiate to divide their overlapping claims.[56]

Disputes also exist over the nature of the Northwest Passage and the Northeast Passage / Northern Sea Route. Canada claims the entire Northwest Passage are Canadian Internal Waters, which means Canada would have total control over which ships may enter the channel. The United States believes the Passage is an international strait, which would mean any ship could transit at any time, and Canada could not close the Passage. Russia's claims over the Northern Sea Route are significantly different. Russia only claims small segments of the Northern Sea Route around straits as internal waters. However, Russia requires all commercial vessels to request and obtain permission to navigate in a large area of the Russian Arctic exclusive economic zone under Article 234 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which grants coastal states greater powers over ice-covered waters.

Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage arouses substantial public concern in Canada. A poll indicated that half of Canadian respondents said Canada should try to assert its full sovereignty rights over the Beaufort Sea compared to just 10 percent of Americans.[57] New commercial trans-Arctic shipping routes can be another factor of conflicts. A poll found that Canadians perceive the Northwest Passage as their internal Canadian waterway whereas other countries assert it is an international waterway.[57]

The increase in the number of observer states drew attention to other national security issues. Observers have demonstrated their interests in the Arctic region. China has explicitly shown its desire to extract natural resources in Greenland.[58]

Military infrastructure is another point to consider. Canada, Denmark, Norway and Russia are rapidly increasing their defence presence by building up their militaries in the Arctic and developing their building infrastructure.[59]

However, some say that the Arctic Council facilitates stability despite possible conflicts among member states.[5] Norwegian Admiral Haakon Bruun-Hanssen has suggested that the Arctic is "probably the most stable area in the world". They say that laws are well established and followed.[58] Member states think that the sharing cost of the development of Arctic shipping-lanes, research, etc., by cooperation and good relationships between states is beneficial to all.[60]

Looking at these two different perspectives, some suggest that the Arctic Council should expand its role by including peace and security issues as its agenda. A 2010 survey showed that large majorities of respondents in Norway, Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark were very supportive on the issues of an Arctic nuclear-weapons free zone.[61] Although only a small majority of Russian respondents supported such measures, more than 80 percent of them agreed that the Arctic Council should cover peace-building issues.[62] Paul Berkman suggests that solving security matters in the Arctic Council could save members the much larger amount of time required to reach a decision in United Nations. However, as of June 2014, military security matters are often avoided.[63] The focus on science and resource protection and management is seen as a priority, which could be diluted or strained by the discussion of geopolitical security issues.[64]

See also edit

References edit

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  2. ^ "Arctic Council: Founding Documents". Arctic Council Document Archive. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Axworthy, Thomas S. (March 29, 2010). "Canada bypasses key players in Arctic meeting". The Toronto Star. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Savage, Luiza Ch. (May 13, 2013). "Why everyone wants a piece of the Arctic". Maclean's. Rogers Digital Media. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Buixadé Farré, Albert; Stephenson, Scott R.; Chen, Linling; Czub, Michael; Dai, Ying; Demchev, Denis; Efimov, Yaroslav; Graczyk, Piotr; Grythe, Henrik; Keil, Kathrin; Kivekäs, Niku; Kumar, Naresh; Liu, Nengye; Matelenok, Igor; Myksvoll, Mari; O'Leary, Derek; Olsen, Julia; Pavithran .A.P., Sachin; Petersen, Edward; Raspotnik, Andreas; Ryzhov, Ivan; Solski, Jan; Suo, Lingling; Troein, Caroline; Valeeva, Vilena; van Rijckevorsel, Jaap; Wighting, Jonathan (October 16, 2014). "Commercial Arctic shipping through the Northeast Passage: Routes, resources, governance, technology, and infrastructure". Polar Geography. 37 (4): 298–324. doi:10.1080/1088937X.2014.965769.
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  27. ^ Press briefing, Arctic Council Annual Meeting, Nuuk May 2011 Stop talking – start protecting 2012.
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  38. ^ "Travel of Deputy Secretary Burns to Sweden and Estonia". State.gov. May 14, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  39. ^ Secretariat, Arctic Council (2018). "Arctic Council Secretariat annual report 2017".
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  41. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011.
  42. ^ Arctic Council Secretariat (2018). "Arctic Council Secretariat annual report 2017".
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  44. ^ "Conservation of Arctic Flora & Fauna (CAFF)". Caff.is. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  45. ^ "Emergency Prevention, Preparedness & Response". Eppr.arctic-council.org. June 4, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  46. ^ "Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment". Pame.is. June 13, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  47. ^ "Oops! We couldn't find this page for you". Arctic Portal.
  48. ^ . Portal.sdwg.org. August 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
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  50. ^ Arctic Biodiversity Assessment August 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  51. ^ "Declaration on the Establishment of the Arctic Council (Ottawa, Canada, 1996)". May 10, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  52. ^ Dams, Ties; van Schaik, Louise; Stoetman, Adája (2020). Presence before power: why China became a near-Arctic state (Report). Clingendael Institute. pp. 6–19. JSTOR resrep24677.5.
  53. ^ "Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark, together with Greenland, reach historic agreement on long-standing boundary disputes". Government of Canada. June 14, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
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  55. ^ . Archived from the original on June 13, 2007.
  56. ^ Overfield, Cornell (April 21, 2021). "An Off-the-Shelf Guide to Extended Continental Shelves and the Arctic". Lawfare. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  57. ^ a b Jill Mahoney. "Canadians rank Arctic sovereignty as top foreign-policy priority". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  58. ^ a b "Outsiders in the Arctic: The roar of ice cracking". The Economist. February 2, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  59. ^ . Americansecurityproject.org. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  60. ^ "Arctic politics: Cosy amid the thaw". The Economist. March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  61. ^ Rethinking the Top of the World: Arctic Security Public Opinion Survey April 8, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, EKOS, January 2011
  62. ^ Janice Gross Stein And Thomas S. Axworthy. "The Arctic Council is the best way for Canada to resolve its territorial disputes". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  63. ^ Berkman, Paul (June 23, 2014). "Stability and Peace in the Arctic Ocean through Science Diplomacy". Science & Diplomacy. 3 (2).
  64. ^ "U.S.-Russia Relations Are Frosty But They're Toasty On The Arctic Council". npr.org. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

Bibliography edit

  • Danita Catherine Burke. 2020. Diplomacy and the Arctic Council. McGill Queen University Press.

External links edit

  • www.arctic-council.org – Arctic Council

arctic, council, high, level, intergovernmental, forum, that, addresses, issues, faced, arctic, governments, indigenous, people, arctic, region, present, eight, countries, exercise, sovereignty, over, lands, within, arctic, circle, these, constitute, member, s. The Arctic Council is a high level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic region At present eight countries exercise sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle and these constitute the member states of the council Canada Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Russia Sweden and the United States Other countries or national groups can be admitted as observer states while organizations representing the concerns of indigenous peoples can be admitted as indigenous permanent participants 1 Arctic CouncilArktisk Rad Danish Arktinen neuvosto Finnish Conseil de l Arctique French Issittumi Siunnersuisoqatigiit Greenlandic Nordurskautsradid Icelandic ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᒥ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ Inuktitut Arktalas rađđi Northern Sami Arktisk rad Norwegian Arkticheskij sovet Russian Arktiska radet Swedish members observersFormationSeptember 19 1996 27 years ago 1996 09 19 Ottawa Declaration TypeIntergovernmental organizationPurposeForum for promoting cooperation coordination and interaction among the Arctic states with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communitiesHeadquartersTromso Norway since 2012 MembershipCanadaDenmarkFinlandIcelandNorwayRussiaSwedenUnited StatesMain organSecretariatWebsitearctic council org Contents 1 History 2 Membership and participation 2 1 States 2 1 1 Member states 2 1 2 Observer states 2 1 2 1 Pending observer states 2 2 Indigenous permanent participants 2 3 Observer organizations 3 Administrative aspects 3 1 Meetings 3 2 Chairmanship 3 3 The secretariat 3 3 1 Past Directors 3 4 The Indigenous Peoples Secretariat 3 5 Working groups programs and action plans 3 5 1 Programs and action plans 4 Security and geopolitical issues 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory editThe first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when the eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy AEPS The 1996 Ottawa Declaration 2 established the Arctic Council 3 as a forum for promoting cooperation coordination and interaction among the Arctic states with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on issues such as sustainable development and environmental protection 4 5 The Arctic Council has conducted studies on climate change oil and gas and Arctic shipping 1 5 6 7 In 2011 the Council member states concluded the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement the first binding treaty concluded under the council s auspices 5 8 On March 3 2022 Canada Denmark Finland Iceland Norway Sweden and the United States declared that they will not attend meetings of the Arctic Council under Russian chairmanship because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine 9 10 The same countries issued a second statement on June 8 2022 that declared their intent to resume cooperation on a limited number of previously approved Arctic Council projects that do not involve Russian leadership or participation 11 12 Membership and participation editThe council is made up of member and observer states Indigenous permanent participants and observer organizations 1 States edit Member states edit Only states with territory in the Arctic can be members of the council The member states consist of the following 1 Canada Denmark representing Greenland Finland Iceland Norway Russia Sweden United StatesObserver states edit Observer status is open to non Arctic states approved by the Council at the Ministerial Meetings that occur once every two years Observers have no voting rights in the council As of September 2021 thirteen non Arctic states have observer status 13 Observer states receive invitations for most Council 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 want to participate at such a detailed level 5 14 As of 2021 update observer states included 13 Germany 1998 Netherlands 1998 Poland 1998 United Kingdom 1998 France 2000 Spain 2006 China 2013 India 2013 Italy 2013 Japan 2013 South Korea 2013 Singapore 2013 Switzerland 2017In 2011 the Council clarified its criteria for admission of observers most notably including a requirement of applicants to recognize Arctic States sovereignty sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the Arctic and recognize that an extensive legal framework applies to the Arctic Ocean including notably the Law of the Sea and that this framework provides a solid foundation for responsible management of this ocean 5 Pending observer states edit Pending observer states need to request permission for their presence at each individual meeting such requests are routine and most of them are granted At the 2013 Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna Sweden the European Union EU requested full observer status It was not granted mostly because the members do not agree with the EU ban on hunting seals 15 The role of observers was re evaluated as were the criteria for admission As a result the distinction between permanent and ad hoc observers were dropped 15 Indigenous permanent participants edit Seven of the eight member states have sizeable indigenous communities living in their Arctic areas only Iceland does not have an indigenous community Organizations of Arctic Indigenous Peoples can obtain the status of Permanent Participant to the Arctic Council 5 but only if they represent either one indigenous group residing in more than one Arctic State or two or more Arctic indigenous peoples groups 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 citation needed Permanent Participants may address the meetings They may raise points of order that require an 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 biannual meetings of Senior Arctic Officials the Permanent Participants must have been consulted beforehand Moreover though only states have a right to vote in the Arctic Council the permanent participants must according to the Ottawa Declaration be fully consulted which is close to de facto power of veto should they all reject a particular proposal 16 This mandatory consultation process matches the consultation and free prior and informed consent FPIC requirement mentioned in the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Finally Permanent Participants may propose cooperative activities such as projects All this makes the position of Arctic indigenous peoples within the Arctic Council quite influential compared to the often marginal role of such peoples in other international governmental fora The status of permanent participant is indeed unique and enables circumpolar peoples to be seated at the same table as states delegations while in any other international organization it is not the case Nevertheless decision making in the Arctic Council remains in the hands of the eight member states on the basis of consensus citation needed As of 2023 six Arctic indigenous communities have Permanent Participant status 5 These groups are represented by The Aleut International Association AIA representing more than 15 000 Aleut in Russia and the United States Alaska 17 The Arctic Athabaskan Council AAC representing 45 000 Athabaskan peoples in Canada Northwest Territories and Yukon and the United States Alaska 18 The Gwich in Council International GCI representing 9 000 Gwich in people in Canada Northwest Territories and Yukon and the United States Alaska 19 The Inuit Circumpolar Council ICC representing 180 000 Inuit in Canada Greenland Russia Chukotka and the United States Alaska 20 The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North RAIPON representing 250 000 indigenous peoples of the North Siberia and the Far East 21 The Saami Council representing more than 100 000 Sami of Finland Norway Russia and Sweden 22 However prominent the role of indigenous peoples the Permanent Participant status does not confer any legal recognition as peoples The Ottawa Declaration the Arctic Council s founding document explicitly states 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 citation needed The Indigenous Permanent Participants are assisted by the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat 1 Observer organizations edit Approved intergovernmental organizations and Inter parliamentary institutions both global and regional as well as non governmental organizations can also obtain Observer Status 13 Organizations with observer status currently include the Arctic Parliamentarians 23 International Union for Conservation of Nature the International Red Cross Federation the Nordic Council the Northern Forum 24 United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme the Association of World Reindeer Herders 25 Oceana 26 the University of the Arctic and the World Wide Fund for Nature Arctic Programme citation needed Administrative aspects edit nbsp Foreign Minister Timo Soini of Finland chairs the May 2019 ministerial meeting Meetings edit The Arctic Council convenes every six months somewhere in the Chair s country for a Senior Arctic Officials SAO meeting SAOs are high level representatives from the eight member nations Sometimes they are ambassadors but often they are senior foreign ministry officials entrusted with staff level coordination Representatives of the six Permanent Participants and the official Observers also are in attendance citation needed 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 citation needed A formal although non binding Declaration named for the town in which the meeting is held sums up the past accomplishments and the future work of the council These Declarations cover climate change sustainable development Arctic monitoring and assessment persistent organic pollutants and other contaminants and the work of the council s five Working Groups citation needed Arctic Council members agreed to action points on protecting the Arctic but most have never materialized 27 List of Arctic Council Ministerial Meetings Date s City Country17 18 September 1998 Iqaluit Canada13 October 2000 Barrow United States10 October 2002 Inari Finland24 November 2004 Reykjavik Iceland26 October 2006 Salekhard Russia29 April 2009 Tromso Norway12 May 2011 Nuuk Greenland Denmark15 May 2013 Kiruna Sweden24 April 2015 Iqaluit Canada10 11 May 2017 Fairbanks United States7 May 2019 Rovaniemi Finland19 20 May 2021 Reykjavik IcelandChairmanship edit Chairmanship of the Council rotates every two years 28 The current chair is Norway which serves until the Ministerial meeting in 2025 29 Canada 1996 1998 30 United States 1998 2000 31 Finland 2000 2002 32 Iceland 2002 2004 32 Russia 2004 2006 32 Norway 2006 2009 32 Denmark 2009 2011 32 33 Sweden 2011 2013 28 34 Canada 2013 2015 35 United States 2015 2017 31 Finland 2017 2019 36 37 Iceland 2019 2021 Russia 2021 2023 Norway 2023 2025 Norway Denmark and Sweden have agreed on a set of common priorities for the three chairmanships They also agreed to a shared secretariat 2006 2013 32 The secretariat edit Each rotating Chair nation accepts responsibility for maintaining the secretariat which handles the administrative aspects of the council including organizing semiannual meetings hosting the website and distributing reports and documents The Norwegian Polar Institute hosted the Arctic Council Secretariat for the six year period from 2007 to 2013 this was based on an agreement between the three successive Scandinavian Chairs Norway Denmark and Sweden This temporary Secretariat had a staff of three citation needed In 2012 the Council moved towards creating a permanent secretariat in Tromso Norway 5 38 Past Directors edit Magnus Johannesson Iceland February 2013 October 2017 39 Nina Buvang Vaaja Norway October 2017 August 2021 40 Mathieu Parker Canada August 2021 PresentThe Indigenous Peoples Secretariat edit Main article Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat It is costly for the Permanent participants to be represented at every Council meeting especially since they take place across the entire circumpolar realm To enhance the capacity of the PPs to pursue the objectives of the Arctic Council and to assist them to develop their internal capacity to participate and intervene in Council meetings the Council provides financial support to the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat IPS 41 The IPS board decides on the allocation of the funds The IPS was established in 1994 under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy AEPS It was based in Copenhagen until 2016 when it relocated to Tromso citation needed In September 2017 Anna Degteva replaced Elle Merete Omma as the executive secretary for the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat 42 Working groups programs and action plans edit Arctic Council working groups document Arctic problems and challenges such as sea ice loss glacier melting tundra thawing increase of mercury in food chains and ocean acidification affecting the entire marine ecosystem citation needed The six Arctic Council workings groups Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme 43 AMAP Conservation of Arctic Flora amp Fauna 44 CAFF Emergency Prevention Preparedness amp Response 45 EPPR Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment 46 47 PAME Sustainable Development Working Group 48 SDWG Arctic Contaminants Action Program ACAP since 2006 49 Programs and action plans edit Arctic Biodiversity Assessment 50 Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program CBMP Arctic Climate Impact Assessment Arctic Human Development ReportSecurity and geopolitical issues editMain article Territorial claims in the Arctic Before signing the Ottawa Declaration a footnote was added stating The Arctic Council should not deal with matters related to military security 51 In 2019 United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that circumstances had changed and the region has become an arena for power and for competition And the eight Arctic states must adapt to this new future 52 The council is often in the middle of security and geopolitical issues since the Arctic has peculiar interests to Member States and Observers Changes in the Arctic environment and participants of the Arctic Council have led to a reconsideration of the relationship between geopolitical matters and the role of the Arctic Council citation needed Disputes over land and ocean in the Arctic had been extremely limited The only outstanding land dispute was between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island which was resolved in the summer of 2022 with agreement to split the island in half 53 There are oceanic claims between the United States and Canada in the Beaufort Sea 54 55 nbsp Claims to the Arctic Seabed and Arctic Sea The major territorial disputes are over exclusive rights to the seabed under the central Arctic high seas Due to climate change and melting of the Arctic sea ice more energy resources and waterways are now becoming accessible Large reserves of oil gas and minerals are located within the Arctic This environmental factor generated territorial disputes among member states The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows states to extend their exclusive right to exploit resources on and in the continental shelf if they can prove that seabed more than 200 nautical miles 370 km 230 mi from baselines is a natural prolongation of the land Canada Russia and Denmark via Greenland have all submitted partially overlapping claims to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf CLCS which is charged with confirming the continental shelf s outer limits Once the CLCS makes its rulings Russia Denmark and Canada will need to negotiate to divide their overlapping claims 56 Disputes also exist over the nature of the Northwest Passage and the Northeast Passage Northern Sea Route Canada claims the entire Northwest Passage are Canadian Internal Waters which means Canada would have total control over which ships may enter the channel The United States believes the Passage is an international strait which would mean any ship could transit at any time and Canada could not close the Passage Russia s claims over the Northern Sea Route are significantly different Russia only claims small segments of the Northern Sea Route around straits as internal waters However Russia requires all commercial vessels to request and obtain permission to navigate in a large area of the Russian Arctic exclusive economic zone under Article 234 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea which grants coastal states greater powers over ice covered waters Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Passage arouses substantial public concern in Canada A poll indicated that half of Canadian respondents said Canada should try to assert its full sovereignty rights over the Beaufort Sea compared to just 10 percent of Americans 57 New commercial trans Arctic shipping routes can be another factor of conflicts A poll found that Canadians perceive the Northwest Passage as their internal Canadian waterway whereas other countries assert it is an international waterway 57 The increase in the number of observer states drew attention to other national security issues Observers have demonstrated their interests in the Arctic region China has explicitly shown its desire to extract natural resources in Greenland 58 Military infrastructure is another point to consider Canada Denmark Norway and Russia are rapidly increasing their defence presence by building up their militaries in the Arctic and developing their building infrastructure 59 However some say that the Arctic Council facilitates stability despite possible conflicts among member states 5 Norwegian Admiral Haakon Bruun Hanssen has suggested that the Arctic is probably the most stable area in the world They say that laws are well established and followed 58 Member states think that the sharing cost of the development of Arctic shipping lanes research etc by cooperation and good relationships between states is beneficial to all 60 Looking at these two different perspectives some suggest that the Arctic Council should expand its role by including peace and security issues as its agenda A 2010 survey showed that large majorities of respondents in Norway Canada Finland Iceland and Denmark were very supportive on the issues of an Arctic nuclear weapons free zone 61 Although only a small majority of Russian respondents supported such measures more than 80 percent of them agreed that the Arctic Council should cover peace building issues 62 Paul Berkman suggests that solving security matters in the Arctic Council could save members the much larger amount of time required to reach a decision in United Nations However as of June 2014 military security matters are often avoided 63 The focus on science and resource protection and management is seen as a priority which could be diluted or strained by the discussion of geopolitical security issues 64 See also editArctic Economic Council Arctic cooperation and politics Arctic policy of Canada Arctic Council Chair 2013 2015 Arctic policy of the United States Arctic Council Chair 2015 2017 Antarctic Treaty System Ilulissat Declaration International Arctic Science Committee United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaReferences edit a b c d e About the Arctic Council The Arctic Council April 7 2011 Retrieved September 17 2021 Arctic Council Founding Documents Arctic Council Document Archive Retrieved September 5 2013 Axworthy Thomas S March 29 2010 Canada bypasses key players in Arctic meeting The Toronto Star Retrieved September 5 2013 Savage Luiza Ch May 13 2013 Why everyone wants a piece of the Arctic Maclean s Rogers Digital Media Retrieved September 5 2013 a b c d e f g h i Buixade Farre Albert Stephenson Scott R Chen Linling Czub Michael Dai Ying Demchev Denis Efimov Yaroslav Graczyk Piotr Grythe Henrik Keil Kathrin Kivekas Niku Kumar Naresh Liu Nengye Matelenok Igor Myksvoll Mari O Leary Derek Olsen Julia Pavithran A P Sachin Petersen Edward Raspotnik Andreas Ryzhov Ivan Solski Jan Suo Lingling Troein Caroline Valeeva Vilena van Rijckevorsel Jaap Wighting Jonathan October 16 2014 Commercial Arctic shipping through the Northeast Passage Routes resources governance technology and infrastructure Polar Geography 37 4 298 324 doi 10 1080 1088937X 2014 965769 Lawson W Brigham September October 2021 Think Again The Arctic Foreign Policy Archived from the original on October 13 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 Brigham L McCalla R Cunningham E Barr W VanderZwaag D Chircop A Santos Pedro V M MacDonald R Harder S Ellis B Snyder J Huntington H Skjoldal H Gold M Williams M Wojhan T Williams M Falkingham J 2009 Brigham Lawson Santos Pedro V M Juurmaa K eds Arctic marine shipping assessment AMSA PDF Norway Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment PAME Arctic Council Archived PDF from the original on January 28 2016 Koring Paul May 12 2011 Arctic treaty leaves much undecided The Globe and Mail Retrieved May 13 2011 Joint Statement on Arctic Council Cooperation following Russia s Invasion of Ukraine March 3 2022 Retrieved March 3 2022 Canada six other states pull back from Arctic Council in protest over Ukraine ctvnews ca March 3 2022 Archived from the original on March 4 2022 Canada Global Affairs June 8 2022 Joint statement on limited resumption of Arctic Council cooperation www canada ca Retrieved July 24 2022 Schreiber Melody June 8 2022 Arctic Council nations to resume limited cooperation without Russia ArcticToday Retrieved July 24 2022 a b c Observers Arctic Council Secretariat 2021 Arctic Council Retrieved September 15 2021 Ghattas Kim May 14 2013 Arctic Council John Kerry steps into Arctic diplomacy Bbc co uk Retrieved September 24 2013 a b The EU and the Arctic Council April 20 2015 Archived from the original on November 17 2018 Koivurova T amp Heinamaki L 2006 The participation of indigenous peoples in international norm making in the Arctic Polar Record 42 2 101 109 Aleut International Association Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Arctic Athabaskan Council Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Gwich in Council International Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Gwich in Council International Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Saami Council Arctic Council Retrieved September 17 2021 Arctic Parliamentarians Arcticparl org Retrieved September 24 2013 Northern Forum Northern Forum Retrieved September 24 2013 Association of World Reindeer Herders Archived from the original on September 28 2007 The Arctic Council Press briefing Arctic Council Annual Meeting Nuuk May 2011 Stop talking start protecting 2012 a b Troniak Shauna May 1 2013 Canada as Chair of the Arctic Council HillNotes Library of Parliament Research Publications Archived from the original on June 29 2013 Retrieved September 6 2013 Norway Chairs Arctic Council Retrieved May 12 2023 Canadian Chairmanship Program 2013 2015 Arctic Council Retrieved January 22 2018 a b Secretary Tillerson Chairs 10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting U S Department of State Retrieved January 22 2018 a b c d e f Arctic Council Secretariat Arctic Council Retrieved January 22 2018 The Kingdom of Denmark Chairmanship of the Arctic Council 2009 2011 Arctic Council April 29 2009 Council of American Ambassadors Council of American Ambassadors Retrieved January 22 2018 Category About April 7 2011 The Norwegian Danish Swedish common objectives for their Arctic Council chairmanships 2006 2013 Arctic Council Archived from the original on September 27 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 The Arctic Council Arctic Council Finland s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2017 2019 Ministry for Foreign Affairs Travel of Deputy Secretary Burns to Sweden and Estonia State gov May 14 2012 Retrieved September 24 2013 Secretariat Arctic Council 2018 Arctic Council Secretariat annual report 2017 Introducing Mathieu Parker The new director of the Arctic Council Secretariat Arctic Council Terms Reference and Guidelines PDF Archived from the original PDF on July 20 2011 Arctic Council Secretariat 2018 Arctic Council Secretariat annual report 2017 Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme Amap no Retrieved September 24 2013 Conservation of Arctic Flora amp Fauna CAFF Caff is Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Retrieved September 24 2013 Emergency Prevention Preparedness amp Response Eppr arctic council org June 4 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment Pame is June 13 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 Oops We couldn t find this page for you Arctic Portal Sustainable Development Working Group Portal sdwg org August 27 2013 Archived from the original on January 14 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 Arctic Contaminants Action Program ACAP Acap arctic council org Retrieved September 24 2013 Arctic Biodiversity Assessment Archived August 13 2011 at the Wayback Machine Declaration on the Establishment of the Arctic Council Ottawa Canada 1996 May 10 2017 Retrieved September 17 2021 Dams Ties van Schaik Louise Stoetman Adaja 2020 Presence before power why China became a near Arctic state Report Clingendael Institute pp 6 19 JSTOR resrep24677 5 Canada and the Kingdom of Denmark together with Greenland reach historic agreement on long standing boundary disputes Government of Canada June 14 2022 Retrieved September 11 2022 Transnational Issues CIA World Fact Book CIA Retrieved January 10 2012 Sea Changes Archived from the original on June 13 2007 Overfield Cornell April 21 2021 An Off the Shelf Guide to Extended Continental Shelves and the Arctic Lawfare Retrieved August 7 2021 a b Jill Mahoney Canadians rank Arctic sovereignty as top foreign policy priority The Globe and Mail Retrieved September 24 2013 a b Outsiders in the Arctic The roar of ice cracking The Economist February 2 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 The Arctic Five Critical Security Challenges ASPAmerican Security Project Americansecurityproject org Archived from the original on September 27 2013 Retrieved September 24 2013 Arctic politics Cosy amid the thaw The Economist March 24 2012 Retrieved September 24 2013 Rethinking the Top of the World Arctic Security Public Opinion Survey Archived April 8 2022 at the Wayback Machine EKOS January 2011 Janice Gross Stein And Thomas S Axworthy The Arctic Council is the best way for Canada to resolve its territorial disputes The Globe and Mail Retrieved September 24 2013 Berkman Paul June 23 2014 Stability and Peace in the Arctic Ocean through Science Diplomacy Science amp Diplomacy 3 2 U S Russia Relations Are Frosty But They re Toasty On The Arctic Council npr org Retrieved June 16 2016 Bibliography editDanita Catherine Burke 2020 Diplomacy and the Arctic Council McGill Queen University Press External links editwww arctic council org Arctic Council Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arctic Council amp oldid 1198061243, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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