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A Quick Guide to the Arctic Council

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A Quick Guide to the Arctic Council 1 This document exists in two versions. ISBN 978-82-93600-54-1 (digital, PDF) ISBN 978-82-93600-55-8 (printed, A5) ©Arctic Council Secretariat, 2019 This document is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 Suggested citation Arctic Council, September 2019, A quick guide to the Arctic Council. September 2019. 29 pp. Authors Arctic Council Published by Arctic Council Secretariat This document is available as an electronic document from the Arctic Council’s open access repository at the following link. oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/937 Cover photograph iStock / robcocquyt A Quick Guide to the Arctic Council Photo: Arctic Council Secretariat/Linnea Nordström 1 This is the Arctic Council The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting co- operation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environ- mental protection in the Arctic. Who takes part? The Ottawa Declaration lists the following countries as Members of the Arctic Council: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Nor- way, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. In addition, six organizations represent- ing Arctic Indigenous peoples have status as Permanent Participants. The category of Permanent Participant was created to provide for active participa- tion and full consultation with the Arctic Indigenous peoples within the Coun- cil. They include: the Aleut International Association, the Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich’in Council International, the Inuit Cir- cumpolar Council, Russian As- sociation of Indigenous Peoples of the North and the Saami Council. Observer status in the Arctic Council is open to non-Arctic states, along with inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, global, regional and non-governmental organizations that the Council determines can con- tribute to its work. Arctic Council Observers primarily contribute through their engagement in the Council at the level of Working Groups. 2 What does it do? The work of the Council is primarily carried out in six Working Groups. • The Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP) acts as a strength- ening and supporting mechanism to encourage national actions to reduce emissions and other releases of pollutants. • The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) monitors and assesses the Arctic environment, ecosystems and human popula- tions, and provides scientific advice to support governments as they tackle pollution and adverse effects of climate change. • The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF) addresses the conservation of Arctic biodiversity, working to ensure the sustainability of the Arctic’s living resources. • The Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group (EPPR) works to protect the Arctic environment from the threat or impact of an accidental release of pollutants or radionuclides. • The Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) Working Group is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment. • The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) works to ad- vance sustainable development in the Arctic and to improve the con- ditions of Arctic communities as a whole. What are some of its accomplishments? The Arctic Council regularly produces comprehensive, cutting-edge envi- ronmental, ecological and social assessments through its Working Groups. The Council has also provided a forum for the negotiation of three im- portant legally binding agreements among the eight Arctic States: • the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic (Nuuk 2011); • the Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic (Kiruna 2013); • the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Coopera- tion (Fairbanks 2017). 3 How does it work? Arctic Council assessments and recommendations are the result of analy- sis and efforts undertaken by the Working Groups. Decisions of the Arctic Council are taken by consensus among the eight Arctic Council States, with full consultation and involvement of the Permanent Participants. The Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates every two years among the Arctic States. The first country to chair the Arctic Council was Canada (1996-1998), followed by the United States, Finland, Iceland, Russia, Nor- way, the Kingdom of Denmark, and Sweden. The second cycle of Chair- manships began in 2013. The current Chair is Iceland (2019-2021). The standing Arctic Council Secretariat formally became operational in 2013 in Tromsø, Norway. It was established to provide administrative ca- pacity, institutional memory, enhanced communication and outreach and general support to the activities of the Arctic Council. How is it organized? The Chair of the Arctic Council is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country holding the Chairmanship. At the end of a Chairmanship, minis- ter-level representatives of the Arctic States meet to review the Council’s work and grant a mandate for the incoming Chairmanship. The Council’s daily operations are managed by Senior Arctic Officials appointed by the Arctic States, under the guidance of the Chair of the Senior Arctic -Of ficials. Senior Arctic Officials and Permanent Participants meet at least twice a year. Working Groups and Task Forces hold additional meetings. What doesn’t it do? The Arctic Council is a forum; it has no programming budget. All projects or initiatives are sponsored by one or more Arctic States. Some projects also receive support from other entities. The Arctic Council does not and cannot implement or enforce its guidelines or recommendations. That responsibility belongs to individual Arctic State or international bodies. The Arctic Council’s mandate, as articulated in the Ottawa Declaration, explicitly excludes military security. 4 Learn more Arctic Council website www.arctic-council.org The eight Arctic States bit.ly/ac-states Indigenous Permanent Participant Organizations bit.ly/ac-pps Observers bit.ly/ac-observers The Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat www.arcticpeoples.com Arctic Contaminants Action Programme acap.arctic-council.org Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme amap.no Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna caff.is Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, and Response eppr.org Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment pame.is Sustainable Development Working Group sdwg.org 5 Environment and Climate Ever since its establishment, environmental protection has been at the core of the work of the Arctic Council. In the Council’s founding docu- ment, the Ottawa Declaration, the eight Arctic States affirmed their com- mitment to protect the Arctic environment and healthy ecosystems, to maintain Arctic biodiversity, to conserve and enable sustainable use of natural resources. As temperatures in the Arctic continue to rise at more than twice the global annual average, effects are felt both across the high latitudes and beyond – with environmental, economic and social implications. Ac- knowledging the scope of the issues, the Council’s Working Groups com- mit to working closely together on environmental matters such as the effects of climate change, pollution, green energy solutions, adaptation and resilience, and the protection of biodiversity and sustainable use of living resources. Scan the QR code to get quick access to recent reports, key assessments and other resources related to environment and climate. 6 Photo: iStock Recent reports, key assessments and fact sheets Climate Change and Adaptation Actions Arctic Climate Change Update 2019 hdl.handle.net/11374/2353 Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic 2017 Full report: hdl.handle.net/11374/2105 Summary for Policy Makers: hdl.handle.net/11374/1931 Video: bit.ly/swipavideo Translations: Saami Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort Region Overview report: hdl.handle.net/11374/1941 Scientific basis: hdl.handle.net/11374/2112 Translations: Russian, Korean Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic Baffin Bay/Davis Strait Region Overview report: hdl.handle.net/11374/1948 Scientific basis: hdl.handle.net/11374/2166 Translations: Danish, Greenlandic, Russian Adaptation Actions for a Changing Arctic Barents Area Overview report: hdl.handle.net/11374/1960 Scientific basis: hdl.handle.net/11374/2078 Translations: Russian, Saami 7 Pollution and contamination Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane Summary of Progress and Recommendations 2019 hdl.handle.net/11374/2411 Black Carbon Case Studies bit.ly/bc-casestudies Reduction of Black Carbon from Diesel Sources in the Russian Arctic - Tundra Reindeer Farm Report: hdl.handle.net/11374/1961 Fact sheet: hdl.handle.net/11374/2041 Video: vimeo.com/351159730 Assessment of Potential Air Emissions of Dioxins/Furans, Particulate Matter, and Heavy Metals from Vorkuta Cement Plant when Using Conventional and Complementary Fuels hdl.handle.net/11374/1958 Circumpolar best practices; Policy and Financing Options for Black Carbon Emission Reductions from Diesel Source hdl.handle.net/11374/1953 Feasibility Study for Dioxin Mitigation and Other Environmental Pilot Measures at the Vorkuta Cement Plant in the Komi Republic hdl.handle.net/11374/1952
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