September 17, 1998

The Arctic Council: What is it?

Foreign Affairs Minster Lloyd Axworthy and Indian Affairs Minister Jane Stewart represented Canada at this week's Arctic Council gathering in Iqaluit.

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PHOTO BY JANE GEORGE

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Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — This week, diplomats and officials from an international organization called the "Arctic Council" have descended on Iqaluit for a two-day meeting.

What is the Arctic Council?

• The Arctic Council is made up of the circumpolar world's eight nation states: Canada, the United States of America, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway. These countries are considered "members" of the Arctic Council.
  
• Four aboriginal organizations are considered to be "permanent participants" of the Arctic Council: the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council, the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, and the Aleut International Association.
  
• Some other nations and organizations have been given "observer" status.

What's its job?

• The organization has been set up to help the eight nations co-operate on circumpolar issues, especially environmental issues.
  
• It's also supposed to take over the co-ordination of existing international circumpolar organizations and processes, such as various programs under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy.
  
• Another major Arctic Council task is to figure out how to carry out "sustainable development" in the Arctic.
  
• Lastly, they want to disseminate information, encourage education, and promote interest in Arctic-related issues.