Circumpolar
Map
of Resources at Risk from Oil Spills in the Arctic
Introduction | Areas
at Risk | Thematic
Maps | What's
new
Introduction
Arctic Council
The Arctic Council was established on September 19th, 1996 in Ottawa, Canada. A high level intergovernmental forum, the Council provides a mechanism to address the common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic.
The members of the Council are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. The Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council, and the Aleutian International Association are Permanent Participants in the Council. There is provision for non-arctic states, inter-governmental and inter-parliamentary organizations and non-governmental organizations to become involved as observers.
The main activities of the Council focus on the protection of the Arctic environment and sustainable development as a means of improving the economic, social and cultural well-being of the north.
The Council meets at the ministerial level biennially. The Chair and Secretariat of the Council rotates every two years among the eight Arctic States, beginning with Canada in 1996.
At the AEPS Ministerial meeting held in Alta, Norway in June 1997, the
existing working groups of the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS)
were integrated within the Council.
If
you are connected to the Internet you may read more about the Arctic
Council at http://arctic-council.usgs.gov
You may also View
and print PDF copy of the Arctic Council brochure [304K]