The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, 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 environmental protection in the Arctic. See here a short fact sheet on the Arctic Council.

The Arctic Council was founded with the Ottawa Declaration in 1996. The Declaration lists the following countries as Members of the Arctic Council: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States. In addition, six organizations representing Arctic indigenous peoples have status as Permanent Participants. The category of Permanent Participant was created to provide for active participation and full consultation with the Arctic indigenous peoples within the Council. They include: the Aleut International Association, the Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich’in Council International, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and the Saami Council. Germany, as well as twelve other countries, has Observer status (China, France, United Kingdom, Italy, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapur, Switzerland and Spain). Additionally, 14 governmental organizations and 12 NGO’s act as Arctic Council Observers.

The Arctic Council regularly produces comprehensive, cutting-edge environmental, ecological and social assessments through its Working Groups. Arctic Council assessments and recommendations are the result of analysis 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. At the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting on 5-6 May 2019, Iceland took over the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council from Finland. The standing Arctic Council Secretariat formally became operational in 2013 in Tromsø, Norway. It provides administrative capacity, institutional memory, enhances communication and outreach and general support to the activities of the Arctic Council.

WORKING GROUPS

The work of the Council is primarily carried out in six Working Group.

The table shows the German representatives appointed by the Federal Foreign Office in the working groups and task forces of the Arctic Council.