Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is a high-level Intergovernmental forum which addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.

The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). In 1996 , the Ottawa Declaration led to the formation of the Arctic Council in order to ensure environmental, social and economic Sustainable Development in the Arctic region.

Current council members include Canada , Denmark , Finland , Iceland , Norway , the Russian Federation , Sweden , and the United States Of America . As of 2004 , Russia is serving as Chair of the Council.

Six Arctic indigenous communities have the status of Permanent Participants on the Council. These groups are represented by the Aleut International Association , Arctic Athabaskan Council , Gwich'in Council International , Inuit Circumpolar Conference , Russian Association Of Indigenous Peoples Of The North , and the Saami Council .

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