- The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.
- The eight countries with sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle constitute the members of the council.
- The Arctic Council has conducted studies on climate change, oil and gas, and Arctic shipping.
History
- The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when the eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS).
- The 1996 Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council as a forum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states.
- In 2011, the Council member states concluded the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement, the first binding treaty concluded under the Council's auspices.
Member States
- Canada
- Denmark representing Greenland,Faroe Islands
- Finland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Russia
- Sweden
- United States(Alaska)
Observer States
- Germany, 1998
- Netherlands, 1998
- Poland, 1998
- United Kingdom, 1998
- France, 2000
- Spain, 2006
- China, 2013
- India, 2013
- Italy, 2013
- Japan, 2013
- South Korea, 2013
- Singapore, 2013
- Switzerland, 2017