NEWS RELEASES
CANADA HOSTS INAUGURATION OF ARCTIC COUNCIL
September 19, 1996 No. 166
CANADA HOSTS INAUGURATION OF ARCTIC COUNCIL
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy, Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Minister Ronald A. Irwin and Environment Minister Sergio Marchi today joined with
representatives from the Arctic states and circumpolar Indigenous groups in Ottawa
to inaugurate the Arctic Council. The eight Arctic member states signed the
Declaration on the Establishment of the Arctic Council.
"The Arctic and its future are too big for one country, one government or for one
conference every few years. Canada has long wanted a permanent and organized way
to reach other Arctic states about issues that affect the largest part of this
country," said Mr. Axworthy, chair of the conference.
"The participation of indigenous groups in the Council is a very important
accomplishment," noted Mr. Irwin, co-chair of the Canadian delegation. "This is
the first time northerners have had such a direct role in determining the
collective future of the Arctic."
"The Arctic is an environmental early warning system for our globe," said Mr.
Marchi, also co-chair of the Canadian delegation. "The Arctic Council will help
deliver that warning from pole to pole."
"The emerging sense of political, social and economic empowerment of the
indigenous people of the Arctic has been acknowledged and elevated to an
international level," said Secretary of State Ethel Blondin-Andrew. "In all
Arctic issues there is a delicate balance to be achieved. Through the formal
inclusion of indigenous people, the Arctic Council has struck that balance."
"The inauguration of the Council launches a new and exciting era in circumpolar
and international co-operation," commented Mr. Jack Anawak, Member of Parliament
for Nunatsiaq. "I am extremely proud of the contribution made by Inuit and other
northern Aboriginal peoples to the successful establishment of the Council."
Following an afternoon plenary session, the Arctic Council Declaration was signed
by the foreign ministers and senior representatives of Canada, Denmark (for
Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the
United States. Also present were the three initial Permanent Participant groups:
the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council (Scandinavia, Finland and
Russia) and the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the
Far East of the Russian Federation.
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Two backgrounders are attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Catherine Lappe
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
This document is also available on the Department's Internet site:
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Backgrounder
DECLARATION ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
SUMMARY
The signatories desire to provide for regular intergovernmental consideration of
and consultation on Arctic issues ensuring the well-being of the inhabitants of
the Arctic, sustainable development and the protection of the environment.
The Declaration establishes an Arctic Council as a high-level intergovernmental
forum made up of the eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States of America.
The Declaration establishes the Arctic Council as a means to:
promote co-operation and co-ordination of action on common Arctic issues,
particularly sustainable development and environmental protection;
oversee and co-ordinate the established programs of the Environmental Protection
Strategy;
oversee and co-ordinate a sustainable development program; and
disseminate information, encourage education and promote interest in Arctic-related issues.
The Declaration names each of the eight Arctic states as Members and three
Permanent Participants: the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council, and
the Association of Indigenous Minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East of
the Russian Federation. The Declaration allows for further Permanent Participant
status for other Arctic indigenous groups and Observer status for other non-Arctic
countries, and intergovernmental and interparliamentary and non-governmental
organizations.
The Declaration establishes that:
the Council will meet at least biennially and all decisions will be by consensus
by the Members; and
the hosting of meetings of the Arctic Council, including secretariat support
function, will rotate among the Arctic States.
Backgrounder
CANADA AND THE ARCTIC COUNCIL
The creation of an Arctic Council composed of the eight Arctic states was proposed
formally by the Canadian government in 1989, although the concept dates back at
least two decades. In April 1994, the Honourable André Ouellet stated Canada's
commitment to reinvigorate the Arctic Council initiative, as part of the
government's foreign policy platform.
In keeping with the priority it places on the establishment of an Arctic Council,
Canada appointed an Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs, Mary Simon, on October 31,
1994.
In June 1995, officials of the eight Arctic countries began extensive discussions
regarding the structure, objectives and programs of the proposed Council. At
their last meeting in Ottawa on August 5 and 6, 1996, the Arctic countries' Senior
Arctic Officials finalized the text of the Declaration on the Establishment of the
Arctic Council for ministerial approval.
The Arctic Council will be established as a high-level permanent intergovernmental
forum to provide for co-operation, co-ordination and interaction among the Arctic
states, the Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common
Arctic issues. These include significant issues that go beyond environmental
protection to include economic and social development, improved health conditions
and cultural well-being. It is worth noting that the Declaration on the
Establishment of the Arctic Council ensures the balance between sustainable
development and environmental protection.
The members of the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,
the Russian Federation, Sweden and the United States (the Arctic states). In
addition, Permanent Participant status will provide for the meaningful involvement
of indigenous peoples in the deliberations and work of the Council. At the
initial stage, Permanent Participants will include the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference, the Saami Council, and Russia's Association of Indigenous Minorities
of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation, which represent
the majority of Arctic indigenous people.
The Council, which will operate on the basis of consensus of its members, will
meet at the ministerial level biennially. The Chair and Secretariat of the
Council will rotate concurrently every two years among the eight Arctic states,
beginning with Canada in 1996.
The main activities of the Council will focus on the existing programs established
under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy and a new program dealing with
economic, social and cultural issues.
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