Indigenous peoples and the Arctic Council : past and future par Alona Yefimenko

The Arctic Council concluded its first round of chairmanships with the conclusion of the Swedish Chairmanship this spring, 16 or so years after its inauguration in Ottawa in 1996. And the chair returned to its initiator, Canada, in May this year. It will then pass to the United States in 2015.

In the last few years, the role (current and future) of observers has attracted more interest and reflection driven in large part by anxieties over the economic development of the Arctic Ocean.

The claim that the European Union is “inextricably linked to the Arctic region” is the most important one – as the Arctic is quite literally enrolled into claims that the EU is an organization that cannot be excluded from Arctic matters.

In light of the growing complexity of the challenges faced by the Arctic region, research organizations have been formed in order to conduct multidisciplinary research and dispense knowledge and expertise on Arctic issues.

Their audiences and participants include policy makers, Arctic residents, students, and social and natural scientists. These networks actively promote co-operative research efforts, education and communications.