Arctic Council Senior Arctic Officials met in Ilulissat Greenland 28-29 April 2010

In the magnificent surroundings of Ilulissat the Senior Arctic Officials had productive and fruitful discussions last week. 

SAOs continued planning for the Arctic Council Deputy Minister's meeting that will take place in Copenhagen 27 May 2010. Deputy Ministers will share their views under the heading "Responding to emerging challenges in the Arctic" and discuss the progress of the Arctic Council's work on Search and Rescue (SAR), Short Lived Climate Forcers (SLCF) and SAON.

Planning also continued for the Arctic Council Information Day that will take place 28 May 2010, also in Copenhagen. The key objective is to invite more detailed communication of WG information to SAOs, as well as to invite observers to highlight their contributions to work of AC and of related activities. 

SAOs also continued their work to develop guidelines for engagement in outreach activities and  to develop an Arctic Council communication and outreach plan.

The Climate Change and the Cryosphere - Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic - SWIPA-  project is one of the major deliverables for the 2011 Ministerial meeting. The preliminary Greenland Ice Sheet report (GRIS) was successfully delivered at the COP 15 last December. SAOs approved plans for the finalization of the full SWIPA report and its delivery to Ministers in 2011.

Furthermore, SAOs approved the CAFF report Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010: selected indicators of change report, which gives the first comprehensive overview of the state of Arctic biodiverity. The trends report is the first report in the overall Arctic Biodiviserity Asssessment and is an important Arctic Council contribution to the International Year of Biodiversity.

In addition SAOs approved 4 new SDWG projects, three new human health projects developed by the Arctic Human Health Expert Group (AHHEG), and one project on Assesssment of Cultural Heritage Monuments and Sites in the Arctic.