News Articles

The Arctic Council is pleased to announce the recent appointment of new Senior Arctic Officials from Sweden and from the Russian Federation.

The October 2014 meeting of Senior Arctic Officials will take place in Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Learn about this unique northern city...

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from working group CAFF’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. This week focuses on Arctic vegetation.

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from working group CAFF’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. This week focuses on the plant life and sea ice in the Arctic.

Canada will host the 2015 Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut, on April 24-25.

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. This week focuses on Arctic fishes.

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.  This week focuses on evaluating trends in species abundance.

The founding meeting of the Arctic Economic Council (AEC) will take place September 2nd and 3rd in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. The AEC will be an independent body, working to foster sustainable development...

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.  This week focuses on protected areas in the Arctic.

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.  This week focuses on polynyas – areas of open water surrounded by sea ice.

This article is part of a series highlighting issues from the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group’s landmark Arctic Biodiversity Assessment.  This week focuses on migratory birds.

Chair of the Arctic Council’s Senior Arctic Officials, Vincent Rigby, recently discussed his new role and the road ahead to the 2015 Ministerial meeting with the Arctic Council Secretariat.

The Arctic Council’s Task Force for Enhancing Scientific Cooperation in the Arctic (SCTF) held its third meeting in Reykjavik on May 27-28, 2014.  The meeting focused on a draft document related to advancing scientific cooperation in the Arctic. The delegations decided that the task force would continue work on this document at its next meeting in September in Tromsø, Norway.

In taking steps towards enhancing the Arctic Council’s communications capacity, the Council has established profiles on Twitter and Facebook. The Arctic Council looks forward to using these channels to provide quick and up-to-date information about its work and to introduce new audiences to the Council.

When the Arctic Council’s Task Force on Arctic Marine Oil Pollution Prevention (TFOPP) met recently in Ottawa, it took important steps towards developing the Action Plan for oil pollution prevention mandated by Ministers in Kiruna. The Task Force is focused particularly on potential safety measures to prevent oil pollution from maritime and petroleum activities.

The Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) held a successful workshop on the project “the Evidence Base for Promoting Mental Wellness and Resilience to Address Suicide in Circumpolar Communities” in May in Tromsø, Norway. The two-day event brought together research teams, Permanent Participants, community members, academics and government officials.

The Arctic Council Working Group CAFF recently announced a major milestone in scientific cooperation in the Arctic – the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to guide national mapping organizations from the Arctic states toward production of a harmonized map, covering the entire Arctic region, with data on climate, biodiversity and other themes.

At the fourth meeting of the Arctic Council’s Task Force for Action on Black Carbon and Methane, the co-chairs of the task force emphasized the added value of the Task Force to existing initiatives dealing with black carbon and methane, as well as the collaborative nature of the Arctic Council states, Permanent Participants and Working Groups.

On 21-22 May, the Arctic Council’s Task Force for Action on Black Carbon and Methane met for the fourth time. The task force, which is co-chaired by Canada and Sweden, has the mandate to “develop arrangements on actions to achieve enhanced black carbon and methane emission reductions in the Arctic, and report at the next Ministerial meeting in 2015”.

Elle Merete Omma has been elected as the next Executive Secretary for the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat (IPS). Ms. Omma will assume her full time duties at the IPS on September 1, 2014.