Founding Meeting of the Arctic Economic Council Scheduled 27 August 2014Canada 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... The founding meeting of the AEC will take place Sept. 2-3 in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. The AEC will be an independent body, working to foster sustainable development, including economic growth, environmental protection and social development in the Arctic. At the last Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Kiruna, Sweden in May 2013, Ministers signed the Kiruna Declaration, which “[recognized] that Arctic economic endeavours are integral to sustainable development for peoples and communities in the region”. They also agreed to establish a Task Force to Facilitate the Creation of a Circumpolar Business Forum. Consistent with the Task Force’s mandate, the Arctic states and Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council have worked together to facilitate the creation of this forum – called the Arctic Economic Council (AEC). The AEC’s founding meeting will take place September 2nd and 3rd in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Each Arctic state and Permanent Participant organization has named up to three business representatives to attend this initial meeting. The overall aim of the AEC is to foster sustainable development, including economic growth, environmental protection and social development in the Arctic region. As an independent body, the AEC will decide on its membership, roles and responsibilities, governance, structure, and activities, while ensuring strong participation from indigenous businesses. It may inform the work of the Arctic Council through the views of business. The creation of the AEC is a priority initiative during Canada’s Arctic Council chairmanship (2013-2015), which is focused on development for the people of the North. Minister Aglukkaq, the Chair of the Arctic Council, is arranging the founding meeting. - Further to the “Facilitating the Creation of the Arctic Economic Council” document agreed at the Senior Arctic Officials meeting in Yellowknife, as of August 26, 2014 the following representatives have been named by the Arctic states and Permanent Participants to attend the AEC’s founding meeting: Canada Tom Paddon President and CEO, Baffinland Iron Mines, Ltd. Lillian Brewster Vice President Community Relations and Development, ATCO Group Peter Tapatai President, Peter’s Expediting Limited Finland Ingmar Haga Managing Director, Agnicio Eagle Finland Ltd. Rauno Posio Owner and Marketing Director, Lapland Safaris Tero Vauraste CEO and President, Arctia Shipping Ltd. Iceland Bjarni Már Gylfason Economist at Federation of Icelandic Industries Guðmundur Pétursson Manager at ÍAV and Chairman of the Icelandic-Arctic Chamber of Commerce Kingdom of Denmark Peter Bay Kirkegaard Senior Advisor, Confederation of Danish Industry Jan Fritz Hansen Deputy Director General, Danish Shipowners’ Association Norway Charlotte Deemer Strøm Head of Section, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association Kristin Krohn Devold Director General, Norwegian Hospitality Association Erling Kvadsheim Director, Environment and Industry Policy, Norwegian Oil and Gas Russia Georgy Petrov Vice-President, Russian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Evgeny Ambrosov Senior Executive Vice-President, Joint Stock company SOVCOMFLOT Andrey Shiskin Vice-President, Rosneft Oil Company Sweden Dragan Nerandzic Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson Canada Ltd. Frank Hojem Director, Communications, LKAB United States Lori Davey General Manager, Fairweather, LLC Bruce Harland Vice President Business Development, Crowley Marine Services Inc. Gail Schubert President and CEO, Bering Straits Native Corporation Arctic Athabaskan Council Ed Schultz Founding Member of AAC Richard Nerysoo Aleut International Association Janet Reiser Director, Business and Resource Development, Aleut Corporation Arlene Gundersen President, AIA Board of Directors Inuit Circumpolar Council Tara Sweeney Executive Vice President, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Gwich’in Council International Ron Daub RAIPON Lyubov Peshperova Vice President of RAIPON for the development of entrepreneurship among the Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and far-East of the Russian Federation Alexey Panov Entrepreneur, Leading expert in the field of historical-cultural research at the LLC “YuganskNIPI” Odissey Kutsurov Official RAIPON representative and language advisor Saami Council Anders Blom Managing Director, Njalla AB Anders Oskal Executive Director, International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry