Arctic Council: Everything you need to know about

Note: The Council may also establish Task Forces or Expert Groups to carry out specific work. Decisions of the Arctic Council are taken by consensus among the eight the Arctic Council States, with consideration of the reports and recommendations of the working groups and with the full consultation and involvement of the Permanent Participants representing indigenous groups.

Observers in the Arctic Council

• The Observer status in the Arctic Council is granted to non-arctic states, intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary organisations and other global and regional non-governmental organisations.
• The observer country is invited to the meetings of the council and observes the work and proceedings of the council. In meetings, with the permission of the chair, observers may make statements, submit relevant documents and provide their perspective on various issues. While observers may propose projects through an Arctic State of the permanent participant, financial contributions to a project cannot exceed financing from the Arctic States unless declared by the SAOs.
• There are currently 12 non-arctic countries, nine intergovernmental and Inter-Parliamentary Organisations and 11 non-governmental organisations that have been granted observer status in the Arctic Council.

Twelve Non-Arctic countries that have an approved Observer Status

* Also present at the signing ceremony” in Ottawa 19 September, 1996.

Nine Intergovernmental and Inter-Parliamentary Organisations that have an approved observer status

* Also present at the signing ceremony” in Ottawa 19 September 1996.

Eleven Non-governmental organisations are approved observers in the Arctic Council 

* Also present at the signing ceremony” in Ottawa 19 September 1996.

What are the criteria for selecting Observers?

The general suitability of an applicant for the selection of observer status in the Council are based on the extent which the observer:

1. Accept and support the objectives of the Arctic Council defined in the Ottawa declaration.
2. Recognise Arctic States’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the Arctic.
3. Recognise that an extensive legal framework applies to the Arctic Ocean including, notably, the Law of the Sea, and that this framework provides a solid foundation for responsible management of this ocean.
4. Respect the values, interests, culture and traditions of Arctic indigenous peoples and other Arctic inhabitants.
5. Have demonstrated a political willingness as well as financial ability to contribute to the work of the Permanent Participants and other Arctic indigenous peoples.
6. Have demonstrated their Arctic interests and expertise relevant to the work of the Arctic Council.
7. Have demonstrated a concrete interest and ability to support the work of the Arctic Council, including through partnerships with member states and Permanent Participants bringing Arctic concerns to global decision-making bodies.

What is India’s role in the Arctic Council?

India was granted the observer status at the Kiruna Ministerial Meeting on May 15, 2013. In becoming an observer, India had to agree to the following criteria set by the Council:

1. To recognise the sovereign rights of Arctic states.
2. To recognise that the Law of the Sea and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, constitute the legal basis and the legal framework within which the Arctic will be managed.
3. To respect indigenous peoples, local cultures and traditions.
4. To respect indigenous peoples, local cultures and traditions.
5. To be able to contribute to the work of the Arctic Council.

• India has therefore officially recognised the territorial jurisdiction and sovereign rights of the Arctic states. India has also accepted the UNCLOS as the governing instrument for the Arctic implying that jurisdiction over both the continental shelf and maritime passage, and the resources of the ocean will primarily lay with the eight Arctic States. India has, therefore, no more room to argue that the region is treated in the same manner as the Antarctica. China has lost no time in positioning itself through a number of asset acquisitions in several Arctic states, in particular, Russia and Canada.
• However, what is worrying is that ecological protection, the main reason behind establishing the council has now been trumped by economic factors. India and other developing nations must put the Arctic as an important part of their agenda on climate change negotiations.

Points to Remember

• The Ottawa Declaration lists the members of the Arctic Council. Only those countries that are located in the Arctic region are eligible for membership.
• The location of the Secretariat was rotated biennially with the Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Currently, the Arctic Council Secretariat became formally operational in 2013 in Tromso, Norway.
• The Chairmanship of the Arctic Council is rotated every two years once. The first country to chair the Arctic Council was Canada (1996-1998). Finland will be the current chair of the Arctic Council (from 2017-2019).
• The decisions, recommendations or guidelines of the Arctic Council are non-enforceable and strictly the prerogative of the individual state.
• The Arctic Council mandate explicitly excludes military security as per the Ottawa Declaration as per the explanation to clause 1(a).
• The Arctic Council does not have a fund or a program. All contributions are made voluntarily by the respective member states.
• The first Ministerial Meeting was held from 17^th to 18^th September 1998, Iqaluit, Canada.

Article by: Manasvini Mukund