Permanent Participants

The Declaration Establishing the Arctic Council (1996) provides that:

2.    ......"The Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council and the Association of Indigenous Minorities in the Far North, Siberia, the Far East of the Russian Federation are Permanent Participants in the Arctic Council. Permanent participation is equally open to other Arctic organizations of indigenous peoples** with majority Arctic indigenous constituency, representing:

a.         a single indigenous people resident in more than one arctic State; or

b.         more than one Arctic indigenous people resident in a single Arctic State.

The determination that such an organization has met this criterion is to be made by decision of the Council. The number of Permanent Participants should at any time be less than the number of members.

The category of Permanent Participation is created to provide for active participation and full consultation with the Arctic indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council."

There are six international indigenous peoples organizations which currently have the status of Permanent Participants under the Arctic Council:

• Aleut International Association
• Arctic Athabaskan Council
• Gwich'in Council International
• Inuit Circumpolar Council
• Russia Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North
• Saami Council.

Please visit the website of the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat for further information about the Permanent Participants.