Washington DC
THE eight Arctic nations are on the verge of setting up a new
international organisation, called the Arctic Council, to discuss environmental
and social issues affecting the region.
The eight nations are Canada, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the
US and Denmark, which governs Greenland. On 5 and 6 August in Ottawa, Canada,
they aim to finalise the Arctic Council鈥檚 governing treaty鈥攚hich delegates
hope will be signed in the same city in September.
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The council will incorporate the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, an
agreement signed in 1991 to deal with ecological problems such as the build-up
of toxic organic compounds and the management of endangered species (This Week,
22 June 1991, p 13). But its brief would extend to include issues such as
sustainable development and the impact of climate change on the region鈥檚
indigenous peoples.
In addition to the eight governments, groups representing the indigenous
Inuit and nongovernmental organisations will be allowed to take part in council
meetings. Non-Arctic nations with an interest in the region, such as Britain,
the Netherlands and Germany, will participate as observers.
鈥淭here is no set agenda. It will be up to the members who convene around the
council table to decide what they鈥檙e going to take on,鈥� says Terry Fenge,
executive director of the Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, an environmental
group in Ottawa. Although the council will not lay down environmental standards,
Fenge expects a 鈥渄eepening and strengthening鈥� of environmental protection in the
region.
Negotiating the structure and aims of the council has been difficult. The
main point of contention has been devising a method for including the Inuit in
the council鈥檚 deliberations. Although they are represented by the governments,
three Inuit groups have insisted that they should have independent
representatives as well, known as permanent participants.
Under previous drafts of the council鈥檚 governing document, the permanent
participants were defined as part of the council. But in June, the US suggested
that Inuit representatives be included not as full council members, but rather
as groups that the council will consult.
That triggered an angry letter two weeks ago to the eight governments from
Rosemary Kuptana, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference. The Inuit, she
pointed out, 鈥渨ill be most directly affected by the decisions of the Arctic
颁辞耻苍肠颈濒鈥�.
The issue has yet to be resolved, but American officials believe a compromise
can be found that gives the Inuit a voice without granting them the full voting
rights accorded to the eight governments. 鈥淭hey will have an opportunity to
influence the discussions,鈥� says one official in the US State Department.