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A Canadian Review of the U.S. Arctic Council Chairmanship

APRIL 15, 2016--Staff from OR&R attended "A Canadian Review of the U.S. Arctic Council Chairmanship" hosted by Consul General James Hill of the Canadian Consulate in Seattle on April 13, 2016.


Also in attendance were U.S. Coast Guard members as well as the U.S. Consul General based in Vancouver B.C.

Dr. Heather Nicol, the Canadian Fulbright Visiting Chair in Arctic Studies at the University of Washington, presented on the history of the Arctic Council, and how it seeks to build consensual agreement in the Arctic region to overcome geopolitics through "soft law" cooperation. As the ice continues to diminish, Dr. Nicol's talk covered challenges facing the Council that affect the Northwest Passage, Hans Island, and the Beaufort Sea disputed areas. Overall concerns of the Council include pollution, mapping, boundaries, economic sustainability, and climate change.

The Arctic Council is made up of eight countries including the United States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Sweden, as well as the Permanent Participants, six organizations representing Arctic Indigenous peoples. It is currently chaired by the U.S. for the 2015-2017 term.

For further information, contact Amy.Merten@noaa.gov or Doug.Helton@noaa.gov.

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Last updated Thursday, May 11, 2023 1:08pm PDT