New distribution of responsibilities among executive bodies and authorised organisations on the main areas of the Arctic Council’s activities endorsed in connection with changes to its structure.
Reference
Directive submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Arctic Council (hereinafter referred to as the AC) is an intergovernmental forum of circumpolar states that has operated since 1996. It was established by Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden. In addition, six Arctic indigenous communities taking part in decision-making and shaping the AC’s policy have permanent member status.
The AC has six working groups to deal with priority problems: remove pollution; preserve Arctic flora and fauna; protect the Arctic marine environment; Arctic monitoring and assessments to prevent emergencies, respond to them and eliminate their consequences; and, sustainable development.
The distribution of responsibilities among the executive bodies and authorised organisations as per the main areas of the AC’s activities and its working groups was endorsed by Government Directive №673-r of 28 May 2007.
The AC’s structure has changed since then. Its members set up task forces for marine cooperation and telecommunication facilities, and to elaborate a multilateral document to promote international research cooperation in the Arctic.
In this context, the signed directive has endorsed a new distribution of responsibilities among executive bodies and authorised organisations as per the mainareas of the AC’s activities.