There are six indigenous peoples organizations covering the Arctic, they all have status of permanent participants in the
Arctic Council Aleut International Association The Aleut International Association (AIA) represents
Aleut on the Russian and American Aleutian,
Pribilof and
Commander Islands. It is an
Alaska Native not-for-profit corporation, 501(c)(3), registered in the State of Alaska, United States of America, in 1998. AIA was formed by the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, U.S. (one of the thirteen regional not-for-profit Alaska Native corporations created as a result of
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971), and the Association of the Indigenous Peoples of the North of the
Aleut District of the Kamchatka Region of the Russian Federation (AIPNADKR). AIA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of four Alaskan and four Russian Aleuts under the leadership of a president. The current president is Mr. Michael Zacharof of
Saint Paul Island (Alaska), Alaska. The Executive Director is Victoria Gofman of Anchorage, Alaska. The organization was formed to address environmental and cultural concerns of the extended Aleut family whose well-being has been connected to the rich resources of the
Bering Sea for millennia. Russian and American Aleuts are separated by distances, borders and the
International Date Line but united by the great Bering Sea and the North Pacific. Today, not only does the Aleut community share the resources of the region but the environmental problems as well. The need to understand global processes, such as trans-boundary contaminants transport, the impacts of climate change, and the effects of commercial fisheries on the ecosystem of the Bering Sea to name a few, was an impetus in joining in the work of international fora. The AIA is actively pursuing collaboration with governments, scientists, and other organizations in developing programs and policies that could improve the well-being of the Aleut people and their environment. AIA was admitted as a permanent participant of the Arctic Council in 1998 and was granted Special Consultative Status by the
United Nations Economic and Social Council in 2004. In addition, AIA is an accredited Non Governmental Organization (NGO) with the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the
Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Arctic Athabaskan Council The Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) is an international treaty organization established to represent the interests of United States and Canadian
Athabaskan member First Nation governments in Arctic Council fora, and to foster a greater understanding of the common heritage of all Athabaskan peoples of Arctic North America. The founding members of AAC include four Alaskan Athabaskan communities (
Chickaloon Village Traditional Council,
Healy Lake Traditional Council (Mendees Cheeg),
Stevens Village Tribal Government Council,
Northway Tribal Council) - and three Athabaskan representative bodies on the Canadian side - the
Council of Yukon First Nations, representing eleven
Yukon First Nations; the
Dene Nation, representing 30 First Nations in the Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba; and Northwest Territory Métis Nation, representing 13 communities in the
Northwest Territories. In total, Arctic Athabaskan founding member governments represent approximately 32,000 indigenous peoples of Athabaskan descent residing in Arctic and Sub-Arctic North America. As more member governments from both the United States (Alaska) and Canada join, this number is expected to increase to approximately 40,000.
Gwich'in Council International The Gwich'in Council International (GCI) was established as a non-profit organization in 1999 by the
Gwich'in Tribal Council in Inuvik, NWT, to ensure all regions of the
Gwich'in Nation in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Alaska are represented at the Arctic Council, as well as to play an active and significant role in the development of policies that relate to the Circumpolar Arctic. GCI has a number of priorities that relate to the environment, youth, culture and tradition, social and economic development and education. The founding members of GCI includes six Alaskan Gwich'in communities (
Arctic Village,
Chalkyitsik,
Fort Yukon,
Birch,
Circle and
Venetie), two Gwich'in representative bodies in Canada -
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation representing Vuntut Gwitchin in
Old Crow, Yukon, and Gwich'in Tribal Council representing four communities in the
Inuvik Region in the Northwest Territories. In total, the Gwich'in Council International founding members represent approximately 9,000 indigenous peoples of Gwich'in descent. The GCI Secretariat rotates between the Gwich'in Tribal Council in Inuvik, NWT and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Old Crow, Yukon.
Inuit Circumpolar Council The
Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is a transnational non-governmental organization representing 150,000
Inuit across the Circumpolar North. The ICC began originally as an Inuit Circumpolar Conference, first held in 1977, and gradually evolved to become a Council in the 10th General Assembly meeting of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in 2006 in Utqiagvik, Alaska. The ICC represents today four different Inuit regional organizations in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia: • ICC Alaska consists of Inuit from the North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, the Bering Straits Region, and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Region • ICC Canada represents the four land-claim regions, namely Inuvialuit, Labrador, Nunavik, and Nunavut. • ICC Greenland differs from the other regional Councils, representing different organisms of the Greenlandic society instead of representing specific area within the country. Members in the Greenlandic ICC are thus NGOs like the women's association, political entities such as Greenland's parliament and political parties and special-interest groups, e.g. Greenland's workers union (SIK). • ICC Chukotka (Russia) was started 2001 and it operates closely with the Yupik Society, which represents Chukotka's Inuit locally and nationally. The principal objective of the ICC is to create unity amongst the Inuit to be able to promote their common agenda on the international level. In addition, the ICC stresses the importance of sustainable environmental management in order to preserve the wildlife and biological diversity and recalls the right of Inuit to the natural resources in their traditional areas.
Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) unites 41 indigenous groups whose total population is around 250,000 people. These peoples are represented by 34 regional and ethnic organizations that have the authority to represent these groups both in Russia and in the international community. RAIPON was created in 1990 at the First Congress of Indigenous Peoples of the North. The Association was originally called the "Association of Peoples of the North of the USSR" and united 26 indigenous groups of the North Russia.
The Saami Council The
Saami Council is a non-governmental Saami organization (NGO), with member organizations in Finland, Russia, Norway and Sweden. Since its foundation in 1956 the Saami Council has actively dealt with Saami policy tasks. The primary aims of the Saami Council are the promotion of Saami rights and interests in the four countries having Saami population, to consolidate the feeling of affinity among the Saami people, to attain recognition for the Saami as one nation and to promote economic, social and cultural rights of the Saami in the legislation of the four states, Norway, Sweden, Russia and Finland. The Saami Council renders opinions and makes proposals on questions concerning Saami people's rights, language and culture. == International collaboration ==