A 50th anniversary gathering of Arctic peoples was held in Ilulissat, Greenland, from July 20-21, 2023. The Arctic Peoples’ Conference – hosted by the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and the Saami Council – brought together some of the original participants who attended the 1973 conference in Copenhagen, as well as Indigenous leaders of organizations that have … Read more
Inuit Circumpolar Council delegates from Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka (Russia) gathered this week for their first in-person meeting in five years. “Our vision is to strengthen our Inuit voice at the UN, and other international bodies such as the Arctic Council,” said ICC Chair Sara Olsvig. “Our intention is to further assert and bolster our … Read more
Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) called for Indigenous Peoples to be included in plans to reduce climate emissions from shipping at last week’s meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Delegates heard ICC calling for the inclusion of Indigenous and Inuit perspectives in the revision of the IMO strategy on the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) … Read more
Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is in Bonn, Germany this week to attend the fifty-eighth session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Subsidiary Bodies. Vice Chair Lisa Koperqualuk is leading ICC’s delegation. ICC participated in the Facilitative Working Group of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform, where ICC continued to advocate Inuit rights … Read more
The 2023 federal budget reflects seven priorities recommended by the Inuit Circumpolar Council in its Pre-Budget Submission to the Department of Finance made at the end of 2022. “One of the issues we have been very active in is related to the advancement of a safe and affordable Arctic shipping fleet, and marine governance at the … Read more
Inuit delegates took part in the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement Scientific Coordinating Group meeting as part of their national delegations in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, from March 14-17. The SCG reached a consensus on the contents of a key document, the Joint Program for Scientific Research and Monitoring Framework, which calls for a precautionary approach that prevents unregulated fishing in … Read more
The Inuit Circumpolar Council took part in the final review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 6th Assessment Synthesis Report in Switzerland last week. ICC helped to develop parts of the assessment report and reviewed the final summary for policy makers. The Synthesis Report, released March 20, reinforces what Inuit have long been saying: Time is running out to deal with … Read more
This year’s UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in Egypt were saved by a landmark agreement to establish a Loss and Damage Fund that will see the world’s most vulnerable peoples compensated for their losses due to climate change. “The Loss and Damage fund is a first step to ensuring climate justice. In the further development of … Read more
On the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) welcomes the historic landmark recognition by the UN General Assembly of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Sara Olsvig, International Chair, ICC, stated: Recognizing the right of a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a … Read more
The Inuit Circumpolar Council released its protocols for the Equitable, Ethical Engagement of Inuit in the Circumpolar world aimed at all decision- and policy-makers, researchers and others operating in the Arctic. These new protocols are the product of a three-year process that involved Inuit from across Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka. The EEE Protocols are not only about … Read more
