Arctic Council
Topic: World Physical Features and Natural Regions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Arctic Council is a forum where governments work together on the Arctic. It was set up by the Ottawa Declaration in 1996. Its members are the eight Arctic states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA. Indigenous groups are permanent participants, so they take part in its talks. It works on the environment and sustainable development, meaning growth that does not harm the region for the future. India has been an observer since 2013, so it can attend but cannot vote. Work with Russia was paused after 2022.
Example
India's first Arctic research station, Himadri (2008), is at Ny-Alesund in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. It is run by NCPOR, Goa, and supports India's role as an observer and its Arctic Policy (2022).
Don't confuse with
- Antarctic Treaty: this is a binding treaty for Antarctica. It bans military activity and freezes land claims. The Arctic Council is only a forum and does not decide who owns any land.