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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress
intergovernmental and inter-parliamentary organizations and 13 nongovernmental organizations
have been approved as observers, making for a total of 39 observer states or organizations.39
Working Groups
The Arctic Council's work is carried out primarily in six working groups that focus on Arctic
contaminants; Arctic monitoring and assessment; conservation of Arctic flora and fauna;
emergency prevention, preparedness and response; protection of the Arctic marine environment;
and sustainable development. The council may also establish task forces or expert groups to for
specific projects.
Chairmanships
The council has a two-year chairmanship that rotates among the eight member states. The United
States held the chairmanship from April 24, 2015, to May 11, 2017, a period which began during
the Obama Administration and continued into the first 16 weeks of the Trump Administration.40
The United States had previously held the chairmanship from 1998 to 2000, and will next hold it
in 2031-2033. During the Obama Administration's portion of the period of U.S. chairmanship, the
U.S. chairmanship team was led by then-Secretary of State John Kerry.41 For a statement from the
Obama Administration regarding U.S. goals for the Obama Administration's portion of the U.S.
period of chairmanship, see Appendix E.
On May 11, 2017, the chairmanship of the Arctic Council was transferred from the United States
to Finland. A May 11, 2017, press report states the following: "Finland's chairmanship program
emphasizes climate change and ways the Paris emissions targets can mitigate it, said Timo Soini,
Finland's foreign minister. 'We recognize that global warming is the main driver of change in the
Arctic,' Soini said."42
Senior Arctic Officials (SAOs)
Each member state is represented by a Senior Arctic Official (SAO), who is usually drawn from
that country's foreign ministry. The SAOs hold meetings every six months. The council convenes
ministerial-level meetings every two years, at the end of each chairmanship, while the working
groups meet more frequently.
39 Arctic Council, "Observers," updated Jannuary 17, 2018, accessed July 23, 2018, at https://arctic-
council.org/index.php/en/about-us/arctic-council/observers.
40 See, for example, Yereth Rosen, "US Ends Arctic Council Chairmanship With Reluctance on Climate Action,"
Alaska Dispatch News, May 11, 2017.
41 The State Department during the Obama Administration listed nine additional members of the team, including retired
Coast Guard Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic. ("Meet the U.S. Chairmanship
Team," accessed September 29, 2015, at http://www.arctic-council.org/index.php/en/about-us/arctic-council/u-s-
chairmanship.) The other eight members of the team were the Honorable Fran Ulmer, Special Advisor to the U.S.
Secretary of State on Arctic Science and Policy; Ambassador David Balton, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials; Julia
Gourley, U.S. Senior Arctic Official (SAO); Dr. Nikoosh Carlo, Senior Advisor to the SAO Chair; Dr. Adrianna Muir,
Deputy Senior Arctic Official; Nomi Seltzer, Arctic Affairs Advisor; Erin Robertson, Arctic Press and Public Affairs
Officer; and Matthew Kastrinsky, Administrative Officer.
42 Yereth Rosen, "US Ends Arctic Council Chairmanship With Reluctance on Climate Action," Alaska Dispatch News,
May 11, 2017.Congressional Research Service 14
Congressional Research Service
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O'Rourke, Ronald. Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress, report, August 1, 2018; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1248258/m1/19/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.