Our work

ICC’S INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

ICC is involved in different international fora.

Read here about the most important ones; the UN and the Arctic Council.

ICC INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

  • ICC on ECOSOC, Category II list
  • ICC Member of World Conservation Union, IUCN
  • International Whaling Commission
  • North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO)
  • CONCO UN’s Organization for NGO’s
  • EARTH CHARTER
  • Arctic Parliamentarians
  • Nordic Council
  • Arctic Council’s Indigenous Peoples Secretariat
  • ICARP, International Conference on Arctic Research Planning
  • And many other

ICC AND THE UN SYSTEM

As an NGO and an Indigenous Peoples Organisation (IPO) Inuit Circumpolar Council is ECOSOC accredited as having consultative status (category II list). This means that ICC can have participants and observers at the different UN bodies’ meetings and sessions.

The United Nations has three different bodies that work directly with Indigenous Peoples issues. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) under ECOSOC, The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) and the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, both under the Human Rights Council.

ARCTIC COUNCIL

The Arctic Council was first inaugurated in 1996.  The Council, at that time, incorporated the former Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS) through which ICC accomplished much of its environmental work.  The Arctic Council was first conceived as an intergovernmental organization in which all 8 Arctic governments, along with the Arctic’s indigenous peoples’ organizations, would have an open forum in which to discuss any matter of common concern. ICC was given a strong mandate from the 1998 General Assembly to work hard within the Arctic Council so that it will make a positive difference for circumpolar Inuit.

ICC obtained Permanent Participant (PP) status in the Arctic Council and its working groups. The Arctic Council consists of the eight Arctic national states Canada, Finland, Iceland, the Kingdom of Denmark, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. In addition, there are the six Arctic indigenous peoples’ organizations Saami Council, RAIPON, Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabascan Council, Gwich’in Council International and ICC.

ICC Greenland does not, as earlier, have academic expertise to participate in the scientific working groups, which is why these areas are handled by ICC Alaska and ICC Canada. ICC Greenland therefore participates exclusively in the SAO meetings and the SDWG meetings.

Read about otther ICC’s work at the links below

Overview
2014, ICC has published Arctic Policy,click on link: Inuit Arctic Policy