Arctic Council

Full Observer Status
The Arctic Circumpolar Route received full Observer status at the Arctic Council in Reykjavik, Iceland, in December, 2004. The Arctic Council is a high-level intergovernmental forum that provides a mechanism to address the common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic. Russia serves as the Chair of the Arctic Council 2004-2006.

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) is a scientific analysis and assessment documented in two reports, a scientific document and a plain language summary entitled Impacts of a Warming Arctic. The Overview concludes that “The Arctic is now experiencing some of the most rapid and severe climate change on Earth. Over the next 100 years, climate change is expected to accelerate, contributing to major physical, ecological, social and economic changes, many of which have already begun. Changes in arctic climate will also affect the rest of the world through increased global warming and rising sea levels.” The reports are published by Cambridge University Press (www.cambridge.org). Additional information is available at www.acia.uaf.edu.

Arctic Human Development Report
The Arctic Human Development Report is a comprehensive assessment of human well-being covering the entire Arctic circumpolar region. It was mandated by the Arctic Council’s 2002 Ministerial Declaration, and was an important achievement of the Chairmanship of Iceland. Arctic peoples are facing an unprecedented combination of rapid and stressful changes involving environmental forces and socioeconomic pressures associated with globalization. For more information, see www.svs.is/AHDR/ and www.arctic-council.org.

Arctic Institute of North America

Canada’s Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) Publications Database
The NCP was established in 1991 to reduce, and wherever possible, to eliminate contaminants in traditionally harvested foods. The NCP is managed by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, inpartnership with other federal departments, territorial governments, and northern aboriginal organizations. See www.aina.ucalgary.ca/ncp.

Inuit Heritage Trust
A planning workshop will be held in Iqaluit on January 24 to 26 involving IHT and members of the Nunavut heritage sector, which will include communities, individuals, and groups involved in preservation, promotion, and/or presentation of Nunavut’s cultural and material heritage. Those who attend will address the current and future needs and challenges facing heritage organizations at the community level and within Nunavut as a whole. This project is organized by IHT, but it is intended is to be a community-based project that will enable the creation of equal partnerships to meet immediate goals and longer term goals. Outcomes are expected to be a strategy and plan to increase heritage partnerships in Nunavut, and to enable the heritage sector to respond to future opportunities and challenges. For further information, contact Ericka Chemko at echemko@ihti.ca or visit www.ihti.ca.