The Arctic Council
The Arctic Council, established in 1996, is the only multilateral body that deals exclusively with the Arctic region. Alongside the five states bordering the polar sea (Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Russian Federation and the United States), the Council’s members include Iceland, Finland and Sweden, so that people often speak of eight Arctic countries. The "Permanent Participants" (six indigenous groups) also belong to the Council. Germany has permanent observer status, as do China, France, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.
One of the Council's main tasks is to implement the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy of 1991. The Council is a political body whose decisions are not legally binding. In 2013 the permanent Secretariat of the Arctic Council opened in Tromso, Norway.
The Working Groups of the Arctic Council
There are six Working Groups of the Arctic Council covering a broad range of mandates, including protection of the environment, conserving biodiversity, sustainable development, protection of health, social and cultural issues and climate policy.