Permanent Participants

Out of a total of 4 million inhabitants of the Arctic, approximately 500,000 are Indigenous Peoples. Six Indigenous Peoples’ organizations have been granted Permanent Participants status in the Arctic Council.

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AIA
Aleut International Association

The Aleut International Association (AIA) is a not-for-profit corporation that represents Indigenous peoples of Aleut descent in the United States and the Russian Federation.

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AAC
Arctic Athabaskan Council

The Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) is an international treaty organization that represents approximately 45,000 Indigenous peoples of Athabaskan descent spanning 76 communities in Alaska, US, Yukon and Northwest Territories in Canada.

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GCI
Gwich'in Council International

Gwich'in Council International (GCI) represents the Gwich'in in Canada and USA.

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ICC
Inuit Circumpolar Council

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is an international Indigenous Peoples Organization that was founded in 1977 by the late Eben Hopson, Sr. of Utqiagvik, Alaska.

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RAIPON
Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North

The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) represents 40 Indigenous Peoples that live in the North of the Russian Federation.

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Saami Council

The Saami Council is a non-governmental organization that represents between 50,000 to 80,000 Saami that live in Finland, the Russian Federation, Norway and Sweden. The Saami Council has nine member organizations: three in Norway, three in Sweden, two in the Russian Federation and one in Finland.

The Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat supports the Permanent Participants.

The Permanent Participants have full consultation rights in connection with the Council’s negotiations and decisions. The Permanent Participants represent a unique feature of the Arctic Council, and they make valuable contributions to its activities in all areas.

This category is open equally to Arctic organizations of Indigenous Peoples with a majority of Arctic Indigenous constituency representing:

  • a single Indigenous People resident in more than one Arctic State; or
  • more than one Arctic Indigenous People resident in a single Arctic State.