Arctic Council

At its ministerial meeting held on 11 May 2017 in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Arctic Council granted Switzerland observer status. As an observer, Switzerland can now contribute expert knowledge to the Council at the level of expert working groups. The Arctic Council is an intergovernmental forum promoting the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic and was founded in 1996. It comprises the foreign ministers of the eight Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States) as well as organisations representing Arctic indigenous peoples, observer states (including China, France, Germany and Japan) and specialist institutes. Over the past decade, Swiss researchers have participated in numerous international Arctic projects. The Swiss polar research community is therefore able and keen to contribute expert knowledge to the Council at the level of the Arctic Council’s Working Groups, Task Forces and Expert Groups.

Further information on the Arctic Council