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Arctic Yearbook 2015
In their periodic report on national circumstances and implementation, the Arctic states have
increasingly provided information related to the vulnerability of their northernmost territories and to
ongoing scientific research conducted in the region (Duyck 2015: 67). On the other hand, the eight
states have seldom referred to the region in their negotiating positions and, when they did, these
references related primarily to the need for further scientific research on regional climate processes.
Additionally, the visibility of the Arctic Council and its climate-related projects has been very limited
in the climate talks. Firstly, the Arctic Council lacks observer status to the UNFCCC due to its peculiar
legal nature and consequently has much more limited options to provide contributions to the process.
Secondly, some of its members have explicitly requested in the past the Council not to become directly
involved in the negotiations. During its recent chairmanship of the Council, Canada also discontinued
the practice of delivering an oral ministerial statement on behalf of the Council during the annual
conference. Thus, while the Arctic states have repeatedly emphasized the importance of tackling Arctic
climate change in each ministerial declaration adopted by the Arctic Council, they have done relatively
little to promote this specific agenda under the aegis of the UNFCCC.
Participation to the climate negotiations by Arctic indigenous peoples
Representatives from Arctic indigenous peoples constitute a second group of actors who could raise
Arctic specific issues in the climate process. Arctic indigenous peoples have been recognized as key
actors in relation to regional environmental governance and have secured a unique status at the Arctic
Council (Koivurova 2011). Building on this experience, indigenous representatives have participated
regularly at the climate talks, either as members of the governmental delegations or with an observer
status. Arctic indigenous peoples’ organization the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) in particular
participated