During several presentations beginning in late
and economic impacts and consequences, includ-
1998, it became known that AMAP and CAFF had
ing policy recommendations; and
been charged by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs
- approve the goals and objectives contained in
at the Arctic Council’s 1998 Ministerial meeting to
the ACIA Implementation Plan and request that
look into their various environmental assessment
the AMAP and the CAFF Working Groups, in con-
considerations of climate change in the Arctic. The
sultation with the Sustainable Development
meeting notes indicated that the Arctic Council
Working Group, promote the availability of the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs; “Welcome(s) CAFF´s in-
necessary social and economic expertise to com-
tention to prepare an overview on the status and
plete the assessment.”
trends in changes to ecosystems, habitats and species in the Arctic and to identify elements of a program to monitor circumpolar diversity and to assess,
in collaboration with AMAP, the effects of climate
change and UV-B radiation on Arctic ecosystems.”
AMAP took the lead on the climate change aspects,
2.5.2
and over time AMAP and IASC entered into a partnership to develop the ACIA.
In summary, IASC played a pivotal role in convincing
The ACIA Process and Outcome
Terry Callaghan
the Arctic Council to establish an ACIA in partnership
with IASC, which it did with the full endorsement of
Environmental and Political Changes
all eight Arctic countries and with the engagement
The global climate change issue gained momentum
of the indigenous peoples of the north through the
during and after the production of the first IPC 22Р