Annex: Structure of the Arctic Council
UK Government supplementary written evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Arctic
1. The Government gave oral evidence to the Committee on 16 December 2014. This note sets out further written evidence on the UK’s engagement with the Arctic Council.
2. The UK’s nominated representative to the Arctic Council is based in the Polar Regions Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
3. As an observer to the Arctic Council, the UK receives notification of meetings of Ministers and Senior Arctic Officials from the Arctic Council Secretariat through its Arctic Council representative. The nominated representative also receives notification of meetings of the Working Groups directly from the Working Groups themselves and of Task Forces. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in consultation with other Government Departments and Government advisory bodies as appropriate, will make a judgement on attendance based on the UK interests at stake, practicability and value for money.
4. The costs of attendance by Government representatives are borne by their host Department or organisation. The Natural Environment Research Council’s Arctic Office will consider requests to send UK scientific expertise, either from the expert themselves or from the Arctic Council Working Groups, on a case-by-case basis and may fund their participation. The Annex to this evidence sets out the basic Arctic Council structure and how the UK engages with it.
5. Government representatives that attend Arctic Council meetings will report internally within Government on discussions. The UK does not publish reports of any proceedings of the Arctic Council as this is a prerogative of the Arctic Council. The Secretariat makes reports from most Arctic Council meetings available on the Arctic Council’s website.
6. The work plans of the Arctic Council Working Groups and terms of references of the Task Forces are set by the full members of the Arctic Council at Ministerial and Senior Arctic Official level. The Arctic Council’s Terms of Reference would allow for observers to propose projects through an Arctic State or a Permanent Participant. However, the UK, as an observer to the Council, could not co-chair a Task Force.
19 December 2014
Annex: Structure of the Arctic Council