The Association of World Reindeer Herders is an Observer to the Arctic Council and through the Sustainable Development Working Group, the Association has been able to bring the voice of reindeer herders and their concerns to this high level intergovernmental forum. The Association is currently engaged in an Arctic Council Project called EALAT Information.
The Ottawa Declaration of 1996 formally established the Arctic Council as a high level intergovernmental forum to provide a means for promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. Member States of the Arctic Council are Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. In addition to the Member States, the Arctic Council has the category of Permanent Participants. 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. The category of Permanent Participation is created to provide for active participation of, and full consultation with, the Arctic Indigenous representatives within the Arctic Council. This principle applies to all meetings and activities of the Arctic Council.
ENI Norge is a partner of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry through their funding of the early development of information about circumpolar reindeer husbandry. This project is ongoing and continually under development through this website, the Reindeer Portal.
Eni Norge has been part of the Norwegian petroleum industry since the start in 1965. Safe operations with minimum impact on the environment, creating value for society and our owners, are our goal. The dedicated and highly skilled people in our organisation are the most important tool in achieving it. An active policy of searching for new resources while ensuring optimum production from existing fields creates a firm basis for a continued positive development of our company. Continued growth depends on getting access to acreage and finding, developing, and producing the resources. We build our activity through exploration, purchase or swap of license interests, and development of producing fields including use of advanced improved recovery methods. Research and development help us find new, safer, and cleaner solutions. Challenges as well as opportunities are essential for an organisation to maintain top performance and to recruit and keep the best people. In a period where the petroleum industry finds new opportunities from across the world, we have to be competitive to stay at the forefront.
The Norwegian office of the International Polar Year has been a supporter of the Reindeer Portal and the EALAT research project, which is an International Polar endorsed project (#399).
The International Polar Year (IPY) was launched on March 1. 2007 and spans over a two-year period. During this time research resources and funding from over 60 countries will be coordinated in an extraordinary initiative to increase our knowledge about the Arctic and the Antarctic. The International Polar Year 2007-2008 is likely to be the largest, international research collaboration ever undertaken. It has become increasingly clear that the polar regions are fundamentally important to the entire globe. Recognition of this fact has become even more relevant as the Arctic is now undergoing dramatic climate change, which serves as the basis for the scientific objectives. However, these objectives are of a social nature as well, and it is hoped that International Polar Year will result in a better foundation for international cooperation on the management of Arctic resources.
Norway’s participation in International Polar Year. Norway will play a prominent role during International Polar Year 2007-2008, not least by virtue of its dynamic research communities linked to an extensive international network, as well as its excellent facilities and logistical support in both the Arctic and Antarctic. By allocating NOK 330 million over four years, Norway is also one of the largest financial contributers to the initiative.
The Nordic Council of Ministers is a funding supporter of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and the development of the Reindeer Portal.
The Nordic Council of Ministers, formed in 1971, is the forum for Nordic governmental co-operation.
Overall responsibility for the Nordic Council of Ministers lies with the respective Prime Ministers. In practice, responsibility is delegated to the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation (MR-SAM) and to the Nordic Committee for Co-operation (NSK), which co-ordinates the day-to-day work of the official political Nordic co-operation. Despite its name the Nordic Council of Ministers consists, in fact, of several individual councils of ministers (MR). Most of the Nordic ministers for specific policy areas meet in a council of ministers a couple of times a year. The Chairmanship of the Council of Ministers, which is held for a period of one year, rotates between the five Nordic countries. Decisions made in the Council of Ministers are unanimous. Issues are prepared and followed up by the various Committees of Senior Officials (ÄK or EK) which consist of civil servants from the member countries. The Nordic Prime Ministers meet regularly – such as before meetings of the European Council, in the circle of European heads of state and government. The ministers for foreign affairs and defence hold their regular meetings outwith the formal framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The Research Council of Norway is a funding supporter of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry, the EALAT research project and the development of the Reindeer Portal.
Research is a driving force behind the advancement of Norwegian society and is vital to promoting scientific and knowledge-related development. Research is in and of itself enriching and comprises an important part of Norwegian culture. At the same time it provides direct practical benefits and is a tool for satisfying society’s need for concrete results. By carrying out broad-based, high-quality research activities, Norway can contribute actively to the global pool of knowledge and gain access to the international knowledge community. In keeping with its vision, the Research Council incorporates the widest possible range of motivations for research activity into its efforts, and its objectives, instruments and working methods are adapted accordingly.
The University of the Arctic has been a supporter of the work of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and ICR as a member of the UArctic network.
The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a cooperative network of universities, colleges, and other organizations committed to higher education and research in the North. Our members share resources, facilities, and expertise to build post-secondary education programs that are relevant and accessible to northern students. Our overall goal is to create a strong, sustainable circumpolar region by empowering northerners and northern communities through education and shared knowledge.We promote education that is circumpolar, interdisciplinary, and diverse in nature, and draw on our combined strengths to address the unique challenges of the region. The University of the Arctic recognizes the integral role of indigenous peoples in northern education, and seeks to engage their perspectives in all of its activities.
