Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly to take place July 19-21
The Inuit Circumpolar Council’s next general assembly will take place in hybrid form later on this month from July 19-21.
“Though it is unfortunate that we are unable to meet in person due to the continuing impacts of Covid-19, we are eager to conduct this hybrid General Assembly, gathering 66 delegates to share the gains that we have accomplishments since the General Assembly of 2018 in Utqiaġvik, Alaska,” Dalee Sambo Dorough, ICC’s international chair, said in a news release.
The hybrid form means the work of the general assembly will be restricted to reporting the organization’s activities so far as well as adopting a 2022 declaration.
The United States will also hand over the ICC’s rotating chairmanship to Greenland
Underlining Inuit unity
The theme of this month’s general assembly is “Inuit – Strength and Peace.”
ICC represents the approximately 180,000 Inuit in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka, Russia.
The organization says the political upheaval caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is continuing to have ramifications across the Arctic and that it was important to underline the unity of Inuit no matter which country they live in.
“In light of the present geostrategic issues that are increasingly impacting the Arctic region, we have chosen to emphasize the strength of our people and our constant objective to ensure the integrity and peaceful use of our homelands and traditional territory in perpetuity,” the organization said.
Next meeting in Greenland
An in-person ICC meeting is scheduled for July 18– 21 in Ilulissat, Greenland next year.
“We are looking forward to the virtual gathering but even more significant, we are eager to join together in Ilulissat next year to celebrate our community, solidarity and strength”, Hjalmar Dahl, vice-chair Greenland, said.
Write to Eilís Quinn at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Indigenous wildfire knowledge to be key part of new Arctic Council project, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: What a Saami-led salmon rewilding project in Arctic Finland can teach us about Indigenous science, Eye on the Arctic
Russia: Oral histories unlock impact of climate change on nomadic life in Arctic Russia, says study, Eye on the Arctic
