Arctic Council to hold virtual chairmanship handover from Norway to Denmark on May 12
The Arctic Council’s chairmanship handover from Norway to Denmark will take place virtually on May 12.
In response to an email query, the Council confirmed that all components of the forum—Arctic States, Permanent Participants, Working Groups, and Observers—will meet online only.
The event will not be live-streamed.
Transformation of council’s work
The Arctic Council is an international forum for the eight Arctic nations and six Arctic Indigenous groups and focuses on emergency preparedness, environment and sustainable development in the North.
The chairmanships rotate between the countries every two years.
Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, chairmanship handovers were held in person, featuring large national delegations led by foreign or other government ministers.
The war has since disrupted the Council’s work significantly, with the seven Western member states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the U.S.) initially suspending cooperation with Russia within the Council saying the invasion violated the forum’s foundational principles which including sovereignty and territorial integrity under international law.
In June 2022, the A7 partially resumed projects that didn’t involve Moscow.
Norway took over the council’s two-year rotating chairmanship from Russia in 2023 and said its primary focus was on navigating a path forward for the Arctic Council to resume its crucial work on issues like climate.
Year formed: 1996
Arctic Council States: Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, United States
Permanent Participants: Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich’in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Saami Council
Current Chair: Norway (2023-2025)
Incoming Chair: Denmark (2025-2027)
The consensus to restart the working groups in 2024, including Russian participants, was reached over several months.
The forum’s six working groups each consist of experts dedicated to addressing specific northern issues, ranging from emergency preparedness to sustainable development and Arctic contaminants. The groups do the main work of the body.
Denmark’s chairmanship begins amid strained relations over Greenland takeover rhetoric
In advance of the chairmanship handover, Denmark will present it’s chairmanship program on Friday in Nuuk. It will be livestreamed on the Arctic Council website.
Denmark’s chairmanship comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington, Nuuk, and Copenhagen, fueled by the Trump administration’s repeated rhetoric over taking control of Greenland.
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Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Arctic sovereignty, defence on the minds of many Yukon voters, CBC News
Finland: US, Norwegian forces in Lapland for rapid reinforcement exercise, The Independent Barents Observer
Greenland: Greenland’s new parliament convenes for first time amid Trump pressure, Thomson Reuters
Norway:Trump slaps tariffs on Arctic islands with almost no export, CBC News
Sweden: Swedish defence working on developing military drone force, Radio Sweden
United States: Greenland ‘Freedom City?’ Rich donors push Trump for a tech hub up north, Reuters
