Arctic Leaders Summit 2005

History of the Arctic Leaders Summit

The First Arctic Leaders Summit took place June 17-20, 1991, at Tidens Højskole, Hørsholm, Denmark. Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) organised this meeting. At that time there were only three Arctic Indigenous Organisations who represented Permanent Participants in the Arctic cooperation – ICC, RAIPON and the Saami Council.

The Second Arctic Leaders Summit was organised and hosted by the Saami Council January 25-27, 1995, Tromsø, Norway. Politics in Arctic cooperation, Arctic Tourism and Local Cultures, Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy were the items for the Summit agenda.

The Third Arctic Leaders Summit was held in Moscow, September 14-16, 1999. Here, Arctic indigenous leaders from the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Saami Council, Aleut International Association and the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, met to discuss health and environment issues of common concern. The meeting opened with a Shaman's song. It was organized by the indigenous peoples of Russia, with financial support from various Russian government agencies and private sector donors. Representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNEP and Arctic governments were among the participants. 

The main themes of the meeting concerned the state of health among Arctic peoples and the anthropogenic effects of environmental pollution. It was emphasized by a number of participants that a healthy state of environment was crucial for human health. The leaders produced a declaration that encouraged Arctic governments and international organizations to take concrete as well as general measures in promoting and protecting the health and environment of indigenous peoples of the Arctic. 

In 2003, the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) has been approached by other Arctic Council Permanent Participants to host the Fourth Arctic Leaders Summit. In March of that year, the AAC passed a resolution to host the Aboriginal Leaders Summit in 2005 in Denendeh (Northwest Territories, Canada). The motion was presented to the Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council at the Indigenous Peoples Secretariat Board Meeting in Selfoss in the spring of 2004. The Dene National Assembly passed a motion endorsing and supporting the initiative. Thus, the AAC will host the Fourth Arctic Leaders Summit on December 11 & 12 2005 in Katlodeeche, Denendeh (Hay River, NWT). The theme of this year’s summit is “Healthy, Sustainable Livelihoods for Arctic Indigenous Peoples: The Impacts of Global Warming and Oil and Gas Development”.