ACWG Observer Support Initiative
Supporting Canadian Engagement in Arctic Governance
The Arctic Institute of North America (AINA), in partnership with ArcticNet, is proud to support Canadian academic and Indigenous participation in the work of the Arctic Council through the AINA-ArcticNet Arctic Council Working Group (ACWG) Observer Support Initiative.
The Initiative was established to enhance Canadian participation in Arctic Council Working Groups, strengthen Indigenous and scientific engagement, and facilitate knowledge exchange between Arctic Council processes and the broader Canadian research and policy community.
As a non-State Observer to the Arctic Council since 2004, AINA contributes research expertise, scientific knowledge, and collaborative perspectives to Arctic Council discussions and Working Groups. This initiative strengthens Canada’s engagement within Arctic governance processes by supporting AINA-appointed observers participating in Arctic Council Working Groups:
- Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
- Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)
- Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG)
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
- Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON), a joint initiative of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)
Founded in 1945, AINA is Canada’s longest-standing institution dedication to northern and Arctic research. For 80 years, AINA has advanced interdisciplinary scholarship, northern research collaboration, education, and knowledge mobilization across the circumpolar North. Through this initiative, AINA continues its longstanding commitment to strengthening connections between research, Indigenous knowledge, policy dialogue, and international cooperation.
Related AINA Projects
Project Annual Reports
Observer Reports
What is the Arctic Council?
The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among Arctic States, Permanent Participants, and Arctic residents on issues related to climate, environment, and sustainable development in the Arctic.
Established in 1996 through the Ottawa Declaration, the Arctic Council brings together eight Arctic States:
- Canada
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Finland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Russia
- Sweden
- United States
The Arctic Council does not create legally binding international law; rather, it advances cooperation through scientific assessments, policy recommendations, monitoring activities, technical reports, best practices, and collaborative initiatives.
Arctic Council's graphic representation of its constituent parts (CC BY-ND 2.0).
Permanent Participants
A defining feature of the Arctic Council is the formal inclusion of Indigenous Peoples as Permanent Participants within the Council’s structure.
Permanent Participants hold extensive participatory rights within the Arctic Council. They are recognized as full consultative parties in Arctic Council discussions and decision-shaping processes, contributing Indigenous knowledge systems, lived experiences, priorities, and leadership to the Council’s work across its Working Groups and initiatives.
The status of Permanent Participants ensures that Arctic Indigenous Peoples have a permanent and meaningful seat at the table in Arctic governance, something unique in international diplomacy and governance forums.
The six Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council represent Arctic Indigenous Peoples and communities across the circumpolar North. Participants include the Aleut International Association (AIA), Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC), Gwich'in Council International (GCI), Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), and Saami Council.
Arctic Council Working Groups
The work of the Arctic Council is primarily carried out through six Working Groups composed of representatives from Arctic States, Permanent Participants, Observer states and organizations, scientists, researchers, and technical experts.
These Working Groups develop assessments, recommendations, monitoring activities, and collaborative initiatives that help inform Arctic policy and decision-making.
The Arctic Council Working Groups address a wide range of environmental, social, cultural, economic, and sustainable development priorities across the circumpolar North. Their work contributes to international cooperation, scientific collaboration, and evidence-informed dialogue on some of the Arctic’s most pressing challenges and opportunities.
The six Working Groups of the Arctic Council include the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP); Arctic Contaminants Action Program (ACAP); Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF); Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR); Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME); and, Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG).
The Role of Observer Organizations
Observer organizations play an important role in supporting the work of the Arctic Council by contributing:
- Scientific and technical expertise
- Research findings and assessments
- Knowledge-sharing and collaboration
- Capacity-building support
- Monitoring activities
- Policy-relevant analysis and recommendations
Observers participate in Working Group meetings, workshops, conferences, and collaborative projects while supporting dialogue between researchers, policymakers, Indigenous organizations, and northern communities.
As an Observer organization, AINA contributes interdisciplinary Arctic research perspectives and helps strengthen connections between Canadian research institutions and international Arctic governance processes.
AINA has been a non-State Observer to the Arctic Council since 2004.
The Senior Arctic Official Chair Observer Meeting in February 2026 in Tromsø, Norway.
Arctic Council Secretariat
Learn more about the Arctic Council
AINA ACWG Observer Representatives
Through the AINA-ArcticNet Arctic Council Working Group Observer Support Initiative, AINA-Observer representatives contribute their expertise, perspectives, lived experience, and professional experience to Arctic Council Working Groups while helping to foster greater awareness, accessibility, and engagement between Arctic research, Indigenous communities, and policy groups.
AINA Observer engagement helps strengthen connections between research institutions, Indigenous organizations, northern communities, and international policy discussions. Observer participation supports greater accessibility and awareness of Arctic Council activities within Canadian academic, research, and northern networks. By sharing reports, reflections, and updates from Working Group activities, AINA seeks to foster broader understanding of how Arctic governance processes operate and how research and Indigenous knowledge contribute to international cooperation in the Arctic.
Srijak Bhatnagar
AINA Observer Representative to CAFF
Dr. Bhatnagar is an adjunct professor at the Athabasca University. His transdisciplinary research operates at the interface of natural and social sciences, with implications for Indigenous data and food sovereignty, Indigenous governance, and international law in the Arctic. As a marine microbial biogeographer studying the Arctic marine environment to understand ecosystem-scale responses to the climate emergency and impacts on marine food webs, Srijak is using continental-scale DNA sequencing, and contributing to the development of a Microbial Atlas of the Arctic Ocean—from sea ice to seafloor—to identify microbial diversity, characterize biogeochemical functions, and assess ecosystem vulnerability to global warming. Complementary to this research, he is a molecular methods specialist and science communicator developing community-driven frameworks for the use of DNA-based technologies to monitor Arctic biodiversity across microbial, aquatic, terrestrial, and macrobiological systems.
Jean Holloway
AINA Observer Representative to PAME
Dr. Holloway is a research associate in the Environment, Society and Policy Group (ESPG) at the University of Ottawa. She represents AINA as an Observer representative to PAME with participation in the PAME Shipping Expert Group. Her work closely aligns with the mandates of PAME and the AMAP working group through long-standing involvement in Arctic shipping, contaminants, climate and environmental change, and Indigenous-partnered research. As a chapter co-lead for the upcoming AMAP SICCA Assessment, contributing to international synthesis on the societal impacts of marine transportation and climate change, Dr. Holloway’s research portfolio directly supports the objectives of PAME around safe, sustainable Arctic shipping. She has co-led Sustainable Arctic Shipping Knowledge Exchanges, Inuit
Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit on Arctic Shipping Risks, Sustainable Human Use of the Arctic Marine Environment, and the Clean Arctic Shipping Initiative (CASI), all of which integrates Inuit knowledge, AIS vessel data, sea-ice analytics, and risk mapping to inform marine governance in Inuit Nunangat. In addition, her work strongly contributes to AMAP’s focus on monitoring (e.g. contaminants and climate change), including projects on microplastics, biofouling, hull-coating ablation, permafrost thaw-driven contaminant transport and carbon and nitrogen cycling.
Bridget Larocque
AINA Observer Representative to SDWG
Bridget Larocque is a Métis change advocate in Indigenous, Arctic, and Gender affairs. She is a social science doctoral student at Trent University, specializing in northern and Indigenous governance, Arctic institutions, and Indigenous economic and political systems. She is a recognized expert in northern and Indigenous affairs, with direct experience contributing to the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group and affiliated international Arctic research bodies. She is actively engaged in SDWG-related projects, notably the Arctic Food Innovation Cluster (AFIC) and the AFIC Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus study in northern Canada, led by Dr. David Natcher at the University of Saskatchewan. Bridget previously served as a researcher with the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) and as the 2024interim chair of the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) Standing Committee on Indigenous Involvement bringing valuable experience and expertise to strengthen academic informed engagement through an Indigenous lens within the SDWG. Other notable contributions include written input to the June 2020 briefing for Senior Arctic Officials on COVID-19 impacts in the Arctic and research and analysis to The Economy of the North (ECONOR) 2020 and SDWG ECONOR 2025 reports, supporting evidence-based policy development within the SDWG.