Contact information Mr. Hannes Manninen, MP Chair of the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region Bjørn Willy Robstad Secretary General Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region Stortinget, The Parliament of Norway Karl Johansgt. 22 0026 Oslo, Norway E-mail: bwr@stortinget.no Tel: +47 2331 3603 Fax: +47 2331 3862 Links The Arctic Council The Arctic Council was established on September 19th, 1996 in Ottawa, Canada. A high level intergovernmental forum, the Council provides a mechanism to address the common concerns and challenges faced by the Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic. Northern Forum The Northern Forum is an international organization made up of regional governments in the world's northern regions. The Nordic Council A parliamentary platform for Nordic co-operation between the governments of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The first Parliamentary Conference concerning Arctic cooperation was held in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1993. The following Arctic parliamentary conferences have been held in Yellowknife, Canada; Salekhard, Russia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Tromsø, Norway, Nuuk, Greenland, Kiruna, Sweden and Fairbanks, the USA. The next conference will be held in the European Parliament in 2010.
The Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, which is responsible for the work between conferences, started its activities in September 1994.

One of the main priorities of the Standing Committee was originally to support the establishment of the Arctic Council. The new organization, representing the eight Arctic states (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the USA) and the European Parliament was founded on 19 September 1996. Since then the Committee has worked actively to promote the work of the Council. The Committee participates in the meetings of the Arctic Council as an observer.

The Eight Conference in Fairbanks 12-14 August 2008, focused on the following major themes:

• Maritime policy
• Human health in the Arctic
• Adaptation to climate change
• Development of rural energy resources

The conference is attended by representatives from the national parliaments of the Arctic states and the European Parliament. Observers also participate from governments and inter-parliamentary organizations as well as from observer states and relevant international organizations.

The Conference adopts a statement with recommendations to the Arctic Council and to the governments of the eight Arctic states and the European Commission. The Standing Committee closely monitors how the governments implement the Conference Statement, and take new initiatives to further Arctic cooperation.

Qualifications for participation in the Standing Committee are compatible with those for representation on the Arctic Council.

The Chair of the Standing Committee is:

• Mr. Hannes Manninen, MP, Finland.

Members of the Committee are:

• Mr. Robert W. Mills, MP, Canada;
• Ms. Juliane Henningsen, MP, Denmark/Greenland;
• Ms. Bilyana Ilieva Raeva, MP, European Parliament;
• Ms. Guðfríður Lilja Grétarsdóttir, MP, Iceland;
• Ms. Hill-Marta Solberg, MP, Norway;
• Mr. Vasily Usoltsev, MP, State Duma, Russia
• Mr. Mikhail Y. Nikolayev, MP, Council of Federation, Russia;
• Ms. Sinikka Bohlin, MP, Sweden; and
• Ms. Lisa Murkowski, Senator, the USA. 

The Permanent Participants of the Arctic Council are represented by:

• Mr. Lars Anders Baer, Saami Parliamentary Council;
• Ms. Patricia A. Cochran, ICC (Inuit Circumpolar Council); and
• Mr. Sergey N. Haruchi, President, RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North).

Mr. Bjørn Willy Robstad, the Norwegian parliament, is the Secretary General of the Committee.