Photo: Senior officials meet in advance of May Arctic Council gathering in Iqaluit

The Arctic Council’s senior Arctic officials are meeting in Whitehorse this week to assess progress under the council’s Canadian chairmanship and prepare reports for the upcoming ministerial meeting in Iqaluit in May during which Canada will hand over the chair’s job to the United States. The Arctic Council brings together the eight Arctic states and six permanent indigenous organizations within the Arctic region to set priorities for the circumpolar North including economic development, the environment and the health and well-being of northern peoples. From left: Grant Sullivan of Gwich’in Council International, Duane Smith of the Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada and Jimmy Stotts with ICC Alaska. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAAMI COUNCIL)