Governance and Policies
The Arctic is shaped by its natural environment as well as by complex systems of governance and international cooperation. This section provides an overview of the main institutions, agreements, and actors involved in Arctic governance, including Arctic states, Indigenous Permanent Participants, regional organizations, and global institutions.
Cooperation in the Arctic takes place through formal structures such as councils, treaties, and strategic frameworks that address key issues including environmental protection, sustainable resource management, scientific research, and human security. The Arctic Council plays a central role as a forum for dialogue and cooperation among Arctic states and Indigenous peoples, while international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), provides the legal framework for maritime boundaries and resource rights.
Arctic governance also involves security considerations, economic interests, fisheries management, and search and rescue coordination. From military alliances and national strategies to regional agreements and multilateral partnerships, governance in the Arctic relies on cross-border collaboration and shared responsibilities aimed at maintaining stability, protecting fragile ecosystems, and managing change in a rapidly transforming region.
Education material in slideshow format with information text about governance and policies in the Arctic.
NATO was created by 12 countries from Europe and North America on 4th April 1949.
The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) functions as the Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) overseeing the North East Atlantic which stands as one of the globe's richest fishing grounds.
The Nordic countries, also known as the Nordic region, consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as the territories Faroes Islands, Greenland, Åland Islands, Svalbard and Jan Mayen.
The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the Arctic refer to the maritime zone that extend 200 nautical miles out from the coastal baseline of the Arctic nations.
The Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) was established at Norway's initiative by the Kirkenes Declaration in 1993.
Nestled in the Bering Strait between Alaska, United States, and Chukotka, Russia, lie two remote islands that not only mark the divide between two nations but also straddle the enigmatic International Date Line.
The Arctic Yearbook is an international and peer-reviewed volume which focuses on issues of regional governance, development, environmental politics, circumpolar relations, geopolitics and security, all broadly defined. It is an open access, online publication.
The first purely Arctic oriented meeting of the eight Arctic countries - Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the U.S. - took place in Rovaniemi, Finland in September 1989. The topic of the meeting was the fragile Arctic environment and a potential for joint effort in tackling the very delicate but urgent issue.
Quickfacts Categories
Arctic Portal.org - 2026 © All rights reserved.
When quoting, reusing or copying any material on the arcticportal.org or any of its sub-sites including but not limiting to: information, news, articles, data, maps or images, in part or in full, a citation stating the origin and a hyperlink to www.arcticportal.org is required.