Press Releases

Documenting our Progress

ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᒃᑲᖅᑕᐃᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᓐᓂ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᒥ ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᒻᒥᓪᓗ

ᒪᐃ 2, 2016 – ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᒃ – ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᖅ ᑲᑎᒪᔨᖏᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᒥᑦ ᒥᑦᑎᒪᑕᓕᒻᒥᓪᓗ, ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥ. ᐅᓪᓗᓄᑦ ᑕᓪᓕᒪᓄᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᑦ ᑲᒪᓪᓗᑎᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᓪᓗᑎᓪᓗ ᐅᑯᐊ ᓄᓇᓖᑦ ᑲᖏᑦᑐᒑᐱᒃ, ᐃᑉᐱᐊᕐᔪᒃ ᖃᐅᓱᐃᑦᑐᕐᓗ.

ᑲᒥᓴᓇᓪᓗ ᑰᐱᒃ ᑲᓚᐃᔅᑦ, ᑲᒥᓴᓇ ᐊᐃᑉᐸᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᐱᔪᐊᓐ ᓕᐴᑦ, ᑲᑐᔾᔨᖃᑎᒌᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᖃᓗᓂᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐆᒪᔪᕐᓂᐊᖅᑎᒃᑯᓄᓪᓗ (KNAPK) ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᐅᐳᓚᑦ ᔮᑯᑉᓴᓐ (ᐃᒪᕐᒥᐅᑕᓕᕆᔨᒃᑯᑦ ᑲᓛᖡᑦ ᓄᓈᓂ) ᑲᓇᑕᐅᑉ ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᖓᓅᖅᑐᑎᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕆᐊᕆᓪᓗᑎᒃ ᑲᒥᓴᓇᒃᑯᓐᓂ, ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᕐᒥᓂᒃ ᑕᑯᓯᒪᔭᕐᒥᓂᕐᒥᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ.

“ᖁᕕᐊᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᐱᖃᑕᐅᓚᐅᕐᖓᑕ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᑕᒫᒃᑮᓐᓂᒃ ᖃᐅᔨᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᔭᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᕆᐊᖅᑐᖅᑐᑎᑦ. ᐱᖃᑕᐅᔪᑦ ᐆᒻᒪᕆᑦᑎᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᔾᔨᒌᓐᖏᕈᓘᔭᖅᑐᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᖃᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᑎᑦ” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᖅ ᑲᒥᓴᓇ ᐄᕙ ᐋᕆᐊᒃ. “ᖁᕕᐊᓪᓚᕆᑦᑐᒍᑦ ᑐᓐᖓᓱᑦᑎᑕᐅᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᖁᔭᓕᓂᖅ ᒥᑭᓗᐊᖅᑑᔮᒻᒪᕆᑦᑐᖅ.”

“ᐊᒥᓱᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᖁᕕᐊᒋᔭᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᒫᓐᓇ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᔪᖃᕐᓂᖓᓐᓄᑦ, ᓯᓚᑖᓂᓗ ᐱᔪᒪᔪᖃᕐᓂᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᖅ (ᐅᑭᐅᖅᑕᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᐅᒃᑲᕐᓂᓕᖓᓂ) ᐊᒥᓱᐊᓗᓐᓄ ᖃᐅᔨᔭᐅᔪᒪᓂᖅᓴᐅᓕᕐᖓᑕ” ᐅᖃᖅᑐᓂ ᑲᒥᓴᓇ ᑰᐃᒃ ᑲᓚᐃᔅᑦ. “ᖁᕕᐊᓪᓚᕆᒻᒥᔪᖓᑦᑕᐅ ᑐᓴᖃᑦᑕᖅᑐᒋᑦ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᐊ ᓂᓪᓕᐊᔪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊᓗ ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᖅ ᐊᑐᓂ ᐳᓚᕋᓚᐅᕐᓂᖓᓐᓂ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᓄᑖᕐᓂᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕈᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᑕᑯᔅᓴᐅᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᑦ.”

“ᓄᓇᓕᒻᒥᐅᑦ ᐅᖃᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᑦ ᐃᖃᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᓐᖏᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑎᓪᓗ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕈᒪᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐃᓚᒋᔭᐅᔪᒪᑦᑎᐊᖅᑐᑦ ᐅᐊᑦᑎᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᐅᓚᑦᑎᓂᖏᓐᓂᓪᓗ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᖃᑕᐅᓗᑎᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᖅᑕᐅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓂᕿᔅᓴᕆᕙᑦᑕᖏᑦ ᐊᕙᑎᕗᓪᓗ.” ᐅᖃᓚᐅᕐᒥᔪᖅ ᑲᒥᓴᓇ ᐅᑲᓕᖅ ᐃᔨᑦᓯᐊᖅ. “ᐊᑕᐅᓯᐅᒐᑦᑕ ᐃᓅᓪᓗᑕ ᑲᑐᔾᔨᔪᒍᑦ ᓇᑭᓐᖔᖅᓯᒪᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐃᓕᖅᑯᓯᑐᖄᓗᑦᑎᓐᓂ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᑕᐅᓯᕐᒥᓪᓗ ᑕᑯᓐᓇᖅᑐᑕ ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᕐᒥᑦ.”

ᑲᒥᓴᓇᑦ ᑲᓛᖡᑦ ᓄᓈᓅᕐᓂᐊᓚᐅᖅᑐᑦ ᐊᒡᒌᓯᐅᓕᖅᑲᑦ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᑲᓐᓂᓛᕐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᑦ ᐊᑦᑐᐊᔪᓄᑦ ᐱᑭᐊᓚᓱᕐᓱᐊᕐᒥᑦ.

ᐱᔭᕇᓚᐅᖅᑎᓪᓗᒋᑦ ᓈᓚᑦᑎᑦᑎᔪᑦ ᑲᓛᖡᑦ ᓄᓈᓂ, ᑲᒥᓴᓇ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐᓂᒃ ᑎᑎᕋᓛᖅᑐᖅ ᐊᑐᓕᖁᔭᐅᔪᓂᓪᓗ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᓗᓂᒋᑦ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᑭᖑᓪᓕᖅᐹᒥ ᐅᓂᒃᑳᓕᐅᕇᓚᐅᓐᖏᓐᓂᖏᓐᓂ ᑭᒃᑯᑐᐃᓐᓇᕐᓄᑦ ᓴᖅᑭᕈᒪᕐᒥᔪᖅ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐃᓱᒪᓕᐅᖅᑎᓄᑦ.

page1image933262736 page1image933244240 page1image933244432

Commissioners:

Okalik Eegeesiak chair@inuitcircumpolar.com 613-563-2642 For more information: Carole Simon ICC Canadacsimon@inuitcircumpolar.com613-563-2642

Kuupik Kleist kvk@ggnuuk.gl +299 54 78 58

Eva Aariak eva.aariak@gmail.com 867-222-8355 Alfred Jakobsen Oceans Northaerj58@gmail.com

page2image912828176 page2image912828432 page2image912828688 page2image912829008 page2image912830272 page2image912830592

ABOUT THE PIKIALASORSUAQ COMMISSION

The Inuit-led Pikialasorsuaq Commission is led by three Commissioners. The Commissioners are: ICC Chair, Okalik Eegeesiak is the International Commissioner; former Nunavut Premier, Eva Aariak has been appointed as the Canadian Commissioner; and, former Greenland Premier, Kuupik Kleist with be the Greenland Commissioner. The North Water is an area vulnerable to climate change. Inuit in the region have expressed a desire to explore locally-driven management options in advance of increased shipping, tourism, fishing, and non- renewable resource exploration/development. The Commission’s mandate will be to listen to Inuit communitymembers and knowledge holders who use and depend on this region about their vision for the North Water’sfuture use and cooperation.

The North Water polynya is an area of open water surrounded by sea ice. It is the largest one in the Northern Hemisphere and the most biologically productive ecosystem north of the Arctic Circle. It lies in northern Baffin

Bay between Greenland and Canada’s Ellesmere Island near Smith Sound and Nares Strait and is an important

marine area for Inuit and the species upon which high Arctic communities rely.

page2image912927232

Current support for the Commission has been provided by Oceans North Canada, the Oak Foundation and World

page2image912936592

Wildlife Fund Canada, while additional funds are being sought.

The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) is an Indigenous Peoples’ Organization (IPO), founded in 1977 to promote and celebrate the unity of 180,000 Inuit from Alaska (USA), Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka (Russia). ICC works to promote Inuit rights, safeguard the Arctic environment, and protect and promote the Inuit way of life. In regard to climate change, we believe that it is crucial for world leaders and governments to recognize, respect and fully implement the human rights of Inuit and all other Indigenous peoples across the globe.