Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) The forum for Nordic governmental co-operation. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden have been members since 1971. The autonomous territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland have the same representation as the member states.

O

OSPAR See Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR)

P Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP)

A chemical substance that persists in the environment, bioaccumulates through the food web, and poses a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. Characteristic of POPs is their long-range transport through the atmosphere and water bodies into regions where they have never been produced.

Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME) A working group of the Arctic Council, that serves as the focal point of the Council’s activities related to the protection and sustainable use of the Arctic marine environment.

R

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Adopted in 1971 and came into force in 1975. An intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

S

Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR) Responsible for work between Conferences of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (CPAR). SCPAR started its activities in 1994. The Conference and Standing Committee take initiatives to further Arctic cooperation, and act, in particular, as a parliamentary forum for issues relevant to the work of the Arctic Council.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Chemicals Adopted in 2001, entered into force in 2004. Also referred to as the “POPs Convention.” The stated objective of the convention is to “protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants by reducing or eliminating releases to the environment”.

Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks (SAON) A process that responds to the need for a well-coordinated and sustained

Arctic Observing Network that meets scientific and societal needs. The SAON Initiating Group was formed in 2007 to develop recommendations on how to achieve long-term Arctic-wide observing activities.

U

UNCED – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Outcomes of the Conference included: Agenda 21; the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD); the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the Non-Legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, conservation and sustainable development of all Types of Forests (also known as “the Forest Principles”). UNCED also led to the negotiation and adoption of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Both the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity were opened for signature at the Conference.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Adopted in 1982, entered into force in 1994. The major features of the Convention include navigational rights, territorial sea limits, economic jurisdiction, legal status of resources on the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction, passage of ships through narrow straits, conservation and management of living marine resources, protection of the marine environment, a marine research regime and a binding procedure for settlement of disputes between States.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Established in 1972, it is the designated authority of the United Nations system on environmental issues at the regional and global level. Its mandate is “to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action”.

W Working Group on Harp and Hooded Seals (WGHARP) An expert working group under ICES/NAFO. WGHARP meets annually to consider recent research on the two species and to provide quota advice to ICES/NAFO member states for their harvests of harp and hooded seals. WGHARP is closely aligned with other harp and hooded seal research and management programs conducted by the governments of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States (e.g., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service), the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO), and the Joint Norwegian- Russian Fisheries Committee).

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