Embedded Files
International Councils & Committees
International Councils & Committees
The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic. It was formally established in 1996.
All Arctic Council decisions and statements require consensus of the eight Arctic States.
The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is a non-governmental, international scientific organization. The Founding Articles committed IASC to pursue a mission of encouraging and facilitating cooperation in all aspects of Arctic research, in all countries engaged in Arctic research and in all areas of the Arctic region. Overall, IASC promotes and supports leading-edge interdisciplinary research in order to foster a greater scientific understanding of the Arctic region and its role in the Earth system.
Rather than defining human and environmental boundaries, IASC tries to bridge those boundaries. IASC is also committed to recognizing that Traditional Knowledge, Indigenous Knowledge, and “Western” scientific knowledge are coequal and complementary knowledge systems, all of which can and should inform the work of IASC.
The International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA) is governed by an elected eight-member Council and a General Assembly consisting of all members having paid their membership.
There is a General Assembly every three years held during the International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS) organized by IASSA.
Between the General Assemblies IASSA is run by a Secretariat.
The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is a network of universities, colleges, research institutes, and other organizations concerned with education and research in and about the North.
UArctic builds and strengthens collective resources and infrastructures that enable member institutions to better serve their constituents and their regions.
Through cooperation in education, research, and outreach we enhance human capacity in the North, promote viable communities and sustainable economies, and forge global partnerships. Created through the Arctic Council, UArctic is committed to upholding its principles of sustainable development as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. UArctic is constituted as an international association based in Finland.
International Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations
International Arctic Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations
The Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat is a support secretariat for all the Permanent Participants. We assist in creating opportunities for the Permanent Participants to present their causes, support the provision of necessary information and materials, and communicate information about their work in the Arctic Council and beyond.
There are six Arctic Indigenous organizations that hold Permanent Participant status in the Arctic Council: Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in International Council, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, and the Saami Council.
Founded in 1977 by the late Eben Hopson of Barrow, Alaska, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) has flourished and grown into a major international non-government organization representing approximately 180,000 Inuit of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka (Russia).
The Saami Council is a voluntary Saami organization (a non–governmental organization), with Saami member organizations in Finland, Russia, Norway and Sweden. Since it was founded in 1956 the Saami Council has actively dealt with Saami policy tasks.
The primary aim of the Saami Council is the promotion of Saami rights and interests in the four countries where the Saami are living. The main task of the Saami Council is to consolidate the feeling of affinity among the Saami people, to attain recognition for the Saami as a nation and to maintain the cultural, political, economic and social rights of the Saami in the legislation of the four states (Norway, Sweden, Russia and Finland) and in agreements between states and Saami representative organizations.
The Saami Council's work is based on the decisions, statements, declarations and political programmes of the Saami Conference. Saami Council renders opinions and makes proposals on questions concerning Saami people’s livelihoods, rights, language and culture and especially on issues concerning Saami in different countries.
The Aleut International Association (AIA) is a not-for-profit corporation that represents the Indigenous peoples of Aleut descent in the United States and the Russian Federation. It was created by the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) and the Association of the Indigenous peoples of the North of the Aleut District of the Kamchatka Region of the Russian Federation (ANSARKO). AIA is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of four Alaskan and four Russian Aleuts under the leadership of a president.
AIA was formed to address environmental and cultural concerns of the extended Aleut family whose wellbeing has been connected to the rich resources of the Bering Sea for millennia. Its mission is to promote continuity of culture and protect the resources needed to sustain it. The need to understand global processes, such as trans-boundary contaminants transport, the impacts of climate change and the effects of commercial fisheries on the ecosystem of the Bering Sea, to name a few, was an impetus in joining in the work of international fora where AIA is actively pursuing collaboration with governments, scientists and other organizations to improve the wellbeing of the Aleut peoples and their environment.
In addition to its status as a Permanent Participant of the Arctic Council, AIA was granted Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 2004. AIA is an accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Gwich’in Council International (GCI) represents 9,000 Gwich’in in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Yukon, and Alaska as a Permanent Participant in the Arctic Council; the only international organization to give Indigenous peoples a seat at the decision-making table alongside national governments. The Arctic Council is a forum for cooperation, collaboration, and interaction, and has six working groups advancing projects, partnerships, and networks.
GCI’s membership consists of two representative bodies in Canada and one in the United States: Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC), who represents the beneficiaries of the Gwich’in Land Claims Settlement Act in NWT; the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN), which is a self-governing First Nation in Old Crow, Yukon; and the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG), for the eight Gwich’in communities in Alaska – Fort Yukon, Venetie, Arctic Village, Chalkyitsik, Birch Creek, Circle, Canyon Village, and Beaver. GCI is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, composed of four members from Canada and four from Alaska. Canada and Alaska each appoint a co-chair from its members.
Gwich'in Council International is a not-for-profit organization with one full-time staff member based in Yellowknife, Canada.
The AAC was established to defend the rights and further the interests internationally of American and Canadian Athabaskan members. The AAC also seeks to foster a greater understanding of the shared heritage of Athabaskan peoples of Arctic North America.
The Athabaskan peoples have traditionally occupied a vast geographic area of approximately 3 million square kilometers. This region has been continuously occupied by Athabaskan peoples for at least 10,000 years. The ancestors of contemporary Athabaskan peoples were semi-nomadic hunters. The staples of Athabaskan life are caribou, moose, beaver, rabbits and fish. Collectively, the Arctic Athabaskan peoples share 23 distinct languages.
Peoples of Arctic Athabaskan descent represent approximately two percent of the resident population of Alaska (12,000), compared with about one-third of the Yukon Territory (10,000), the Northwest Territories and provincial norths (20,000) in Canada. Athabaskan peoples are a relatively young and growing population compared with non-Aboriginal Arctic resident groups.
The AAC collaborates with Arctic States, Working Groups and other Permanent Participants regarding circumpolar relations with regular contributions to Chairmanship work plans. The AAC has particular interest in balancing environmental protection with economic sustainability.
International NGOs – Arctic/Polar & Climate
International NGOs – Arctic/Polar & Climate
The WWF's Global Arctic Programme advocates for climate change mitigation and adaptation and builds resilience in the Arctic, works to protect key marine, coastal, terrestrial and freshwater habitats and the species that depend on them, promotes sustainable energy, shipping and economic development, presses to fill gaps in Arctic governance and strengthen existing institutions.
The programme also leverages conservation leadership and expertise across the WWF network and unites the work of nine national offices.
The impacts of the human-induced climate crisis and increased industrial development threaten Arctic biodiversity and ecosystems as well as the livelihoods and cultures of Arctic peoples. By prioritizing sustainability over exploitation and combining science with Indigenous knowledge, WWF works to manage the transformations taking place in ways that support and benefit all life in the region and on the rest of the planet.
The WWF Arctic Programme is the only circumpolar environmental non-governmental organization that has Observer status at the Arctic Council.
Founded in 1996, the Climate and Cryosphere (CliC) is a core project of the World Climate Research Program. CliC encourages and promotes research into the cryosphere and its interactions with the global climate system. It highlights emerging issues, encourages communication between researchers with common interests in cryospheric and climate science, promotes international cooperation, and highlights the importance of this field to policy makers, funding agencies, and the general public. CliC also publishes scientific papers on the role of the cryosphere in the global climate system and recommends directions for future study.
CliC supported activities include a number of modelling intercomparison experiments under the umbrella of the Grand Challenge Melting Ice and Global Consequences, research projects, and interdisciplinary activities & networks.
Formed in 2009 immediately after COP-15 in Copenhagen, ICCI is a network of senior policy experts and researchers working with governments and organizations to create, shape and implement initiatives designed to preserve as much of the Earth’s cryosphere as possible. ICCI programs target the unique climate dynamics at work in the cryosphere, while at the same time lending increased urgency to global climate efforts aimed at CO2 and other greenhouse gases by communicating the unexpected rapidity and global implications of cryosphere warming.
ICCI’s directors and policy experts – the latter entirely volunteer – comprise its primary resource. As former management-level civil servants, ICCI directors fully understand the challenges facing even the most committed national and international leaders. Policy advice and support for governments and NGOs on a new yet important issue such as the cryosphere has never proven more essential. ICCI quietly is working to fill that gap, with the urgency the cryosphere deserves.
ICCI currently operates as two legal entities: ICCI, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States that operates as the global organization and is based in Burlington, Vermont; and ICCI-Europe, a charitable organization under Swedish regulation based in Stockholm, Sweden.
United Nations
United Nations
Where to look?
Where to look?
The UN has a variety of job positing sites and not every position is posted on every site. Positions can also be posted on individual UN organizations websites.
The UN has a variety of job positing sites and not every position is posted on every site. Positions can also be posted on individual UN organizations websites.
UN Inspiria is one of the primary job positing sites the UN uses. You will need to make a free account in order to search for open positions.
The United Nations Career Portal
The United Nations Career portal has postings for a variety of positions. It can be filtered to look for internships only and to look at certain UN groups.
UN Job net is another way to look for UN job lisitings. To save jobs you will need to make a profile.
UN Entities
UN Entities
The Global Compact’s goal is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to: Do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with Ten Principles on human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption; and take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
Internships are available at the UN Global Compact’s New York Office. Internships are offered for the Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.
The Programmes Team covers the following thematic areas: Anti-Corruption, Climate, Communication on Progress (CoP), Gender, Human Rights, Labour Rights and Decent Work, Ocean, Programme management, Sustainable Finance, Transformational Governance, and Water.
United Nations Association of the USA
The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) is a movement of Americans dedicated to supporting the United Nations. With over 20,000 members (60% under the age of 26) and more than 200 chapters across the country, UNA-USA members are united in their commitment to global engagement and their belief that each of us can play a part in advancing the UN’s mission and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Internships are offered on a variety of topics with a focus on advocacy and community engagement.. Some are remote and others are based in Washington, DC. Internships are offered in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Applications open approximately two months in advance. Applications are due in October, March, and July respectively.
United Nations Development Program
As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience.
UNDP offers internships to students and recent graduated located in one of the UNDP country offices, regional hubs, or their headquarters in New York. UNDP interns are provided with a monthly stipend based on their duty station amongst other factors.
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global authority on the environment. UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. The UNEP is headquartered in Kenya.
The UNEP offers internships which are posted on the United Nations careers website.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF offers internships to students and recent graduates. Internships are typically between six and twenty-six weeks and can be taken on a full-time or part time basis. UNICEF provides a monthly stipend to interns and sometimes additional funding to cover travel and visa costs. UNICEF will provide relevant supporting documents for visa applications. Internships are offered year round. UNICEF is headquartered in New York.
United Nations Population Fund
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. We promote gender equality and empower women, girls and young people to take control of their bodies and their futures. We work with partners in more than 150 countries to provide access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services. Our goal is ending unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal death, and gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.
UNFPA offers internships to a small number of qualified applicants. These internships are unpaid.
The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
Page updated
Report abuse