The Inuit Circumpolar Council becomes the first Indigenous Peoples organization to gain permanent consultative status at the International Maritime Organization

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The Inuit Circumpolar Council becomes the first Indigenous Peoples organization to gain permanent consultative status at the International Maritime Organization

July 11, 2025

London, United Kingdom - This week, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) gained permanent consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO)- the first Indigenous Peoples organization to be granted this status in the history of the IMO. The ICC represents over 180,000 people and a lineage of stewardship in the lands and waters of Inuit Nunaat from time immemorial. Inuit Nunaat comprises lands and waters in present-day Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka (Russia).

For an NGO to gain permanent consultative status at the IMO, they must meet certain criteria, including the ability to contribute new expertise. Organizations with consultative status can actively participate in the workings of the IMO by attending IMO meetings, submitting documents, and providing expert feedback and advice.

"The Inuit Circumpolar Council has been an exemplary observer organization at the IMO for several years, providing knowledge and perspectives that have strengthened Arctic marine safety and protection. Friends of the Earth U.S. maintains that global governance bodies must take seriously their relationship and responsibilities to Indigenous Peoples, not least of which involves honoring Indigenous Peoples' right to speak for themselves in every forum," said John Kaltenstein, Deputy Director of the Climate and Oceans Program at Friends of the Earth U.S.

The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet. As sea ice melts rapidly, new shipping lanes are being explored, more ice breakers are being made, and further geopolitical tensions are fomenting, all the while continued pollution from ship-based sources threaten the health of Arctic peoples and ecosystems. The Inuit Circumpolar Council is at the forefront of solutions that center Indigenous Knowledge for the long-term health of the Arctic marine environment.

"Those who have been stewarding these lands and waters since the beginning are exactly who should be centered in any global decision-making," said Jase Hatcher, Senior Climate and Oceans Campaigner at Friends of the Earth U.S. "We talk a lot about the benefits of new technology in addressing climate concerns, but Indigenous cultural memory is also technology. The application of Indigenous Knowledge has far-reaching benefits relevant to the past, present and future of this region and beyond. It is the guidance we need to protect and preserve this precious ecosystem, and all who depend on it."

Communications contact: Jase Hatcher, [email protected]

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