The Arctic Council (AC), established by the Ottawa Declaration on 19 September 1996, is a forum for intergovernmental cooperation created to promote cooperation among Arctic states, including Arctic indigenous communities and other bodies involved in the protection of the Arctic environment. It consists of the eight states that exercise sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle: Canada, Denmark (through Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia and the United States of America. The Arctic indigenous organisations are permanent participants and full members of the AC. These are currently as follows: the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, the Saami Council, the Arctic Athabaskan Council, the Gwich'in International Council and the Aleut International Association.
The AC was founded as a high-level forum to promote an environment of cooperation among Arctic states, including Arctic indigenous communities and other bodies committed to the protection of the Arctic environment. The AC coordinates sustainable development programmes and disseminates information on sustainability, research, education and other Arctic-related issues in collaboration with indigenous communities and people living in the Arctic.
The AC organises activities through six working groups (ACAP, AMAP, CAFF, EPPR, PAM and SDWG) formed by representatives of various governments and non-governmental agencies and experts.
In addition, several observer organisations and countries participate in the AC, including Spain (since October 2006). Spain actively participates in the AC and its working groups through various experts from different ministries and institutions.