In addition to the Working Groups there are also several Task Forces that operate within the framework of the Arctic Council. The Task Forces are appointed at the Ministerial meetings to work on specific issues for a limited amount of time. The Task Forces are active until they have produced the desired results, at which point they become inactive. Experts from the Working Groups and representatives from the member states take part in the Task Forces. Below are articles describing the history and activities of the Arctic Council Task Forces.
In the Nuuk Declaration dated 12 May 2011, the Ministers of the Arctic Council member states decided to "Strengthen the capacity of the Arctic Council to respond to the challenges and opportunities facing the Arctic by establishing a standing Arctic Council secretariat, hereinafter the Secretariat, in Tromsø, Norway to be operational no later than at the beginning of the Canadian Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2013"
In Nuuk in May 2011, the Ministers of the Arctic Council member states signed “the Agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic", as the first legally binding agreement negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council. In the Nuuk declaration, the ministers recognized “the important role of the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritme Search and Rescue in the Arctic for safe transport and enhancing cooperation in assisting people in distress in the Arctic”.
In the Nuuk Declaration dated 12 May 2011, the Ministers of the Arctic Council member states decided “to establish a Task Force, reporting to the Senior Arctic Officials, to develop an international instrument on Arctic marine oil pollution preparedness and response, and called for the Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) and other relevant working groups to develop recommendations and/or best practices in the prevention of marine oil pollution; the preliminary or final results of both to be presented jointly at the next Ministerial meeting in 2013”.
