The Northern Forum is an observer to the Arctic Council, and on May 11, 2017, SAO Chair David Bolton traditionally invited all observers to breakfast to discuss observers’ engagement in the Arctic Council activities.

Executive Director of the Northern Forum Mikhail Pogodaev and Director of the Institute of the North Nils Andreassen attended this breakfast meeting devoted to discussion of ways of improving the work of observers in the Arctic Council. Many participants noted the need to strengthen a role of observers, and to this purpose it was decided to create a small working group from among the observers’ representatives to develop a vision or a concept of further more effective engagement of observers in the Arctic Council activities.