ICC has been attending the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) since the first United Nations Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janiero in June 1992. Inuit representatives who attended the “Rio Summit” travelled back to Canada to attend the 6th ICC General Assembly in Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk in July, 1992.

ICC has a strong delegation of Inuit leaders, elders, community members, and youth attending the COP26 climate change meeting in Glasgow, Scotland this year from October 31 to November 12, 2021. ICC is hosting several events, participating in many more, and engaging in the negotiations and with media both inside and outside of the conference venue.

The ICC Inuit Leaders attending COP26 are:

  • ICC Chair Dalee Sambo Dorough – Head of the ICC Delegation
  • ICC Canada Vice-President (International) Lisa Koperqualuk
  • National Inuit Youth Council (NIYC) President Brian Pottle

The other members of ICC delegation are:

  • Victoria Qunnuq Buschman – Inuit knowledge holder (Alaska)
  • Piita Irniq – Inuit knowledge holder (Canada)
  • Adelaine Ahmasuk – Inuk youth, Emerging Leaders Program (Alaska)
  • Jimmy Oleekatalik – Inuit knowledge holder (Canada)

Our ICC COP26 organizers are:

  • Joanna MacDonald, ICC Canada Climate Change Officer, COP26 delegation coordinator
  • Crystal Martin Lapenskie, Consultant, former NIYC President, COP26 delegation support

What messages are we bringing to COP26?

Check out our press release here: https://www.inuitcircumpolar.com/news/inuit-delegation-heading-to-cop26/

We have also released a detailed ICC Position Paper including ICC’s key messages and priorities for COP26. Check it out here: https://www.inuitcircumpolar.com/project/inuit-call-for-the-tools-needed-to-protect-the-arctic/

We are asking governments around the world to do three things at COP26:

  1. Make unprecedented and massive efforts to cap global temperature rise.
  2. Value Indigenous Knowledge and leadership in climate action and support Indigenous participation in climate governance.
  3. Recognize the oceans and cryosphere as critical ecosystems that must be protected through partnership with Inuit.

Here are some of the activities we will be doing to get our messages across at COP26:

We’re holding what are known as side-events. These are events that address specific issues, and allow us to reiterate the messages in our press release and position paper.

Here are some of the ICC side events:

November 3:

Inuit knowledge in action – three stories of Inuit marine management as a key to climate adaption. The session is on YouTube here: https://bit.ly/3CJcaEL

Click on detailed program

Inuit Knowledge, Innovation and Infrastructure – Inuit youth perspectives on infrastructure for adaptation and resilience

Click on detailed program

November 4:

Inuit knowledge and perspectives on climate change, resiliency and adaptations in northern ecosystems (Blue Zone, WWF Pavilion, 9:30-10:30am)

November 5:

Inuit night (Blue Zone, Cryosphere Pavilion, 7:30-9:30pm)

Reducing Ships’ Black Carbon Emissions to Protect the Arctic. A COP26 Side Event organized by the Clean Arctic Alliance.

November 7:

International Inuit Day

In addition to the ICC lead side-events, our leaders will be participating in other events.

Here are some examples:

ICC Chair Dalee Sambo Dorough will be speaking at an event called Nature-Climate-People: tales from across the ocean on November 1st in the WWF Pavilion, and a research event hosted by ITK and the UK government on November 9th.

ICC Canada Vice-President (International) Lisa Koperqualuk will be speaking at a Clean Energy Alliance event on Black Carbon in the Cryosphere Pavilion on November 5th at 2:30pm.


ICC Delegation Spotlight


PHOTOS

We’ll be posting photos here and on our social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) during COP26.

October 28, 2021

October 29, 2021

The 6th Facilitative Working Group FWG Members wrapped up important discussions today

November 1, 2021

<strong class=>Victoria Qutuuq Buschman Iñupiat from Alaska former NIYC Canada President Crystal Martin Lapenskie and ICC International Chair Dalee Sambo Dorough<strong>

November 2, 2021

ICC Chair Dalee Sambo Dorough meets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the crowd at COP26

November 3, 2021

November 4, 2021

ICC Canada Vice President International Lisa Koperqualuk meets with Canadas Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault with members of the ICC COP26 delegation Left Right Steven Guilbeault Lisa Koperqualuk Jimmy Aqiangnayuk Uikkataik Brian Pottle

November 5, 2021

ICC met with Mairi McAllan Minister for Environment Biodiversity and Land Reform in Scotland yesterday on shared priorities of climate change in the Arctic

November 7, 2021

November 8, 2021

Victoria Qutuuq Buschman and Piita Irniq participate in the Local and Indigenous Peoples Platform engagement with Indigenous Knowledge Holders

November 9, 2021


Media Coverage

October 29, 2021 – Radio Canada International (RCI) Eye on the Arctic – Inuit leaders call for “unprecedented and massive” action on climate as world leaders gather for COP26 https://bit.ly/3GMinC2 

October 29, 2021 – The National Observer – Ahead of COP26, the Inuit Circumpolar Council pushes for three ‘critical’ actions https://bit.ly/3CIKaRC 

November 1, 2021 – CBC The National – ICC Canada Vice-President International, Lisa Koperqualuk, talks about how climate change is affecting Inuit hunting practices. (1.25 in the video) https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1969993283635 

November 2, 2021 – BBC Radio Scotland – ICC Chair Dalee Sambo Dorough discusses what Inuit are seeking from global leaders at COP26. The panel starts at 2:12:39 and runs to 2:24:14 at this link: https://bbc.in/3BLAswE

November 3 – 2021 – Nunatsiaq News – Nunatsiaq News – Inuit group travels to Glasgow for COP26 – Inuit Circumpolar Council has 3 calls to action to share at the world’s biggest conference on climate changehttps://bit.ly/3bG3mmZ 

November 3, 2021 – CBC Igallaq with Joanna Awa – ICC Canada Vice-President International Lisa Koperqualuk is interviewed.https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1970713155554/

November 4, 2021 The Narwhal – Three Indigenous delegates talk COP26 and what’s missing in Canada’s climate effortshttps://thenarwhal.ca/cop26-indigenous-delegates-climate-change/

November 4, 2021 The Toronto Star – Inuit youth claim space to seek climate resiliency in the Arctic
https://bit.ly/3D29Dp9

November 5, 2021 CBC Radio – Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild – Inuit bring unified voice to COP26 from the frontlines of climate change https://bit.ly/3o0uX8p

November 9, 2021 NRK – Norwegian web article on participation of Inuit youth at COP26 including Cyrstal Martin-Lapenskie – Arktisk ungdom vil bli lyttet til i klimasakerhttps://bit.ly/3Dg0tp2 NRK TV – Norwegian TV video on participation of Inuit youth at COP26 – I går – Ođđasat – nyheter på samisk https://tv.nrk.no/serie/oddasat-tv/202111/SANY70110921/avspiller

November 10, 2021

CBC Radio – The Current – climate change in the North is leading to melting ice, late snowfall, and changing animal migration patterns — all of which affects the people who live there. We check in with Inuit delegates at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow: Lisa Koperqualuk, Vice-President (International) of the Inuit Circumpolar Council in Canada, and Dalee Sambo Dorough, chair of the same organization.https://bit.ly/3kp9EfP

November 10, 2021 NRK TV (Norway) – I går – Klimamøtet – hjelper det? – A 30-minute video about the changing climate. ICC’s Crystal Martin Lapenskie is interviewed and can be heard from 11:40 – 12:40 https://tv.nrk.no/serie/urix/202111/NNFA53111021/avspiller 

Nunatsiaq News – Inuit leader at COP26 calls for Arctic shipping to be cleaned up – Lisa Koperqualuk calls for ban on the use of black carbon https://bit.ly/3F8MwtS

November 19, 2021

Nunatsiaq News – Taloyoak HTO manager recounts trip to Glasgow for climate summit – Jimmy Oleekatalik’s first trip abroad was an opportunity to speak on an international stage

https://bit.ly/3p01JqO

November 22, 2021

CBC Radio – Tuttavik – Inuktitut language interview with Lisa Koperqualuk, Vice president ICC Canada about Inuit representation at COP 26 climate change conference in Scotland a couple of weeks ago. Host is Alec Gordon.

https://bit.ly/3CHAupz