| Summary: | "BACKGROUND In December 2004, the United Nations announced the “Second International Decade of Indigenous Peoples of the World.” The Arctic Council (AC) Ministers responded to this declaration by increased efforts to expand the participation of Permanent Participants (PP’s) in the work of the Arctic Council projects. Furthermore, the AC plans to address the United Nations in New York during the May 14 – 25 2006 event highlighting the UN “Year of Indigenous Peoples.” At the September 22 -23, 2005 Arctic Council Action Plan (ACAP) Steering Committee (SC) meeting in Moscow, the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) presented a project idea, with support from Gwich’in Council International (GCI), to create an initiative under ACAP that will focus on community action projects by Indigenous Communities. This initiative evolved from the grassroots projects that RAIPON and GCI are working on cooperatively within ACAP. This Initiative is recommended because at the present time, in the framework of ACAP, there are several projects which are focused on large RF regions and territories, but not on small communities and villages of indigenous peoples." /./
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