Rune Fjellheim is the new Executive Secretary of the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat, IPS. He starts his work beginning of 2006.

Rune Fjellheim is well known within the Arctic Council as the Saami Council representative and we want to thank Rune for his good work during the years. Saami Council wants to congratulate Rune on his appointment and wish him success in a new working relationship and future projects. Saami Council hopes that that the good cooperation with IPS will continue in the future. Indigenous Peoples’ participate permanently to the work in Arctic Council and the secretariat to help indigenous peoples’ is located in Copenhagen in Denmark. The secretariat was established in 1994. The Indigenous Peoples’ Secretariat of the Arctic Council helps Arctic indigenous organisations to work together through the Arctic Council. The representative of Saami Council in IPS Board is president Aleksander Kobelev. Saami have worked for IPS before as well. The former Executive Secretary of Saami Council Nils Ole Gaup has worked as Executive Secretary for IPS. Gunn-Britt Retter has worked as a Technical Advisor for IPS. The Permanent Participants are: The Aleut International Association (AIA) representing Aleut on the Russian and American Aleutian Islands. Homepage under construction The Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) representing Athabaskans in Canada and USA Gwich’in Council International (GCI)) representing the Gwich’in in Canada and USA The Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) representing Inuit in Greenland/ Denmark, Canada, Alaska/USA and Chukotka/Russia The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON) representing 30 different peoples of the North, Far East and Siberia of the Russian Federation The Saami Council representing Saami people in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia

Rune Fjellheim. Rune Fjellheim 580 px.