The Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement (formally the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic) is an international treaty concluded among the member states of the Arctic Council — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States — on 12 May 2011 in Nuuk,

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

. The treaty coordinates international

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

(SAR) coverage and response in the

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

, and establishes the area of SAR responsibility of each state party. In view of the conflicting territorial claims in the Arctic, the treaty provides that "the delimitation of search and rescue regions is not related to and shall not prejudice the delimitation of any boundary between States or their sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction." The Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement is the first binding agreement negotiated between the use of Arctic under the auspices of the Arctic Council. The treaty reflects the Arctic region's growing economic importance as a result of its improved accessibility due to

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

. The government of Canada is the depositary for the treaty. It entered into force on 19 January 2013 after it had been ratified by each of the eight signatory states.

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Text of the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement
Governance of the Arctic Treaties concluded in 2011 Rescue Treaties entered into force in 2013 Treaties of Canada Treaties of Denmark Treaties of Finland Treaties of Iceland Treaties of Norway Treaties of Russia Treaties of Sweden Treaties of the United States 2011 in Greenland 21st century in the Arctic {{Treaty-stub

See also

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