Meeting Documents

The Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears was concluded in Oslo, Norway, on 15 November 1973, and today has Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States of America as parties.
At a polar bear range states meeting in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA, 26 – 28 June 2007, the range states, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, including Articles VIII and IX, agreed that meetings under the Agreement should be held on a biennial schedule or otherwise as agreed to by the Parties.
The range states also agreed in Shepherdstown that the first such meeting should be held in 2009, and in 2008 the parties welcomed the offer of Norway to host such a meeting. Against this background, the five parties met in Tromsø, Norway, 17 – 19 March 2009, with an objective to provide an update on the conservation status for the polar bears, review implementation of the Agreement, identify useful polar bear conservation strategies and to discuss mechanisms for enhanced implementation of the Agreement

The Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears was concluded in Oslo, Norway, on November 15th 1973. The Range States comprises Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States of America.
As agreed upon at previous meetings (USA 2007, Norway 2009) the Range States, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, including Articles VIII and IX, decided that meetings under the Agreement should be held on a biennial schedule or otherwise as agreed to by the Parties.

The year 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, a unique multilateral Agreement to protect the polar bear, the ecosystems of which it is part, and the role of polar bears in the cultural and traditional life of indigenous people of the Arctic. The five polar bear Range States—Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States of America—met in Moscow, Russia to commemorate this historic event. A forum on the conservation of polar bears was held 04 December 2013, during which the Range States celebrated the success of the Agreement and recognized emerging challenges for polar bears. The forum culminated in the signing of a Declaration in which the Range States reaffirmed their commitment to work cooperatively for the conservation of polar bears in the 21st century. The forum was followed by the biennial meeting of the Range States 05-06 December 2013.

The Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears was concluded in Oslo, Norway, on November 15th 1973. The Range States comprises Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States of America. The Range States have held meetings every two years beginning in 2007.
As agreed upon at previous meetings, the Range States, in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, including Articles VIII and IX, decided that meetings under the Agreement should be held on a biennial schedule or otherwise as agreed to by the Parties.