The Arctic Council's Search And Rescue Agreement: A Milestone

The Arctic Council (consisting of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and the U.S.A.) achieved a milestone in its short history on May 12, 2011 by concluding, in Nuuk, Greenland, the "Agreement on cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic". This "SAR Agreement" is the Council's first legally binding international agreement, and resulted from years of effort by the Council's staff and the governments of the Arctic Council's Member States (the "Parties").

The Agreement aims to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the Arctic in aeronautical and maritime search and rescue operations carried out on the "territory" of the Parties (meaning their respective land areas, internal waters and territorial seas, together with the superjacent airspace). Such operations are to be carried out on the basis of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue 1979 (the "SAR Convention") and the Convention on International Civil Aviation 1944 (the "Chicago Convention"), with additional guidelines provided by the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual (the "IAMSAR Manual").

Search and rescue regions are defined for each Party, which are required to establish, operate and maintain an "adequate and effective search and rescue capability" within precisely defined areas of their territory. The "Competent Authority" of each Party is also identified, Canada's being the Minister of National Defence. The agencies responsible for search and rescue are also identified for each Party, which in Canada's case are the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard. The aeronautical and maritime "rescue coordination center" ("RCC") of each Party is identified. In Canada, the RCC is the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario.

Parties may request permission to enter the territory of other Parties for search and rescue purposes (including refueling), and must be advised as soon as possible whether such entry has been permitted and, if so, under what conditions, if any, the mission may be undertaken. The most expeditious border crossing procedure possible, according to law and international obligations, shall apply in such cases.

The Parties are required by the Agreement to exchange information that improves the effectiveness of search and rescue operations (e.g. re communications; search and rescue, fueling, supply and medical facilities; airfields and ports...