AFC Congratulates Bering Sea Region

 

-For Immediate Release-

 

December 15, 2016- The Arctic Funders Collaborative would like to congratulate the Alaska Native Tribes and organizations of the Bering Sea region on the recent announcement of an Executive Orderby President Obama establishing a Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area. The Executive Order provides unprecedented consideration for local and Indigenous knowledge and input on any future decision making concerning the region. The Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Areawill support local priorities for marine stewardship and strengthen resilience for communities on the front lines of climate change.

 

As Bering Sea Elders Group Chair, Harry Lincoln, explains in an op-ed piece published by the Alaska Dispatch News, "...there is great uncertainty about what the future holds and how it will affect the waters we depend upon...Then he [President Obama] took positive action to help our tribes prepare for a different future by protecting our culture, food security and the resilience of the ocean ecosystem that gives us life. That is the rich inheritance we pass on to our children." Members of the Arctic Funders Collaborative recognize the importance of supporting Arctic communities to strengthen their languages, cultures, and traditions, build community resilience, and conduct planning that enables them to build robust sustainable economies while maintaining the integrity and health of the ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend. AFC members are honoured to support the work of local organizations in the Bering Sea region such as Kawerak Inc. and the Bering Sea Elders Group who are leading this important work.

 

The White House announcement of this Executive Order was accompanied by a statement from the Arctic Funders Collaborative outlining a commitment by many of our members to provide ongoing philanthropic support for related Northern and Indigenous-led priorities across the Arctic. We will continue to provide support to the local Indigenous peoples of the Arctic to steward their traditional territories and to guide policy makers towards locally-driven priorities that support integrated and collaborative approaches to conservation. Read more about the statement on the White House Fact Sheet here.

 

 

List of media resources:

 

Inquiries about this release may be directed to:

 

Itoah Scott-Enns

Executive Director

Phone: (867) 444-2321

Email: director@arcticfunders.com