8.1 MOU Governments of Canada, Nunavut, Greenland

Presentation Title: Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and the Government of Greenland for the Conservation and Management of Polar Bears
Summary: The MOU, signed on November 11, 2009 in Kangerlussuaq (Greenland), requires signatories (via their delegates on a Joint Commission) to collect and exchange relevant information in a timely manner towards effective management and conservation of the Kane Basin and Baffin Bay polar bear subpopulations. The results of each of each of the three Joint Commission meetings (January 2010, May 2010, and October 2017) are described, including progress made in terms of data collection (both scientific and Traditional Knowledge) and collaborative decisions that have been made. Challenges and ongoing work are identified and will help guide continued work as it relates specifically to Kane Basin. Additional future work is also described and includes revision and restructuring of the MOU Agreement; revision and finalization of the Terms of Reference for the JC and each Working Group; and development of a formalized Rules of Procedure to guide future work.