MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Contact: Danielle Sem, Kawerak Inc., Outreach Director
dslingsby@kawerak.org, (907) 443-4344
Contact: Ana Grayson, Assoc. Communications Director
agrayson@beringstraits.com, 907-334-8377
Bering Strait Region to host 2030 Inuit Circumpolar Council General Assembly
[Nome, Alaska] – Kawerak, Inc. and Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) are honored to announce they will co-host the next Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) General Assembly in Nome, Alaska, in 2030.
The ICC General Assembly brings together approximately 400 attendees, including official delegates, youth representatives, Elders and observers. The 72 delegates representing ICC’s four member regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka/Russia gather to discuss and vote on policy priorities concerning critical circumpolar issues such as food security, climate change, Arctic sovereignty, and language protection. ICC leadership is also elected during the General Assembly.
“It is with joy that we welcome our Inuit relatives to our homeland. The Inupiaq, Yup’ik, and St. Lawerence Island Yupik peoples of the Bering Strait region are honored to gather in the spirit of kinship, shared history, and enduring connection to the Arctic. We look forward to welcoming guests with the hospitality of our communities and sharing the beauty of our lands and waters,” said Kawerak Board of Directors Co-Chair Kirsten Timbers.
“We look forward, with immense excitement and a deep sense of responsibility, to continuing the honored tradition of the ICC General Assembly by co-hosting its 16th session in Nome, Alaska,” said Frank Katchatag, Kawerak Board of Directors Co-Chair. “We are eager to unite with our fellow Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Chukotka to advance our collective sovereignty, protect our Arctic waters, and assert food security— and Kawerak is incredibly proud to support this circumpolar vision.”
“The BSNC Board is pleased to unanimously support efforts to co-host the ICC General Assembly in 2030. The Board is excited to welcome everyone to the Bering Strait region,” said Board Chairman Robert “Bobby” Evans. “I was honored to attend my first General Assembly in July as a Bering Strait region delegate. I witnessed firsthand the importance of the gathering to the host community and the cultural, social, and economic benefits it can bring. We look forward to coming together as one People to learn and share our cultures. The General Assembly was last held in Nome in 1995.”
“Co-hosting the General Assembly in Nome is a tremendous honor for the Bering Strait region. This gathering will bring Inuit from across the Arctic together on our homelands to share knowledge, strengthen relationships and address the issues that matter to our people,” said Cindy Towarak Massie, BSNC President. “We are honored to welcome delegates to our region and look forward to an unforgettable gathering.”
Kawerak, Inc. and Bering Straits Native Corporation are pleased to co-host this important gathering, embracing unity and celebrating our shared heritage, in support of ICC’s role to advocate for Inuit rights and priorities worldwide and to strengthen cultural bonds beyond borders.
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Kawerak Inc. acts in accordance with its mission, to advance the capacity of our people and tribes for the benefit of the region. Kawerak is a nonprofit tribal consortium that provides over 40 different programs to the Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Yupik people who reside in 16 communities of western Alaska and represents the 20 federally recognized tribes in the Bering Strait Region.
Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) is an Alaska Native corporation that was established by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. It is owned by more than 8,200 Alaska Native shareholders and actively pursues responsible development of resources and other business opportunities. Through its family of companies, BSNC serves the federal government and commercial customers throughout the Bering Strait region, Alaska, the United States and the world. Learn more at www.beringstraits.com.
