USA/Canada: Joint Task Force on Beaufort Sea Boundary

On 24 September 2024, Canada and the USA established a Joint Task Force to Negotiate Beaufort Sea Boundary, whose function is to “undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea including resolving the overlap in the continental shelf in the Central Arctic Ocean”. Bilateral negotiations shall include “meaningful engagement with state, territorial, and Indigenous partners”. The final agreement should seek to resolve the maritime boundary, as well as take into account “the responsible conservation and sustainable use of Arctic resources for the mutual benefit of Americans and Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples”.