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Warsaw Format Meeting 2023
Warsaw Format Meeting 2023
© Barbara Milkowska MSZ

Bringing Observer States to the Table: The Warsaw Format Meeting

May 12, 2025
Poland 
How Poland created a platform for active Observer engagement

Article by:
Kristina Bär / Arctic Council Secretariat

In 2010 Poland hosted the first Warsaw Format meeting, a platform outside the Arctic Council’s formal structures that would allow Observer States to engage directly with the Council’s Chairship. Since then, the Observer State has hosted eight meetings in its capital and the semi-political format has developed into a valued foreign policy instrument.

There are two main avenues for Observers to engage in the Arctic Council: true to their status, they are welcomed to observe official meetings, sitting in the rows behind Arctic State and Permanent Participant representatives, having diplomatic chats with the Arctic Council family members during and after deliberations; and through active expert and scientific engagement in the projects and initiatives of the Council’s subsidiary bodies, such as the Working and Expert Groups.

One of the non-Arctic States that has had a seat on the Observer bench and been involved in variousArctic Council activities since the Council’s early days is Poland. In fact, Poland is one of three non-Arctic States, alongside Germany and the United Kingdom, that were already involved in the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (1991-1997) that preceded the establishment of the Arctic Council.

With a long polar history and an active research community, Poland, like many other Observer States and organizations, brings valuable expertise and input to the Council’s work, significantly contributing to various projects and initiatives. Yet, Jakub Wolski, the Titular Ambassador of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Poland’s representative in the Arctic Council, envisioned a new avenue for Observer States. He proposed a platform outside the Arctic Council’s formal structures, enabling Observer states to directly engage with the Council’s Chairship.

The idea of the Warsaw Format was born in 2010, when Poland hosted the first meeting between the Council’s Observer States, the European Union and the Arctic Council Chairship – the Kingdom of Denmark at the time. Initially, the meetings centered around science and ongoing polar research but the focus has since shifted, as Piotr Rakowski, Senior Advisor for Arctic Policy at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2017-2024) shared: “When I took over this portfolio in 2017, I noticed a tendency and perhaps a desire to move away from this science focus. We therefore decided to shift the Warsaw Format towards a foreign policy instrument.”

Then, first the pandemic and subsequently the pause of official Arctic Council meetings caused a hiatus in the Warsaw Format Meeting. With the suspension of meetings between Senior Arctic Officials and the limitation of Working Group activities, many Observers felt left in a state of uncertainty. Thus, Poland was eager to reinvigorate the Warsaw Format as Council activities began to resume under the Norwegian Chairship.

Warsaw Format Meeting 2024
© Konrad Laskowski MSZ

“Our need for a space for exchange increased,” said Piotr Rakowski, “leading to a more dialogue-oriented format for our most recent Warsaw Format Meeting in June 2024.” The agenda included thematic discussions on wildland fires, the changing cryosphere, gender equality, and cooperation opportunities among Observers – all topics that underscore the importance of collaboration and engagement with both state and non-state Observers.

Handing over the reins of Poland’s representation in the Arctic Council to his colleague, Piotr Rychlik, Ambassador for Arctic and Antarctic Affairs, Rakowski reflected on the success of the Warsaw Format Meeting. “I see significant value in the Warsaw Format Meeting's ability to facilitate more flexible, brainstorming-oriented discussions on current and emerging issues. It allows participants to explore and address topics that might not fit into the more formal agenda of Arctic Council meetings,” he noted.

Polish diplomats declare that with the willingness of subsequent Chairships and valued organizational support from the Arctic Council Secretariat, Poland will continue to regularly offer Warsaw Format Meetings as an opportunity to discuss multidimensional contributions from the Observers to the Arctic Council activities. “The growing number of actors that show interest in the Arctic together with recent developments around the region have demonstrated that there is a need for platforms that would share knowledge, increase trust and create mutual understanding between all the stakeholders,” said Piotr Rychlik. As the transfer of Chairship is approaching, Poland works closely with the Kingdom of Denmark, and it’s expected that the next Warsaw Format Meetings will take place in early fall of 2025.

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