The Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) in the Arctic, or in short the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement, is an international treaty concluded among the member states of the Arctic Council – Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States – on 12 May 2011. It coordinates international search and rescue (SAR) coverage and response in the Arctic, and establishes the area of SAR responsibility of each state party. In view of the conflicting territorial claims in the Arctic, the treaty provides that "the delimitation of search and rescue regions is not related to and shall not prejudice the delimitation of any boundary between States or their sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction."
The Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement is the first binding agreement negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council. The treaty reflects the Arctic region's growing economic importance as a result of its improved accessibility due to global warming.[1]