Circumpolar regions, and the nations within which they reside, have recently gained international attention because of shared and pressing public policy issues such as climate change, resource development, endangered wildlife and sovereignty disputes. In a call for national and circumpolar action on shared areas of concern, the Arctic states health ministers recently met and signed a declaration that identified shared priorities for international cooperation. Among the areas for collaboration raised, the declaration highlighted the importance of enhancing intercultural understanding, promoting culturally appropriate health care delivery and strengthening circumpolar collaboration in culturally appropriate health care delivery. This paper responds to the opportunity for further study to fully understand indigenous values and contexts, and presents these as they may apply to a framework that will support international comparisons and systems improvements within circumpolar regions. We explored the value base of indigenous peoples and provide considerations on how these values might interface with national values, health systems values and value bases between indigenous nations particularly in the context of health system policy-making that is inevitably shared between indigenous communities and jurisdictional or federal governments. Through a mixed methods nominal consensus process, nine values were identified and described: humanity, cultural responsiveness, teaching, nourishment, community voice, kinship, respect, holism and empowerment.

W e are compelled to reflect on our professional associations and the power of partnerships across organizations to improve sexual and reproductive health in Canada and around the world. (See Box 1 for who we are;

F orce nous est de r efl echir a nos associations professionnelles et a la puissance des partenariats entre les organismes pour am eliorer la sant e sexuelle et reproductive au Canada et dans le monde. (Voir l'encadr e 1 pour nous connaître; figures 1 et 2.) Nos passions communes, combin ees a nos comp etences et connaissances sp ecialis ees, nous donnent l'occasion de plaider en faveur d'une collaboration transparente, equitable et continue enracin ee dans les besoins de la collectivit e et capable d'y r epondre. A l'instar de l'Association canadienne des sages-femmes (ACSF), les organismes d etermin es a collaborer v eritablement croient a la valeur intrins eque de leurs services professionnels et ils travaillent avec et pour leurs collectivit es.