SUPPORTING COHERENT POLICY AND DECISION-MAKING
Leads: Janet Pawlak, Arctic Monitoring & Assessment Programme and Volker Rachold, German Arctic Office
Work Package 7 is Arctic PASSION´s main instrument to communicate with policy and decision-makers regarding the needs, strategies and financial sustainability for Arctic observations. We establish suitable and effective communication platforms and fora, enabling a dialogue between the project and our relevant audience(s). We communicate Arctic PASSION outcomes and recommendations to policy and decision-making bodies, and at the same time, we receive and understand policy needs, so that Arctic PASSION can adjust its activities and actions.
We address policy and decision-makers from local to international levels. Through dialogues, consultation meetings, policy briefs, online surveys, and face-to-face briefings, we interact with
- The Arctic Council
- The European Parliament
- Regional and local decision-makers, with regional governments and agencies
- The Arctic Science Funders Forum
German Arctic Dialogue with ministries and authorities (photo: AWI/Heike Midleja) and EU briefing meeting (photo: EPB/Griffith Couser).
The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation between Arctic States, Indigenous Peoples and other Arctic residents regarding sustainable development and environmental protection in the region. AMAP establishes the dialogue with providing reports and organising briefings at Arctic Council meetings, liaising with the agencies coordinating observations in the Arctic countries via the Arctic Council Working Groups and consulting with Indigenous Peoples regarding their needs and the better integration of Indigenous Knowledge into Arctic observations. AMAP specifically wrote a compilation about Arctic PASSION's activities and outcomes and the relevance to the Arctic Council and its Working Groups: Project overview for the Arctic Council Working Groups and Permanent Participants.
A sustained contact with the Members of the European Parliament and the European Commission Officials interested in Arctic and EU research programmes has been established and maintained in collaboration with EU Polar Cluster projects. The European Polar Board coordinated this task, organised a policy briefing in January 2024 in Brussels at the European Parliament, has responded to requests for advice or information from policy makers and has tracked European policies and activities that are relevant for Arctic observations systems. See here the publications related to the policy briefing meeting:
Structured dialogues with sub-national authorities and agencies have been organised to learn about their needs and questions and identify possible contributions from this level of governance to establishing long-term sustained Arctic observation systems, including community-based observations. Within these dialogues, the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland has identified key questions and needs, responded to these questions by providing concrete ideas for the benefit of sub-national governance levels and discussed the recommendations and paths forward towards sustained sub-national engagement in Arctic observation. Based on several interviews, workshops, conference sessions and an online scoping workshop, a dialogue with local and regional policymakers and agencies was established. Results from these are summarised in 3 thematic policy briefs and one last, summarising policy brief with a set of 6 action items for researchers and decision makers:
- Policy brief about the knowledge gaps that affected or may affect data-driven decision-making and planning at the subnational level
The policy brief in short here. - Policy brief describing the state of inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in sub-national decision-making and data availability, needs and gaps with respect to managing and planning green transition
The policy brief in short here. - Policy brief outlines the key messages that subnational policy-makers, managers, and experts want to communicate to data and knowledge producers in the Arctic
The policy brief in short here. - Report of the Online Scoping Workshop on Data-driven Subnational Decision-making in the Arctic, June 2022.
- Report of the Arctic Spirit Conference session and workshop, November 2024.
- Policy brief concluding 6 future actions for data-driven subnational decision-making in the Arctic
The Arctic Science Funders Forum was established in 2020 as an outcome of the 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial Meeting to encourage international collaboration and research funding beyond national capabilities. It is a platform for funding agencies/organisations to exchange priorities and develop joint (inter-) national funding calls. The German Arctic Office at the Alfred Wegener Institute maintains a close dialogue with the members of the Arctic Science Funders Forum, reports on Arctic PASSION activities and discusses recommendations to help national funding agencies develop their funding strategies for future Arctic observations. Beside conference sessions and meetings, an internal workshop was organised for the Forum to present Arctic PASSION’s recommendations towards a sustained Arctic observing network.
News highlights
Strengthening Arctic decision-making factsheet
Arctic PASSION final results factsheet
Policy support for the Arctic Science Funders Forum
Wildfires And Air Quality Forecasting – Services Features & Users
A Recap Of Arctic Frontiers
Alizée Le Moigne – My Sharing Circle Ambassador Project
Arctic Passion Online Seminar & Dialogue “Reducing The Risk To Arctic Shipping – An Introduction To Polaris”, 4 December 12 Pm Gmt
Science Diplomacy Through Conferencing at the Arctic Circle Assembly
Rashmi Ramesh – My Sharing Circle Ambassador Project
Fabian Seemann – My Sharing Circle Ambassador project
Peyton M. Cavnar – My Sharing Circle Ambassador Project
Arctic PASSION ambassadors published article in the Finnish Climate Bulletin
Sharing Circle representation at the 12th International Conference on Permafrost (ICOP) in Whitehorse, Canada
Recap of Arctic Circle Berlin
From changing polar regions to policy responses – Strengthening EU and global climate preparedness
The power of Indigenous voices and data supporting the green transitional Decision-making in the Arctic: The power of indigenous voices and data supporting the green transition
Knowledge co-creation for policy
Arctic Passion At Smm
New Fact Sheet On The Eu’S Role In The Arctic
Supporting Data-Driven Decision-Making At The Local And Regional Level In The Arctic
Scoping Workshop On Data-Driven Subnational Decision-Making
Arctic Passion Scientists Featured On Eu4oceans Podcast
Deliverables
