Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) is pleased to announce the launch of its website, www.polarconnection.org. The website is to serve as the think-tank’s primary platform to convey its objectives, showcase its research output, engage with local and global audiences, and inform users and partners about latest developments both within the organisation and in the Polar Regions.
The website has been designed to intentionally reflect the organisational structure of the thinktank, while allowing for a more engaging user experience with improved search functionality and a more accessible navigation structure. The motivation behind this is to enable users to familiarise themselves more easily with both the content of the website and the wider work of the think-tank. Users will find analysis and commentary by in-house Experts and Associates, as well as external contributors, about a wide array of issues concerning the Arctic and the
Antarctic. The rich material is categorised on the basis of Regions, Themes and Industries.
As indicated by this categorisation, the work of PRPI falls within:
• Six theme-specific units: Natural Environment; Maritime Environment; Built Environment; Indigenous Peoples; Art, Culture and Heritage; and Geopolitics and Security.
• Six industry-specific units: Energy; Mining; Shipping; Fisheries; Tourism; ICT
Furthermore, recognising that what happens in the Arctic and the Antarctic also impacts, and is of interest to, the rest of the world, PRPI hosts four engagement forums: Asia Pacific Engagement Forum; European Union Engagement Forum; Small States Engagement Forum; World Oceans Engagement Forum.
Users visiting the website can also learn about the aims, activities and services of the think-tank; meet the members of its growing team; and keep abreast with its latest developments, forthcoming events, press releases and media appearances.
In keeping with the vision of the founders for PRPI to serve as a bustling and dynamic community not just for the members of its core team but also the wider family of stakeholders, the website will provide a virtual hub where this extended community can come closer together to exchange ideas and collaborate on joint pursuits.
“We are excited to be launching our website, which will give our stakeholders a clear idea about who we are, what we aim to do, what services we offer, and in what areas we hope to make a positive difference by facilitating multi-national and multi-stakeholder dialogue, consultation and cooperation.”, said Dr Dwayne Menezes, Founder and Director at PRPI. “It is very much our aim to not just invite the world to the Arctic, but take the Arctic to the world.We are happy that we could even convey that core identity through the name of our web domain: The Polar
Connection.”
Mr Christophe Milhères, Founder and Director, added: “The Polar Connection is a wonderful tool allowing us not just to showcase the work of Polar Research and Policy Initiative and relay the developments taking place in the Arctic and Antarctic, but also to invite stakeholders from and outside the Polar Regions to engage with us.
We hope to add new functionalities to this strong base in the coming months and publish on an ongoing basis a series of interviews with the great and the good from across the Arctic.”
Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI) is a UK-based international, independent think-tank that focuses on the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The mission of PRPI is to:
• raise the profile and understanding of the Polar Regions in the UK and across the Commonwealth;
• support polar researchers and polar research institutions in maximising the visibility, impact and reach of their research;
• increase and sustain the scholarly, cultural, political and commercial engagement of the UK and relevant Commonwealth member states with the Polar Regions (especially the Arctic Council member states);
• help address some of the toughest political, social, economic and environmental challenges facing polar peoples and places; and
• facilitate greater bilateral trade and investment between Arctic states and Commonwealth member states.
The initiative aims to serve as the nexus between polar researchers, policymakers, journalists, indigenous peoples, governments, international organisations, NGOs, industry and other stakeholders.
PRPI is an independent organisation that engages with the policymaking process nationally and internationally as a civil society actor. It is not an initiative of the UK Government or the Commonwealth Secretariat.
For further information, please visit:
http://www.polarconnection.org
To learn more about PRPI and the launch, please contact:
Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes: d.menezes@polarconnection.org / +44-7342034270
Mr Christophe Milheres: c.milheres@polarconnection.org / +44-7447019660