The Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI), also known as The Polar Connection, is a foreign policy think tank based in London, United Kingdom. Specializing in the Arctic, Nordic, Baltic, and Antarctic regions, as well as energy and environmental issues, PRPI aims to promote sustainable regional development.
The
mission of PRPI, as stated on its website, 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 people and places;
Facilitate greater bilateral trade and investment between Arctic states and Commonwealth member states.[8]
Over the past two years, its focus has gradually expanded: while PRPI had a
UK and
Commonwealth of Nations specific focus at the start, this has expanded to include, over the first six months, the
United States and, after the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (popularly known as
Brexit), the rest of
Europe.[9] Currently, it positions itself as a UK-based international think-tank that operates principally in the international arena. Furthermore, at the time of its inception, PRPI engaged with different geographic constituencies through four engagement forums, dealing with the
Asia Pacific,
European Union,
Small Island Developing States and
World Ocean respectively.[10] Following the 2016 Arctic Circle Assembly, it also introduced a new
BRICS engagement forum.[11]
Activities
Since its inception, PRPI's most prominent features have been the provision of research, analysis and commentary; high engagement with policymakers, industry leaders, academics and Indigenous representatives; ongoing dialogue with national governments and multilateral fora; and active participation at national and international conferences. It has also aligned its principal activities with the key priorities of the incumbent Chairs of the
Arctic Council: the
United States, 2015–2017, on "improving economic and living conditions in Arctic communities";[12] and
Finland, 2017–2019, in "the Agenda 2030 framework [2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development] can be used in Arctic cooperation for the benefit of humans and nature".[12]
Research, Analysis and Commentary
PRPI publishes its research and provides analysis and commentary both, via its digital platform, Polar Connection (www.polarconnection.org) and through partner platforms such as Arctic Today and other national and international media outlets. PRPI Fellows also make their research available through monographs, book chapters in edited volumes and research papers in journals. Its research interests are reflected in its organizational structure, which features three
divisions:
theme-specific units;
industry-specific units; and
stakeholder engagement forums.[13]
PRPI positions itself as the nexus between stakeholders in policy, industry, academia, civil society and the media, and it provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation among different stakeholders. It does so in a variety of ways:
Parliamentary Evidence, Policy Briefs and Industry Briefs
PRPI has regularly provided written and oral evidence to relevant UK Parliamentary inquiries, such as:
UK House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, 'Leaving the EU: Negotiating Priorities for Energy and Climate Change Policy Inquiry';[30][31]
UK House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee, 'Scotland and the High North Inquiry';[32][33][34][35][36][37]
UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, 'Closing the STEM Skills Gap Inquiry';[38][39]
UK House of Commons International Trade Committee, 'UK Trade Options Beyond 2019 Inquiry'.[39][40][41][42][43][44]
PRPI also provides policy briefs and industry briefs, when requested, to policymakers and industry leaders.
With respect to conferences, PRPI has sent delegations to, or convened policy dialogues at, the Arctic Circle Assemblies organized by
Arctic Circle (organization) in
Reykjavik in October 2015, October 2016 and October 2017; the Arctic Circle Forums hosted by the same organization in
Edinburgh in November 2017 and
Tórshavn in May 2018; the Arctic Encounter Symposia held in the margins of the
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Paris in December 2015 and in
Seattle in April 2018; the Arctic Spirit Conference hosted in
Rovaniemi in November 2017; the
Ramboll Arctic Roundtable in
Portland, Maine in December 2016; the
NERC Arctic Science Conference convened in
Sheffield in September 2015 and Antarctic Science Conference in
Norfolk in July 2016; the Antarctica 100 Annual Meeting at the
Royal Geographical Society in
London in November 2015; the Arctic Future Symposium hosted by the
International Polar Foundation in
Brussels in November 2015; and the Arctic Science Summit Week and Arctic Observing Summit held in
Fairbanks in April 2016 and
Davos in June 2018.[45][46]
Policy Dialogues
Annually, PRPI hosts 50-60 events around the world, ranging from lectures, panel discussions, roundtable discussions, workshops, conferences, policy breakfasts and dinners, and receptions for visiting dignitaries.
In June 2016, PRPI Fellow and UCL Researcher Domagoj Baresic presented his research at the International Conference on 'Maritime Actors and Climate Change,' organized by the Transatlantic Maritime Emissions Research Network (TRAMEREN) in Copenhagen. The conference explored decentralized approaches to incentivize maritime emissions control, given the challenges of creating a comprehensive international legal framework.
Following the Antarctic ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO), the Clean Arctic Alliance (CAA) has campaigned for similar measures in the Arctic. In November 2017, PRPI joined CAA in advocating for an Arctic HFO ban and co-hosted a panel at the 10th Polar Law Symposium in Rovaniemi, Finland, supported by the European Climate Foundation. PRPI also signed the Arctic Commitment and published a report by Sian Prior (CAA) and Liana James (Clean Air Task Force) on the progress towards phasing out HFO in the Arctic.
Baresic discussed his research on 'Sustainability Transitions in Arctic Maritime Transport' at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik (October 2017) and the Arctic Circle Forum in Edinburgh (November 2017).
PRPI prioritizes the development of support infrastructure for Arctic transport. In July 2017, PRPI organized a keynote by PRPI Fisheries Head Brooks Kaiser on 'Arctic Ports: Local Community Development Issues' at the Korea Polar Research Institute. In November 2017, Baresic and Menezes presented on Arctic maritime and coastal infrastructure at the 11th Arctic Shipping Summit in London. Subsequent PRPI dialogues in Seattle and Tórshavn also focused on Arctic transportation, featuring high-level speakers from various organizations.
PRPI has provided analysis and commentary on Arctic shipping for maritime publications.
Dialogues on British, Canadian and American Arctic Engagement
In April 2017, PRPI Director Menezes visited
Rovaniemi,
Finland, where he highlighted the opportunities for trade and investment between the
UK and the eight
Arctic Council member states at Northern STARS, the annual international seminar of Lapin AMK -
Lapland University of Applied Sciences.[83][84][85] In October 2017, PRPI hosted a discussion on the same topic at the 2017 Arctic Circle Assembly in
Reykjavik, Iceland.[86]
In January 2018, PRPI hosted a keynote lecture by American publisher and philanthropist
Alice Rogoff on 'The US and its Emerging Arctic Interest' at UCL in
London,
UK.[91]
In July 2017, PRPI convened a keynote lecture by PRPI Fisheries Fellow Brooks Kaiser on 'A Case for the Commons: The Snow Crab in the Barents' at
Korea Polar Research InstituteKOPRI in
Incheon,
South Korea.[95] In September 2017, PRPI Fellow Nic Craig presented on the 'Implications of Brexit on UK - Arctic Interconnection and the Continued Need for Cooperation' at the 2017 Arctic Energy Summit in
Helsinki,
Finland.[96][97]
In April 2018, PRPI Fellow Nic Craig presented on the issue of black carbon in the Arctic and policy and business opportunities to address these issues at
North by North Festival in Anchorage, Alaska.
Governance
Managing Director
Dwayne Ryan Menezes
Advisory board
UK Advisory Board
The members of the PRPI UK Advisory Board include:[101]
Nils Arne Johnsen, Founder and Principal, Haleyg AS; former International Arctic Director,
Ramboll
Richard Brosseau, Director - Public Affairs and Community Relations, Stolt LNGaz; former Senior Special Adviser,
Premier of Quebec
Linda V. Priebe, Partner, Culhane Meadows PLLC; Vice-president,
Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce Mid-Atlantic Chapter Board; former Deputy General Counsel and Ethics Official,
White House Offices under three US Presidential Administrations
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"UK Advisory Board". Polar Research and Policy Initiative. 18 February 2016.
Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
^"International Advisory Board". Polar Research and Policy Initiative. 18 February 2016.
Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.