You are invited to participate in an online workshop to discuss topics and ideas that you think are important for policy makers and the Arctic Science Ministers to better understand and prioritize at the Third Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3; https://asm3.org/). Bringing together States, Arctic Indigenous participants, and international organizations, ASM3 aims to take action on coordinated Arctic observing, research, and education in an open and transparent format which includes all Arctic stakeholders.
In an effort to engage the broader Arctic research community in the ASM3 process, IASC (https://iasc.info/), IASSA (https://iassa.org/), and APECS (https://www.apecs.is/) are convening two ASM3 Research Community Workshops on 15 June 2020.
- Each two hour workshop will start with an introduction to the ASM3 process and lay out the goals of the workshop.
- The core of the online workshop will be an hour-long session for small group breakout discussions (6-8 people), each group dedicated to one of the four themes below.
- All attendees will then reconvene to report back and share the discussions.
- First option: 15 June 2020, 8:00-10:00 GMT(17:00 Tokyo, 11:00 Moscow, 10:00 Berlin, 9:00 London). To participate, register at http://tiny.cc/ASM3RCW1
- Second option: 15 June 2020, 16:00-18:00 GMT (8:00-10:00 Alaska, 12:00 Ottawa / Washington, D.C., 14:00 Nuuk). To participate, register at http://tiny.cc/ASM3RCW2
- Please note: the workshops will be held via Zoom, but phone call-in numbers will also be available. The workshops’ working language will be English.
We encourage ALL those who work in the realm of Arctic research to participate; this includes researchers, managers, Arctic residents and Indigenous Peoples, partners, educators, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Science ministry representatives are also welcome to participate. However, the organizers wish to emphasize that this is an opportunity for individual contributions. Workshop participants are invited to contribute their own perspectives and not necessarily to represent a broader group of any kind (there are other avenues for nations, Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations, and international science organizations).
“Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic” is the overall theme of ASM3. Under that umbrella, four sub-themes are focused on taking action on the most urgent challenges facing the Arctic, which international scientific cooperation can help achieve:
- Observe the status of Arctic changes
- Understand the local and global impacts
- Respond to the changes based on a shared understanding
- Strengthen these efforts through education and capacity-building for future generations
These four steps are not independent, but rather an iterative cycle. They represent the necessary actions to realize our overarching goal. The four sub-themes are described in more detail here (https://asm3.org/library/Files/ASM3%20Themes.pdf).
An online workshop can enable broad participation, especially in times where conferences and international travel are cancelled and uncertain. However, we recognize that online engagement is not equal for all and can exclude people, too. In addition to participating in the online workshops, all members and stakeholders of the Arctic research community (including Arctic residents and Indigenous Peoples) are invited to fill out this survey, which mirrors the workshops’ structure: http://tiny.cc/ASM3ScienceForm
The workshop organizers will make a summary report based on the discussions in the workshops and survey, and this report will be shared with the ASM3 Organizing Committee and Science Advisory Board. If you have any input or questions about these workshops, please contact allen.pope@iasc.info. If you would like to learn more about engaging in or contributing to the ASM3 process, please contact ml-asm3@mext.go.jp.