This is an Ambassador project of the Sharing Circle participant Rashmi Ramesh from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, India.

Photo by National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)

The Sharing Circle provided an opportunity for us to ideate, discuss, collaborate and plan outreach projects, to share our experiences. 

As part of the ambassador project, I reached out to both academic community particularly students, and the government, with an aim to disseminate the learnings from the Sharing Circle. The idea was to communicate with a wider audience and try and inculcate interest in the Arctic and the indigenous people. 

An online presentation was made for the undergraduate and graduate students from St Joseph’s University (Bengaluru), Pondicherry University (Pondicherry), and National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bengaluru) on 21 July. The students hailed from different parts of the country and have a background in political science, international relations, sociology and history. The presentation was a basic introduction to the governance in the Arctic, focused on the role of indigenous peoples' organizations and also on the Sharing Circle. Students were particularly interested to know more about Snowchange-led ecological restoration projects/initiatives. 

An informal discussion regarding the Sharing Circle, was held with officers from relevant Divisions of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India. There is considerable interest in the MEA regarding developments in the Arctic and also to have a multi-disciplinary approach for India’s engagement with the region. 

The most exciting part of the Ambassador Project was organizing and coordinating the first iteration of the ‘Polar Dialogue’, a Track 1.5 Dialogue held on 30 and 31 August, at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs. It brought together speakers and panelists (government and academia) from countries having a keen interest in the Arctic and the Himalayas. The panel discussions included science, geopolitics, governance, international interest in the Arctic. I got an opportunity to talk about the Sharing Circle, our learnings and experiences, and ambassador project in my presentation.