There is much at stake in the North Atlantic region. For those living there and those already connected or wanting to be connected to its emerging opportunities or those needing to react to the effects climate change is having in the North Atlantic. The Jewels of the North Atlantic & Arctic, JoNAA, is set up to become a powerful tool for global stakeholders needing to know and understand the commercial, industrial, political, cultural, economical and ecological landscape of our JoNAA defined North Atlantic and largely Arctic region. And for local stakeholders, communities, countries, businesses and people of the North Atlantic to communicate, cooperate and join hands in seeking a sustainable future for the region.

Climate change has been the catalyst for an unprecedented shift in practices, politics, procedures and power games in the North Atlantic. Nowhere on earth are such tangible changes to be seen at such rate, and until now, no one entity has sought to provide a channel dedicated to the region and the unfolding challenges – and opportunities – that these changes will bring to its people, businesses, culture, government, nature and remote communities.

JoNAA will be this channel. An online media and information powerhouse with detailed, localized information, accurate news, trusted data, analysis and transparent opinion – enhanced with descriptive, original imagery.

The JoNAA defined region is one of small countries and communities that have all developed from the closeness to the North Atlantic’s wealthy waters. It is the all important gateway to the Arctic and the region where future High North activities are largely planned or are already happening.

The JoNAA region is Northern and coastal Norway, Svalbard, The Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Maine, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland-Labrador, Scotland, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Denmark and Northern Germany – 9 countries, 8 official languages, and some 13m inhabitants scattered in small communities over 5.000.000 square km. A non-conflict zone of abundant natural resources of energy and minerals and some of the world’s riches fishing grounds. Communities sharing generally good standards of living and democratic governance.

The editorial team is based throughout this area. Journalists, photojournalists, specialized writers in business, policy, science, culture and travel, with inside access, local understanding and first hand knowledge of the local “why, who, how, where and when.” Our editorial strength and credibility lies in this unique access to accurate and important information from local stakeholders which will both deepen debate within the North Atlantic community, and connect this community with the rest of the world.

JoNAA’s vision is to bring this region of changing environmental and geopolitical importance closer to the rest of the world, providing details and insight for a better regional and global understanding, strengthening the region specific media flow by bringing together the voices of different communities who collectively face unprecedented potentially prosperous global interest and at the same time potentially damaging changes that may disrupt their fragile societies.

JoNAA will provide insight into ways of living, structure of societies and cultures and cast new light to challenges and changing infrastructures – with the pulse on current affairs, new opportunities and future prospects. It will carry the voices of local people and leaders and be a unique one-stop hub of detailed and constant free-of-charge flow of information in English for both the regional and global community with stakes in the North Atlantic and its future.

“Global understanding of the gravity of changes occurring in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions and their abrupt impacts on the world’s environment and economies will require dialogue, cooperation and that stories be told—from the source.

In Maine, Arctic change will have a direct impact on Maine’s economy, coastline and natural resources. JoNAA will be the multifaceted net that connects us with real-time, authentic coverage to inform decisions that will impact our future, and will help us develop deeper connections with our North Atlantic partners.”

Dana Eidsness, Director MENADO and chairman of the advisory board of the Jewels of the North Atlantic & Arctic, JoNAA

“I’m honoured to be included on this board, and hope I will be able to link top Scottish expertise with interested parties based in our North Atlantic neighbourhood.

We have world-class experts in many sectors – oil and gas, renewables, aquaculture – and this knowledge could be better shared with those with similar industries to us.

It is a two way street, however, and I am looking forward to learning more about what is going on in these other states to take their best practice back with me to Scotland.”

Alyn Smith, MEP SNP and member of the advisory board of the Jewels of the North Atlantic & Arctic, JoNAA

JoNAA is developed to be a leader in creating awareness about the diverse North Atlantic and Arctic issues that matter: Climate, Business, Culture, Ecology, Infrastructure and Economy. This will be done through several “JoNAA Matters”, extensive multimedia series of important issues such as Energy Matters, Marine Matters, Indigenous Matters, Infrastructure Matters, Food Matters, Technology Matters and Travel Matters, to give examples of JoNAA’s many multileveled and subsectional Matters .

JoNAA will provide essential information and professional knowledge about what is happening in the region, the visions, needs and interests of local communities as well as providing an overview of new operations in the making and who is involved.

JoNAA will serve a wide audience, including the general public, specific business and industry, administration, NGO’s and governments. Using outstanding journalism, descriptive visuals and professional monitoring, it will unite and complement existing, but scattered, multilingual media and information portals from across the region, giving the people of the North Atlantic a venue for a united voice, a forum for discussion and a platform to truly see and understand what is important to North Atlantic neighbours, and why?

JoNAA is neither an investigative magazine nor a traditional news portal, but a unique digital information platform to bring this region of changing environmental and geopolitical importance closer to the rest of the world. It is a tool for strengthening media flow throughout the region by bringing together the voices concerned with different interests and visions for a more positive future.

JoNAA will provide through the numerous issue-specific JoNAA Matters, insight into ways of living and structure of cultures and societies, casting new light to challenges, technical development and changing infrastructures, with the pulse on current affairs, new opportunities and future prospects.

JoNAA’s journalism will consist of interconnecting multimedia platforms; articles, interviews, photo-stories, analyses, special reports, short films, info-graphics and discussions – all contributing to give readers a holistic and balanced view of the issues and topics covered.

JoNAA’s trademark will be its use of high quality visual multimedia information from the  award winning photographers, designers and writers on the JoNAA team.

The strength of JoNAA lies within the network of professionals forming the group behind the project. Professionals in journalism, analysis, editing, monitoring, print and online media production, TV reporting, moderating marketing and IT production – and professionals in photography, graphic design, documentation, film production, visual arts and photojournalism. This pool of diverse international expertise is the hard substance of the Jewels of the North Atlantic & Arctic, JoNAA.

Our diverse academic backgrounds strengthen the team further: business, strategy, tourism, media, political science, anthropology, economics, law, oceanology, management, philosophy, design, arts, marine science, programming, music, culture, cartography, marketing, photography and history. With years of collective experience in the North, the JoNAA team shares a passion for high quality journalism and visual documentation.

We believe that working together across borders brings better results and we want to show our part of the planet as it is with accuracy and transparency. Previous work connections within this group are the backbone of the project, where talent, trust, experience, work ethics, expertise and interests all combines to make JoNAA the unique media resource we want it to be.

The High North has been our common work space for the past decades and our network covers the whole JoNAA defined North Atlantic region. Within JoNAA’s growing editorial group are 10 nationalities and we speak all local languages, in addition to several others e.g. Chinese and Russian. We share vast experiences of reporting, monitoring and documenting about our region from different perspectives – culturally, journalistically, politically and commercially.

JoNAA is funded through different levels of transparent sponsorship and sponsor visibility – not by traditional advertising. The project has been developed on solid belief that within the North Atlantic community – and globally, there are many who share our vision of economical and ecological improvement and prosperity by strengthening communication, flow of information and cooperation on all levels of business, environment and societies – and are willing to join us and support in making that vision become a reality.

Sponsors who believe that having access to and sharing accurate, transparent and localized information is the way to move forward towards a sustainable future for the world’s ecology, business, economy and people.

JoNAA has a registered presence, legal representation and certified auditors on both sides of the North Atlantic.  Finances of the project are transparent and audited annual reports accessible to founding sponsors, funding institutions and those investing JoNAA’s Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship packages.

The project also has professional representation and dedicated members of the editorial and marketing team based outside of the region, covering business and media and overseeing sponsor relations in countries with an interest, agenda and established or planned business presence in the Arctic and especially in the North Atlantic. Such representation is established in Brussels, Belgium, focusing on EU affairs impacting on the North Atlantic region on any level. Likewise, JoNAA has professional media and business presence in Asia and in the US.

Our mission is to create a unique media and information platform made possible by the support of a community of sponsors who uphold a long term vision for a sustainable future of the region, understand that their activities have an impact on the people,communities and the environment where they operate – and sponsors who demonstrate their corporate social responsibility with a broad set of investments criteria that includes environmental, social and governance considerations.

In accordance with JoNAA’s mission of strengthening North Atlantic communication and cooperation the JoNAA team is open to cooperation, suggestions and support in covering specific issues and unafraid of sharing expertise and information. But in all coverage JoNAA upholds highest journalistic ethics, strives to expand discussions to include all sides and respects sources. JoNAA maintains journalistic independence with the transparent business model, meaning that we do not privilege views from any sponsor and it is very clear to readers who JoNAA’s sponsors are.