The III Northern Sustainable Development Forum, which was held in Yakutsk from September 27 to 30 in a hybrid format, has come to an end

05.10.2021
05.10.2021 Posts %s

The III Northern Sustainable Development Forum, which was held in Yakutsk from September 27 to 30 in a hybrid format, has come to an end

The III Northern Sustainable Development Forum, which was held in Yakutsk from September 27 to 30 in a hybrid format, has come to an end. The main topic of the forum is ‘Climate change and permafrost preservation’. The forum was held within the framework of the Russian chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

During the four days of the Forum, 73 various events were held, united by the theme of climate change in the North and in the Arctic: seminars, sessions, round tables, conferences, exhibitions, lectures, discussions, talk shows, theatrical performances, art installations. The Forum was attended by about 700 participants from different regions and countries.

The most urgent issues on climate change and sustainable development of almost all spheres of human activity were involved in all events of the Forum. The discussion was conducted on the possibilities of the Small Northern Sea Route to ensure the sustainable development of the coastal regions of Yakutia, the intellectual property rights of indigenous peoples to knowledge, culture and languages in the era of digitalization, the demographic potential of the North, the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Arctic, the possibilities of the Arctic as a space for the development of cultural and creative industries.

Undoubtedly, the participants of the Northern Sustainable Development Forum were most concerned about the problems of climate change: how to stop fires and floods, how to preserve the production of environmentally friendly products, the possibilities of surface transit innovations in conditions of permafrost degradation, the necessity to develop small ports in the Arctic, the prospects of ‘green technologies’, which, according to experts, can lead to an increase in prices for goods and services.

North-Eastern Federal University has held a variety of events. In particular, its participants shared with the experience in implementing various projects, including issue-related topics that fully meet all the goals of the Arctic Council. The university has more than 60 projects. Besides, NEFU hosted a meeting of the head of the University Anatoly Nikolaev with a delegation of the Chukotka Autonomous Region, where they discussed the interaction of the university and the region, and the development of the branch in Anadyr.

Within the framework of the II Youth Northern Forum were made different proposals to improve the living conditions of the youth of the North by creating Startups, as well as the discussion of the importance of eco-volunteering around the world, especially in the Arctic territories.

Issues of international and interregional cooperation of women's organizations, prospects for socio-economic development of the Arctic, issues of security of demographic development of the Arctic regions, provision of Arctic regions with healthcare and medicine were discussed. So far there are problems in this area.

An important part of the Forum was the plenary session ‘Climate change and the reaction of permafrost’, where international experts discussed topical issues of the global environmental agenda. The meeting was moderated by Vladimir Vasiliev, Executive Director of the International Organization of Northern Regions ‘Northern Forum’.

The Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Aisen Nikolaev, delivered a speech in which he reflected the main approaches of the Republic of Sakha in understanding and solving global issues of ecology and climate change. In particular, the head of the republic highlighted the fact that ‘climate change, the degradation of permafrost is a problem that exists here and now’. According to these processes, the Arctic is the most fragile region.

In addition to the Head of the Republic of Sakha, the meeting, which was held in both online and offline formats, was attended by Nikolai Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Senior Official of the Arctic Council from the Russian Federation; Toyohisa Kozuki, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan in the Russian Federation; Nikolai Kharitonov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Regional Policy and Problems of the North and Far East; Mika Riipi, Governor of Lapland; Grigory Ledkov, member of the Federation Council Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs; Paolo Venturini, Italian extreme athlete; Mikhail Zheleznyak, the Head of the P.I. Melnikov Permafrost Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Summing up the plenary session, the discussion of the wide variety of issues was held. Besides, it was stated that the Northern Sustainable Development Forum can become a platform where ideas of the development of the Arctic will be broadcasted and scaled through the cooperation of human and nature.

This year, the organizers held several cultural events. For instance, the Italian extreme marathon runner Paolo Venturini showed his film ‘Monster frozen’ to the citizens at the Lena cinema for free, and the famous Russian producer Alexey Vakhrushev met with the audience and answered questions after the screening of his film ‘The Book of the Sea’ in the House of Friendship of the People of A.E. Kulakovsky.

Perhaps the most beautiful action of the III Northern Sustainable Development Forum was the formal opening ceremony in the Historical Park ‘Russia is My History’. The theatrical performance ‘Ode of Life’, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Sakha Republic and under the leadership of Andrei Savvich Borisov, demonstrated not only the beauty of the North and the Arctic, but also the environmental problems that threaten us. At the same event, the International Organization of the Northern Regions ‘Northern Forum’, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, awarded its badges of honor- the Goodwill Ambassador of the Northern Forum and the Walter J. Hikkel Medal- to people who have made the greatest contribution to the development of the organization.

The international format, the high level of experts, professional moderators, enthusiastic listeners - all this made this Forum interesting and successful. The final resolution will be published after its adoption.

The final resolution will be published after its adoption.

All event broadcasts can be viewed on the website nsdf.ru and on the YouTube channel of the Northern Forum  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6oVddUKkEEd8xcgEY3lXLA

The Forum is an official event of the Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Council.

Organizers:

  • International Organization of Northern Regions The Northern Forum;
  • Government of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia);
  • Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University;

General partner: News Agency TASS

Information Partners:

  • Multimedia holding «Rossiiskaya gazeta»
  • National Broadcasting Company "Sakha"
  • Information and Publishing Holding "Sakhamedia"
  • Russian network publishing house "First National"
  • Analytical information journal “Regional energy and energy saving”
  • Information and analytical agency "Portnews"
  • Global Compact Network Russia
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