Sustainable development is one of the major challenges of our age. In 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, the concept of global development named “sustainable development”, derived from the Brundtland Report, was officially acknowledged; it can be classified as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations”.

The essence of sustainable development is balancing the economic, environmental and social spheres of human life, meaning that economic growth should not lead to the degradation of the environment and should be accompanied by solving social problems.

At present, the concept of sustainable development has become central to the Arctic region. The Arctic’s significance for the humankind is primarily defined by the fact that it is the region to influence the status of the global environment, and the application of the sustainable development concept in the Arctic is a strategic decision.

Moreover, the Arctic is the territory of sovereign states as well as the region of global significance. Unlike the Antarctic without permanent population, the Arctic regions consists of eight sovereign countries (Russia, USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden), responsible for the wellbeing of about 4 million of their residents.

The issue of sustainable development is a problem of not only national but also global level, which requires productive international cooperation of both the Arctic and the non-Arctic countries, interested in the region. The countries of the North-East Asia are particularly interested in the opportunities of the Arctic region (China, Japan, South Korea). Due to its geographical position, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) can act as the region joining the Arctic and the North-East Asia.

The experts of the Northern Sustainable Development Forum from eight circumpolar countries (Russia, USA, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden), as well from the countries of the North-East Asia (primarily, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea) discuss the opportunities and challenges of sustainable development, socio-economic and ethno-cultural development of Northern regions. Cross-country dialogues on the Arctic agenda to identify the priority and promising cooperation areas are assumed within the Forum’s frameworks.

The first Northern Sustainable Development Forum (the Forum) was held in September 2019 in Yakutsk, Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

GOAL

Organizing a comprehensive discussion of the challenges and prospects of implementing the principles and goals of sustainable development in the regions of the Arctic and the North.

OBJECTIVES

• Discussing the opportunities and prospects of interaction of the Arctic and northern regions in solving the problems of sustainable development;
• Discussing the role, functions and tasks of the regional authorities, academia and education, business and public organizations in supporting the sustainable development of the Arctic and northern regions;
• Providing assistance with specifying the priority areas for the socio-economic development of the Arctic and northern regions;
• Analyzing the ways for improving the living standards of the northern residents, including the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.

TIMEFRAME

The Forum is held in the last third of September.

LOCATION

Yakutsk, Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russian Federation

ORGANIZERS OF THE FORUM:

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

THEMES AND FORMAT OF THE FORUM

Northern Sustainable Development Forum is held annually. The Forum’s main theme is defined in compliance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The format and themes of Forum’s events may vary depending on the goals and objectives defined by their initiators.

The Forum's events will be held online

The agenda can be amended and updated upon the participants’ proposals.

WORKING LANGUAGES OF THE FORUM

The official working languages are Russian and English. Simultaneous Russian-English and English-Russian interpretation will be provided at the Forum’s plenary and other sessions.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

• adopting a general resolution on the Forum’s main themeпринятие общей резолюции по основной теме Форума;
• signing the cooperation agreements;
• reviewing the projects proposed for the implementation within the Northern Forum;
• publishing the materials of some research and practical events of the Forum in the indexed journal;
• posting the Forum’s materials (papers, presentations, recommendations, final reports) on the Forum’s official website www.nsdf.ru;
• establishing international interregional cooperation and exchange of information, best practices and experiences in the sustainable development of the Arctic and the North, including the Northern Forum participants.

PARTICIPANTS OF THE FORUM

• representatives of federal, national, regional executive and legislative authorities, local self-governance bodies;
• representatives of international organizations;
• representatives of non-commercial and public organizations;
• representatives of diplomatic missions and trade representatives of foreign countries to the RF;
• representatives of scientific and educational institutions, acknowledged experts in various fields;
• representatives of transnational companies, state corporations, small and medium-sized businesses.

PARTNERS OF THE FORUM

The initiators and sponsors of the Forum receive the status of the Forum’s Partners.

Information on their activities and links to their official websites are posted on the Forum’s website, their logos are placed in the Forum’s information and promo materials.