New Delhi,
September, 2022.
Several events of Russia’s
chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 were held during the Eastern
Economic Forum in Vladivostok on 5–8 September. The event participants
discussed various issues concerning the development of healthcare, the economy,
creative industries, as well as ways to attract investment to the region. The
chairmanship events are organized by the Roscongress Foundation.
“Holding events devoted to the
Arctic agenda at such large-scale events as the Eastern Economic Forum is an
important stage in the region’s development. Thanks to the discussions at the EEF2022,
we managed to increase the number of business representatives interested in
various projects in this region. Russia’s Arctic zone can only be developed with
extensive cooperation between the state, the business community, and various
organizations and entities. We will definitely continue to help draw attention
to the Russian Arctic at various business and cultural platforms,” said Anton
Kobyakov, Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the EEF
Organizing Committee.
One of the key events of Russia’s
chairmanship of the Arctic Council at the EEF 2022 was the business breakfast
conference ‘Investment and Trade in the Arctic’. The participants discussed the
operation of both preferential regimes in the Far East (advanced special
economic zones and the Free Port of Vladivostok) and the Arctic Zone of the
Russian Federation regime that has been specially developed for the Far North.
Experts from leading Russian companies and specialized agencies also considered
the prospects for Russia’s cooperation with foreign partners in the Arctic and
opportunities for developing the Northern Sea Route while building new
logistics chains.
“The development of Arctic
infrastructure as a whole and the Northern Sea Route in particular is one of
the global challenges facing our country. Another equally important goal is to
attract citizens to the region and get them involved in improving various areas
of life in the Arctic. The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East
will not only continue to improve the mechanisms for supporting the inhabitants
of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation, but will also provide all the
conditions needed for the sustainable development of the Indigenous peoples of
the North,” Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic
Alexey Chekunkov said.
At the conference ‘Creating a
Healthy Society in the Far East and Arctic’, experts from specialized companies
and agencies discussed ways to preserve children’s and family health, improve
the demographic situation in Russia, and alter people’s destructive behavioural
patterns that lead to a large proportion of deaths in the country among working
age people aged 40 to 60. One of the themes of the event was the role of women
in implementing public projects to promote a healthy lifestyle in remote areas.
The conference participants also discussed such issues as the quality, accessibility,
and safety of medical care.
A meeting of the Arctic Economic
Council, which Russia is also chairing in 2021–2023, addressed key aspects of
cooperation with partners from Asia, including the development of
transportation along the Northern Sea Route, energy, and mining.
Another significant part of the
Arctic agenda at the EEF2022 was the Creative Business Forum ‘Socio cultural
Development of the Northern Regions’, which was initiated as part of Russia’s
chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The main themes of the Forum’s business
programme were the sociocultural development of the northern regions and
promising creative industries in the region. In particular, discussions at the Forum’s
sessions touched upon the specifics of developing northern cities, industrial
Arctic design, the traditions of Indigenous peoples, tourism, the impact of
technology on the life in the North, the regional film and animation industry,
and national cuisine. Other sessions focused on social aspects of supporting
youth and Indigenous peoples.
The ‘Soul of Russia. The North’
Youth Multimedia and Discussion Campus was organized as part of the Creative
Business Forum, with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher
Education, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the
Arctic, and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra. The campus had a
youth press centre,presented various multimedia projects and an interactive
map, and hosted master classes on making amulets, national dolls, wood and bone
carving, and the processing of leather and birch bark. Public talks with
representatives of the creative sector were held in the discussion zone. In
addition, during the pilot ‘Soul of Russia. The North’ Audiovisual Culture Festival,
EEF participants took in the modern cultural achievements of northern regions
and learned about centuries-old traditions and the epos of the Indigenous peoples
of the North as interpreted by young and prominent artists.
The Creative Business Forum
sessions held outside of the business programme took place at the ‘Far East
Street’ exhibition in the House of Indigenous Peoples pavilion – a new platform
dedicated to the culture of the Indigenous peoples of the North. The session
participants discussed fundamentals of networking, ethno-cultural heritage, and
ESG trends in the context of the sustainable development of Indigenous peoples.
The EEF also continued the Arctic
theme with sessions of the analytical project ‘Think Arctic – Think Global’,
which was implemented as part of Russia’s chairmanship. The discussion touched
upon various ways to develop cooperation between different countries in the
Arctic given the current situation in the world.
“This year, the Eastern Economic Forum was held under the motto ‘The Path to a Multipolar World’. The discussions about international issues that took place during the Forum helped to outline specific ways to develop cooperation with countries of the Asia-Pacific region in various sectors, including as part of the environmental agenda, energy, and shipping. Russia is ready to intensify full-scale cooperation with all states that share our approaches to the sustainable development of the Arctic,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials.