Business Programme Released for International Arctic Forum

The programme of the ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 5th International Arctic Forum, which will be held in St. Petersburg on 9–10 April 2019, has been published on the Forum’s official website.

The main theme of the Forum is ‘The Arctic. An Ocean of Opportunity’. The business program is split into three main pillars: ‘Coastal Territories’, ‘The Open Ocean’, and ‘Sustainable Development’. A Youth Day will be held on the zero day of the Forum.

“The business programme of the International Arctic Forum 2019 covers the whole range of topics involving the comprehensive development of the Arctic regions. The Forum is one of the world’s leading platforms for discussing international cooperation not only concerning the development of the Arctic economy, but also its social development, preservation, and improvements to its ecology and climate. Russia’s central economic project in the Arctic is the development of the Northern Sea Route. I am certain that effective solutions will be found within the framework of the business programme to increase the cargo base from 20 million to 80 million tonnes in five years pursuant to the goal set by Russian President Vladimir Putin”, Adviser to the Russian President Anton Kobyakov said.

Participants in the sessions, panel discussions, and roundtables of the ‘Coastal Territories’ pillar will discuss such topics as the new preferential system for investment projects in the Arctic, support measures for Arctic small- and medium-sized business, the digitalization process of the Arctic territories, new generation Arctic medicine, the development of aviation in the Arctic, and the potential of Arctic tourism, among other things. This part of the business programme will focus on projects that are being created to enhance living standards and working conditions of residents in Russia’s Arctic regions, improve basic economic mechanisms, and search for innovative solutions to modernize industrial enterprises that are the basis for the Arctic’s development. During the international session ‘Talking Barents: Prospects and Formats for Cooperation’, representatives of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia will discuss cooperation in the Barents/Euro-Arctic region with the aim of developing the transport system and increasing the efficiency of its use as well as ensuring environmental protection within ‘Green Corridors’. The discussion will be moderated by Head of the International Barents Secretariat Tomas Hallberg.

The ‘Open Ocean’ pillar is devoted to economic issues that comprise the basis for the development of Russia’s Arctic regions and are of considerable interest to investors from leading countries. The pillar includes such thematic blocks as: ‘The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic’; ‘Shipbuilding: Achievements and Innovation’; ‘Production and Use of LNG in the Arctic’; ‘Transport Connectivity: The Arctic, Far East, Siberia, and the Urals’; ‘Arctic Shelf Development: The Potential and the Risks’; and ‘Developing Port Infrastructure in the North’.

One of the main events of the pillar is the session ‘The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic’, which is being organized with the support of Rosatom Corporation. The speakers include Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Kozlov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, and Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev, among others. The participants will discuss prospects for increasing the logistics potential of the Northern Sea Route, ensuring safe year-round navigation as well as synchronizing the development of the Northern Sea Route with the implementation of new investment projects in the region.

The third pillar of the Forum’s business programme ‘Sustainable Development’ is devoted to enhancing the social environment in the Arctic regions and includes all the most important aspects of maintaining and improving human potential and infrastructural support for life and activities in Russia’s Arctic regions. The themes include: ‘National Projects in the Russian Arctic: Implementation Mechanisms’; ‘Future Arctic: Sustainable Solutions’; ‘Nature-Like Technologies to Meet the Needs of the Arctic’; ‘Applied Research in the Arctic’; ‘Arctic Researchers’ Dialogue’; ‘Training Specialists to Achieve Growth in the Region’; and ‘The Accessible Arctic: Standards, Safety, and Sustainability’, among others.

The International Arctic Forum will also host the Arctic Municipalities Forum and a meeting of the governors of the Northern Forum.

The International Arctic Forum unites the efforts of the public authorities, international organizations, and representatives of scientific and business communities from Russia and other countries to offer a platform for an interesting discussion and thorough exchange of views on topical issues concerning sustainable growth in the Arctic region.

Business Programme Released for International Arctic Forum: forumarctica.ru/en/programme-2019/

Official Forum website: forumarctica.ru

For reference: 

‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ 5th International Arctic Forum

The ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ International Arctic Forum is one of the key platforms for the discussion, at a global level, of problems and prospects for the Arctic region. The Forum is an opportunity for members of the international community to pool their efforts to ensure the efficient development of the Arctic and higher living standards for populations living in Arctic territories. The ‘Arctic: Territory of Dialogue’ Forum was first held in 2010 and was devoted to contemporary problems of the Arctic region. The second forum was held in 2011 and focused on issues of developing transport systems in the Arctic. In 2013the key themes considered included environmental protection, while in 2017 the Forum’s theme was ‘People and the Arctic’. The key theme of the forthcoming 5th International Arctic Forum will be ‘The Arctic: An Ocean of Opportunity’. Three pillars will form the basis of the business programme: ‘Coastal Regions’, ‘The Open Ocean’, and ‘Sustainable Development’.

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The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential, promoting its national interests, and strengthening the country’s image. One of the roles of the Foundation is to comprehensively evaluate, analyse, and cover issues on the Russian and global economic agendas. It also offers administrative services, provides promotional support for business projects and attracting investment, and helps foster social entrepreneurship and charitable initiatives.

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