December 10, the 4th International Forum "The Arctic: present and future" started its work in St. Petersburg. It is being held under the auspices of the Interregional public organization ‘Association of Polar Explorers’.
The Forum mainly focuses on the state policy in the field of sustainable development and the socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. The Association of Polar Explorers will present the mechanisms of interaction between government, business and public. These mechanisms include Public Commissions on issues relevant to the development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation and Polar Commissions as a part of governmental bodies of Russian regions.
The event was attended by about 600 delegates from 30 regions of Russia and foreign countries.
President of the Association of Polar Explorers, First Vice President of the Russian Geographical Society Artur Chilingarov opened the plenary session on the state policy aimed at sustainable development of the Arctic zone. According to him, the Association of Polar Explorers should increase the effectiveness of its work and reach a new level of quality. "First of all, this is about pushing the national Arctic ideas into the public consciousness, the political, industrial and business circles. The ideas that Russia's future is inextricably linked with the development of its Arctic zone, and that the majority of the population, regardless of the place of residence, must in one form or another take part in the implementation of this idea"- Chilingarov said.
The Ministry of Economic Development, Foreign Affairs, EMERCOM and Roshydromet presented their lines of work in the region. After the report of the agencies of the state authority, public representatives presented their agenda. By combining experts in various fields, the Association of Polar Explorers has formed four public commissions. Their work is aimed at addressing systemic cross-cutting issues in the polar areas: the environment, science and technology, science and higher education, social projects.
The Forum will run for two days: December 10 - 11, and the main result of it will be a resolution with proposals and recommendations, which will be sent to the specialized committees of the upper and lower chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, ministries and departments and the Government of the Russian Federation for improvement of legislation and state regulation in the field of the sustainable development of the Arctic.