Representatives of 40 Ethnic Groups to Take Part in Arctic Indigenous People’s Summit in Moscow

Representatives of 40 ethnic groups of the North, Siberia, and the Far East will take part in the Arctic Indigenous People’s Summit in Moscow on 2 November. The event will be held as part of the 3^rd Peoples of Russia National Forum and part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

“As part of the Summit, a wide range of the most pressing issues for the Indigenous peoples of the North will be considered, including the relevant projects and initiatives to preserve the languages, cultural heritage, and lifestyle of Indigenous peoples. The discussion will also focus on the capabilities of the secondary vocational education system for training personnel on the preservation of the languages, cultural heritage, and traditional economic activities of the peoples of the Arctic and the use of digital technologies and new media to support the languages of Indigenous peoples, regional projects, and ethno-cultural initiatives of Indigenous peoples,” Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials Nikolay Korchunov said.

Korchunov said the Arctic Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group is implementing a set of projects that focus on various aspects of problems faced by the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic. Russia has initiated the project ‘Digitalization of the Linguistic and Cultural Heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic’, which has been supported by all member states of the Arctic Council. In addition, Russia is working on the ‘Digital Museums of the Arctic’ initiative and the draft proposal ‘Creative Industries as a Factor for Sustainable Development’, and has also presented the project ‘Indigenous Youth, Food Culture, and Change in the Arctic’, which aims to study the gastronomic traditions of the peoples of the North and promote Indigenous products and food security. Another initiative of the Arctic Council that the Russian side is co-sponsoring is the Arctic Innovation Food Cluster. As part of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, the issue of protecting the intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples during the process of globalization was also placed on the organization’s agenda for the first time.

“The projects that the Russian Federation has initiated will be implemented regardless of the current situation, primarily using our own resources, including via more effective internal collaboration,” Korchunov said.

Grigory Ledkov, a member of the Federation Council’s Committee on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Self-Government, and Northern Affairs and President of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, noted that a large number of experts, representatives of regional authorities, and public organizations are expected to attend the Summit.

“The Summit will above all be attended by Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, including nine regions of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. All the Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East will join them. We must also remember that the Arctic Council not only consists of its members and permanent participants. It also has a large number of observer countries. They are actively working on the council’s platform, and representatives of Mongolia and the Indigenous peoples of China will take part in this Summit online,” Ledkov said.

Participants in the Summit’s sessions will discuss issues concerning the socioeconomic development of the Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, how to boost the potential of the traditional economy, the modernization of vital services systems, and cross-border cooperation among Indigenous peoples. In addition, a discussion will be held about the priorities of state support programmes for the traditional economic activities of these peoples. An expanded meeting of the Expert Advisory Council of the Russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs on the socioeconomic development of the Indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East will be held on the sidelines of the Summit. The experts will discuss the practice of registering the place of residence of Russian citizens from among Indigenous peoples who lead a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle. The Summit is timed to coincide with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).

Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. One of its top priorities is to develop human capital in the region, including the Indigenous peoples of the North. Russia devotes special attention to maintaining the sustainability and viability of the peoples of the North, promoting measures to adapt them to climate change, improving people’s well-being, health, education, and quality of life, and ensuring sustainable socioeconomic development throughout the region.

An online broadcast of the event will be available on the official website of Russia’s chairmanship:
https://arctic-council-russia.ru/en/events/korennye-malochislennye-narody-arktiki/sammit-korennykh-malochislennykh-narodov-arktiki/