Moscow Summit To Address Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Arctic Indigenous Peoples

Moscow will host the Arctic Indigenous People’s Summit on 2 November as part of the 3rd Peoples of Russia National Forum. The Summit part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 and is timed to coincided with the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032). The Roscongress Foundation is organizing the events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council.

“The sustainable development of human capital in the Arctic regions, including the Indigenous Peoples of the North, is one of the key priorities of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council. We believe it is crucial to continue providing comprehensive support to the representatives of these nationalities and work to preserve their traditional way of life, unique cultural features, and languages. I am certain that with the help of such an inclusive group of Summit participants, it will be possible to develop new practices in legislation, culture, and cross-border cooperation,” said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for Russia’s Chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023.

Representatives of public organizations of Indigenous Peoples from nine Arctic regions of Russia will take part in discussions at the Summit venues. Members of the federal and regional authorities have also been invited to the Summit.

“Improving legislation to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East, including for their traditional economic activities in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, is one of the priority focuses of the state’s policy,” Russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs Director Igor Barinov said.

The Summit’s central event will be a plenary session whose participants will discuss the potential of the traditional economy, the modernization of vital services systems, as well as cross-border cooperation of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic as drivers for their sustainable development in modern conditions. The Summit programme also includes panel sessions. One of them will feature a discussion of current approaches to the preservation of the languages and cultural heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic.

“The programme of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 pays significant attention to Indigenous Peoples. Last year, for the first time in this forum’s history, Russia was the one that appointed a special representative for Indigenous Peoples and regional cooperation, as well as an envoy for Indigenous young people. This shows an understanding of the need to increase the effectiveness of the council’s efforts in work with the Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic. In addition, during our chairmanship, for the first time, we have begun discussing such themes as protecting the intellectual property rights of Indigenous Peoples amidst the globalization of economic activity, as well as creating mechanisms for interaction between representatives of Indigenous Peoples and businesses working in high latitudes,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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.

One of the main priorities of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 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. The Russian side has initiated projects to digitalize the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Indigenous Peoples of the North, develop renewable energy sources, create an international Arctic research station that runs on carbon-free energy, and ensure biosecurity in the Arctic. In addition, Russia is preparing draft proposals on the traditional medicine of Indigenous Peoples and the development of creative industries in the Arctic, and is working on an initiative to create Digital Museums of the Arctic.

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