Arkhangelsk To Host International Youth Model of the Arctic Council on 14–18 November

Students from Russian universities will take part in the International Youth Model of the Arctic Council (MAC), an experimental educational discussion platform during which students will simulate the work of the member states, permanent participants, and observers of this intergovernmental forum. The meeting will take place in Arkhangelsk on 14–18 November as part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which are organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

“Cooperation among young people and their involvement in the Arctic agenda could be the key to the even more successful development of the Arctic region. This event will help to get future specialists interested in the problems of the Arctic, in part due to its unique role-playing mechanics. Russia has consistently and unwaveringly advocated for the development of Arctic cooperation in various formats and the exchange of experience in this area,” said Nikolay Korchunov, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The International Youth MAC takes place every two years at one of the universities in the country that chairs the Arctic Council. This year, Northern (Arctic) Federal University (NArFU) will host students from various Russian regions. As part of the MAC, students will simulate the process of interaction within the working groups of the Arctic Council and come up with scenarios to further develop a dialogue in the Arctic. The game-based goal of the MAC is the approval of the reports by working groups and joint action projects proposed by university students at the final ministerial session of the Arctic Council.

The MAC will be attended by 25 students from Russian universities, including Lomonosov Moscow State University, NArFU, Kazan Federal University, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, North-Eastern Federal University, St. Petersburg State University, and the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, among others.

“The Youth International Model of the Arctic Council will help to train the future leaders of the Arctic region and enhance their level of professional knowledge as well as their public speaking, negotiating, and informed decision-making skills. We expect that the actual process of the MAC will contribute to the development of scientific diplomacy in the Arctic in the new conditions,” NArFU Vice Rector for Information Policy and International and Interregional Cooperation Konstantin Zaykov said.

The MAC participants will discuss such issues as preserving the ecology of the Arctic, adapting local communities to the changing conditions, developing transport and logistics networks, international cooperation, and scientific diplomacy in the new geopolitical realities.

The programme includes plenary lectures and meetings during which students will be able to expand their knowledge about the Arctic Council’s activities. The lecturers include leading experts from the Russian International Affairs Council, NArFU, and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In addition, lectures will be given by representatives of the School of Global Management, Beijing University of Technology (China), and the Research Institute in New Delhi (India). The event is being organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. 

Russia is the chair of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. As chair, Russia aims to promote the fulfilment of youth potential in the Arctic, ensure their access to education, as well as expand and strengthen youth exchanges in a wide range of areas, including volunteering, entrepreneurship, the development of creative industries, the environment, and the improvement of urban areas. Russia supports the Arctic Council’s educational projects for Indigenous children ‘Children of the Arctic’, ‘Nomadic School’, and ‘International Arctic School’, among others, while advocating for the development of cooperation and the exchange of experience in this area. In addition, Russia is in favour of developing and implementing special programmes, professional championships, and training that focus on the country’s northern regions.