Development of Arctic Creative Industries to Be Discussed at SPIEF

Participants in the Creative Business Forum will discuss the development and prospects of creative industries in the northern territories during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The ‘Creative Industries of the North’ programme is part of the schedule of events of Russia’s chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are being organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

The SPIEF 2022 business programme will include seven events dedicated to the creative industries of the North. Participants in the session ‘The Creative Economy: A New Vector in the Development of the North’ will discuss how such industries affect the socioeconomic development of the northern territories and the achievement of Russia’s national development goals. In addition, the discussion will focus on the impact the creative economy has on the well-being of the inhabitants of the North as well as the need for infrastructure and other conditions to develop such industries in the Arctic territories. Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials and Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Korchunov, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District Governor Natalya Komarova, and Special Representative of Russia’s Chairmanship in the Arctic Council for Indigenous Peoples and Regional Cooperation Mikhail Pogodayev plan to take part in the session.

The ‘Creative Industries of the North’ programme at the SPIEF 2022 includes the session ‘Creating an Architectural Identity for Northern Cities’, which will focus on the branding of territories. This tool would be used not to develop a corporate identity, but also to create a philosophy of the region to enhance its investment appeal. The session will be attended by Murmansk Region Governor Andrey Chibis, Designer and Associate Professor of the Industrial Design Department at the Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design Sergey Khelmyanov, RUSAL Vice President for Regional Policy and Government Relations Yelena Bezdenezhnykh, and other specialists.

Participants in the session ‘Opportunities, Specifics, and Potential of the Film Industry of the North’ will discuss cinematography in the North and the unique features of making films in the northern territories. The event will be attended by Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aysen Nikolayev, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District Governor Natalya Komarova as well as CEOs of various companies in the industry.

Russian Federal Agency for Tourism Director Zarina Doguzova, Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis, and Kamchatka Territory Governor Vladimir Solodov will serve as speakers at the session ‘Arctic Cuisine: From Complete Obscurity to Mass Demand’, during which they will discuss the role of gastronomy in the experience economy, problems facing the industry, and the economic impact of introducing Arctic cuisine into the tourism infrastructure.

Participants in the Creative Business Forum during the ‘Creative Industries of the North’ programme will also discuss the region’s cultural values during the session ‘Preserve and Protect: Ethnic Languages in Cyberspace’, new business opportunities offered by the development of the creative sector during the session ‘Made in the Arctic: Grants as a Driver of the Creative Economy in the North’ as well as the preservation of Arctic heritage during the session ‘From Archaic to Modern Times: How Should Culture and Intangible Heritage Be Preserved?’

Russia will continue to chair the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 and one of the cross-cutting themes of its chairmanship is to provide responsible governance for the sustainable development of the Arctic. Priorities include improving the quality of human capital with special attention paid to work to improve the well-being and living standards of the Arctic population, including indigenous peoples, the creation of a modern urban environment, the provision of quality education, improvements to the healthcare system, and the preservation of the cultural and linguistic traditions of the Arctic inhabitants.

Reference information:

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