Tomsk to Host International Forum of Associations and Consortiums of the Northern Territories on 20–22 April

            Tomsk will host the International Forum of Associations and Consortiums of the Northern Territories on 20–22 April. The event is part of the plan of events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council, which are managed by the Roscongress Foundation.

The main goal of the Forum is to provide its participants with an international and interdisciplinary platform for associations and consortiums of the Arctic and subarctic areas to exchange experience, recap the results of their research, and identify prospects and areas for further cooperation for the sustainable development of northern territories.

The programme of the International Forum of Associations and Consortiums of the Northern Territories will include roundtables and discussion platforms during which experts will discuss how to create horizontal links and joint agendas between organizations, as well as multiple workshops to discuss the research results of several consortiums and the use of carbon credits as a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There will also be a one-day workshop with industrial enterprises that could potentially invest in Arctic innovations by universities and research institutes to discuss the potential for cooperation.

The International Forum of Associations and Consortiums of the Northern Territories is being organized by the Administration of the Tomsk Region, National Research Tomsk State University, the Tomsk Consortium of Scientific, Educational, and Scientific Organizations, the SecNet International Network for the Study of Changes in the Siberian Environment, the Northern Forum International Organization of the Northern Regions, the National Arctic Scientific and Educational Consortium, and the Russian-Asian Consortium for Arctic Research. The event will be held with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic.

Russia is chairing the Arctic Council in 2021–2023. A cross-cutting priority of the chairmanship is to ensure responsible governance over the sustainable development of the Arctic. The comprehensive programme of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council aims to promote cooperation to improve the well-being and quality of life of the Arctic population, including the Indigenous peoples of the North, adapt the Arctic to the effects of climate change, conserve the biodiversity and unique ecosystems of the Arctic, ensure socioeconomic development, find solutions in matters concerning global energy and transport security, promote scientific cooperation in high latitudes, and strengthen Arctic cooperation.