The inclusion of the Northern Sustainable Development Forum in the list of main events of the Russian Arctic Council Chairmanship allows discussing the development of the Arctic nationwide, according to Daryana Maksimova, the associate professor of the Institute of Foreign Philology of North-Eastern Federal University – the Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Northern Forum.

Russia will become the chairman of the Arctic Council in May 2021 and will chair within two years. Before that, a plan of main activities is drawn up, which includes the NSDF. “Last year's NSDF came into the spotlight on the global stage, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation drew attention to us, which is preparing an activity plan for the Arctic Council Chairmanship. Our forum will become one of the main places in the country for discussing Arctic issues during the Russian presidency. Another such place is the International Forum "The Arctic - Territory of Dialogue," said Daryana Maksimova.

Carrying out the NSDF in the Far East attracts great interest from world experts, the acting deputy executive director notes. “The inclusion of our forum in the list of main events is a great achievement in terms of discussing Arctic issues in Yakutia. The NSDF location is strategically important: one of the priority directions of Russian policy is turn to the East. It includes a priority project of the international organization “Northern Forum”, which is an observer in the Arctic Council. The NSDF, being a project of the organization, can serve as an interesting discussion panel that will bring together experts not only at the country level, but also at the regional level. The development of interregional cooperation is the main concept of our forum,” emphasized Daryana Maksimova.

Within the framework of NSDF-2020, which will be held online from September 27 to 30 in Yakutsk, experts will discuss the issues of sustainable development of the entire Arctic region, including issues on the northeastern sector of the Arctic, where global changes are taking place that require complex interdisciplinary research with the participation of the international expert community. The organizers draw attention to the fact that all climate changes happening in this region affect global warming.

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The Forum has been held in Yakutia since 2019. It was attended by scientists, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic corps from 14 countries. The organizers of the Forum are the republic government, the international organization of the northern regions "Northern Forum" and North-Eastern Federal University.