The III International Northern Forum on Sustainable Development has started in Yakutsk. The opening ceremony, which was held in the Historical park "Russia - my history", was attended by Rector of North-Eastern Federal University Anatoly Nikolaev. The head of the university welcomed the participants and acquainted the experts with the event agenda.

The main topic of the third Northern Forum was climate change and permafrost response to this process. “This topic is most relevant for our macro-region, which is almost entirely within the permafrost zone. In recent years, we have witnessed a number of natural disasters, and this is only a small part of what we can expect in the near future if the trend of climate warming continues. The discussion of such a global issue at our forum is timely," said Anatoly Nikolaev.

North-Eastern Federal University together with the Northern Forum and the Government of Yakutia is the main organizer of the event. The business program includes about 70 events with participation of around 400 speakers from 45 countries. The Forum will be held within the framework of the Russian chairmanship of the Arctic Council. In addition, there will be a number of events, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Northern Forum: meeting of the committee of regional coordinators of the organization, conference “30 Years of Caring for the North: Achievements and Prospects”, the Youth Northern Forum, photo exhibition “History of the formation and development of the Northern Forum”.

Anatoly Nikolaev emphasized that NEFU activities will be based on the ideology of sustainable human development in the next decade, proclaimed by the UN. “We have integrated the plans of the university in the university development program for the next ten years, focused on creating conditions for socio-economic growth, preservation of culture and languages, and improving the quality of life and health of the residents of the North-East of Russia. All these plans are built in the projection of global processes taking place in the natural ecosystems of the North. The implementation of the program involves the implementation of the key goals of NEFU for the next 10 years, such as: territorial connectivity, climate and permafrost, energy, green technologies, human health, preservation of languages ​​and cultures of peoples, quality of life, digitalization, which will ensure the development of the entire North-East of the Russian Federation", said NEFU rector.