The Second International Northern Sustainable Development Forum will be held online on September 27-30. The event will bring together representatives of the federal, national and regional executive and legislative bodies, international, non-profit and public organizations, diplomatic and trade missions of foreign states, transnational companies, state corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, research and academic institutions, and the expert community.

The participants will focus on the transportation infrastructure in the North and the Arctic. Today, the industrial development of the Arctic shelf and shipping along the Northern Sea Route and the Northwest Passage to the region attract many countries. Creating efficient transportation infrastructure, including sea and river ports, highways, railways and main pipelines, is also high on the list of priorities. Air traffic plays a special role in developing the Arctic, including small aircraft and all-terrain vehicles.

The participants will review three main angles of developing the transportation infrastructure of the Arctic. First, regional transportation networks, such as life support systems for the northern regions, the development of which may lead to building national transportation systems. Second, the development of national transportation links between the North and the Arctic with other Russian regions to ensure national interests and the formation of dependable international transportation networks (Northern Sea Route, highways and railways). Third, the discussion of the prospects for the development of global logistics, in particular, international transit and the formation of transcontinental transportation routes and intermodal transportation and logistics hubs, such as the Northern Sea Route, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Transcontinental Railway and Crosspolar Airlines.

The forum will include a plenary session, thematic panel discussions, round table discussions, meetings of working groups, international or other organizations, project presentations, lectures, foresight sessions and workshops.

The Northern Forum on Sustainable Development is a permanent international expert platform for discussing the problems and prospects for sustainable development of the North and the Arctic. The main idea behind ​​the forum is to unite the creative forces of the Arctic and Asia in resolving the problems of sustainable development in the regions of the North and the Arctic. The event is hosted by the government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the international organization of the northern regions Northern Forum, and North-Eastern Federal University.

More information and the program of the event are available on the official website.