Roscongress unveils business program outline for St. Petersburg Arctic forum
© RIA Novosti. Sergey Mamontov

Roscongress unveils business program outline for St. Petersburg Arctic forum

The structure of the business program for the upcoming 5th The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue international forum, scheduled to be held April 9-10 in St. Petersburg, has been released, according to the Roscongress Foundation.

The international Arctic forum's business program includes events in all key subjects that require work if there is to be a breakthrough in the development of Arctic areas, Russian Presidential Adviser Anton Kobyakov noted.

"The program includes sessions regarding expanded international economic cooperation, the modernization of key industrial enterprises, social and societal issues, the preservation and improvement of the environment and climate. I am confident that this business program will make it possible to present the most topical projects to each forum participant and to establish a pool of international partners for their implementation," Kobyakov added.

The Coastal Territories track includes a cycle of sessions, panel discussions and roundtable discussions whose participants will focus on projects aiming to improve the living and working conditions of Russian Arctic residents, to streamline fundamental economic mechanisms, and to search for innovative solutions for the modernization of companies and enterprises that are the pillar of Arctic development. The track deals with such high-priority aspects as:  

  • The Urban Environment and Technologies to Support Livelihoods in the Arctic
  • Digitization and the Future of Connectivity in the Arctic
  • Next-Generation Healthcare in the Arctic
  • Aircraft First: Developing the Aviation Sector in the Arctic
  • A Warm Welcome: The Tourist Potential of the Arctic
  • Russia's Support for Private Investment in the Arctic: A New Approach
  • Small Business, Big Potential
  • Construction in the North: Longevity and Durability.

The Open Ocean track is devoted to economic aspects that are the foundation of Russian Arctic regions' development and which are of great interest for investors from leading countries. It includes such thematic blocks as:

  • The Northern Sea Route —The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic
  • Shipbuilding: Achievements and Innovation
  • Bioresources of the Open Ocean and the Arctic Fishing Industry
  • LNG Production and Use in the Arctic
  • Transport Connectivity: The Arctic, Far East, Siberia, and the Urals
  • Arctic Shelf Development: The Potential and the Risks
  • Developing Port Infrastructure in the North

The Sustainable Development track includes numerous events aiming to raise the social and public status of Arctic regions and includes highly important aspects of maintaining and upgrading the human potential and providing infrastructure support for life and activity in the Russian Arctic. Here are the track's thematic blocks:

  • Nature-Like Technologies to Meet the Needs of the Arctic
  • A Responsible Approach to Energy in the Arctic
  • Children of the Arctic: Best Education Practices for Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic
  • The Arctic —The World's ‘Weather Kitchen'
  • The Agro Industry: Livestock Farming and Agriculture in the Arctic
  • Training Specialists to Achieve Growth in the Region
  • Applied Research in the Arctic

Roscongress quotes Russian Deputy Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic Alexander Krutikov as saying: "A new system of preferences for companies financing projects in the Arctic region will be unveiled in St. Petersburg."