XI International Forum "Arctic: Present and Future"

December 05, 2021

On December 2-4, St. Petersburg hosted the XI International Forum „Arctic: Present and Future“.

The event was held with the support of the Federation Council and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation, the State Commission for the Development of the Arctic, the Ministry of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and other federal and regional authorities. The forum was organized by the Association of Polar Explorers headed by the President of the Association, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic Mr. Artur Chilingarov.

According to the organizers, more than 2,500 delegates from 40 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the forum. These are leading companies, developers and manufacturers of technological and sustainable solutions, enterprises, scientific and educational and public organizations.

The UNIDO Centre in the Russian Federation was presented by its Director Mr. Sergey Korotkov. He made a presentation at the session “ESG: Effective Management Trends in the Arctic”. Mr. Korotkov spoke about the environmental responsibility of business as part of the strategy for achieving the SDGs, in particular, the impact investment approach based on a comprehensive assessment of the company, taking into account its impact on the environment, society and management tools.

“Impact investing can be used in both emerging and developed markets, and depending on the purpose and capabilities of investors. UNIDO is considering this type of investment as a solution for companies operating, for example, in the field of renewable energy, housing, health, education, agriculture — where it is more difficult to attract private investment. For the investors themselves, this is an opportunity to confirm their role as catalysts for inclusive and sustainable development,” he said.