According to Mikhail Prisyazhnyi, Head of the Department of Northern Studies at North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU), the forum will focus on the North-Eastern sector of the Arctic, where global changes are taking place that require complex interdisciplinary research with the participation of the international expert community. “It should be considered that the bulk of the permafrost is located here. All climate change occurring in this region have an impact on global warming,” says a representative of the organizing committee.

The idea of Northern Sustainable Development Forum is to create an international platform that would deal with the problems of the North-Eastern part of the Arctic, said Daryana Maximova, associate professor of the Department of International Studies, NEFU. “The main international venues are located in the West, while in the East we do not have such. Therefore, the forum will be held annually in Yakutia. The main concept is to unite Asia and the Arctic. The role of the forum in the development of the North and the Arctic is significant, since we are creating a new platform for a variety of contacts. The Forum can play a significant role in drawing attention to the activities of the international organization Northern Forum, for which Northern Sustainable Development Forum is a priority project,” commented Daryana Maximova, Deputy Executive Director of the Northern Forum.

Among the participants of the Forum, foreign experts from Canada, USA, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland who are interested in sustainable development of the North and the Arctic are expected. The Northern Sustainable Development Forum will become one of the world's leading platforms for discussing the problems and prospects for sustainable development of the North and the Arctic. Special attention will be paid to the changing understanding of the possibilities of the Northern Sea Route for the development of many countries of the world.

Northern Sustainable Development Forum has been held in Yakutia since 2019. The first forum was attended by scientists, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic corps from 14 countries. The organizers of the forum are Government of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), the international non-governmental organization "Northern Forum" and North-Eastern Federal University.

The forum will be held both on site and online. For more information about the forum and its program as well as to register, visit nsdf.ru/en/info/.