UCLG at the Northern Sustainable Development Forum

On September 27-30, 2020, in Yakutia, the annual Northern Sustainable Development Forum is taking place. The key objective of the Forum is to hold a comprehensive discussion of issues and prospects of introducing principles and Sustainable Development Goals in regions of the Arctic and the North.

The participants of the Forum include Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Aisen Nikolaev, President of UCLG Mohamed Boudra, UN Under-Secretary General – Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Inger Andersen, Director of the Institute of the Arctic studies Oran R. Young, local and regional governments, international experts, leading practitioners and others.

“We are facing a common task - to overcome the problems of low transport connectivity that have developed over many centuries in order to reach a new level of development in the Arctic. I think that the search for the best solutions, based on the exchange of experience and the implementation of joint projects, is the key to success in the spatial development of the circumpolar territories of the world, "emphasized Aisen Nikolaev in his welcome address.

During the plenary session “Transport Infrastructure in the North and the Arctic” Secretary General of UCLG Emilia Saiz highlighted: “The question that this forum asks is indeed very relevant for the time in which we live: what will the planet be like when we pass it on to future generations? The answer is not one that can be answered easily, but to build back better from this pandemic we need to be mindful of the question, and we need to make sure that the sacrifices we make are done so with the next generations in mind.”

Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia Rasikh Sagitov delivered a speech during the webinar “Creating linkages between tourism and protected areas in the Arctic” - How to create and stimulate more LT&C-Examples in the Arctic?” Talking about peculiarities of the Arctic climate, diversity of flora and fauna, rich natural heritage of the North, Rasikh Sagitov mentioned the activities of Arctic cities and regions as members of UCLG-Eurasia. Among them are Anadyr, Arkhangelsk, Nadym District, Naryan-Mar, Salekhard and Yakutia.

“Located within the Arctic territory and valuable in terms of ecology, science, culture and aesthetics, natural complexes represent a unique potential for the development of ecological tourism. Specially protected natural areas are the national treasure. And every citizen should have a possibility to learn about natural and cultural landscapes, unique natural complexes and sites of their country that are of special aesthetic, scientific and cultural value. For this, it is necessary to raise ecological awareness within the specially protected natural areas; to allocate areas for tourist industry facilities, information centers, etc. where it is possible and where no threat is posed to the natural environment”, Rasikh Sagitov said.

29.09.2020

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