The Chamber hosted the VIII International Conference "The Arctic: Sustainable Development", which is designed to promote socio-economic development and development of the territory, stimulate scientific, technical and innovative activities in the region.

The plenary session was held at the Congress Center of the Chamber and was devoted to the topic of sustainable development of the Arctic regions of the Russian Federation.

Gadzhimagomed Guseynov, First Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, said that the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is a part of the Arctic territory, which has special tax and administrative regulation regimes. The zone mode covers nine regions.

The state support mechanism for these territories was created in 2020, and since then 634 projects have been implemented with a total investment of more than 1.5 trillion rubles. Of these, more than 300 billion rubles have already been invested, 10 thousand jobs have been created, in total, according to the plan - 35 thousand jobs. The largest projects in terms of investment are in the mining industry, oil and gas and petrochemical industries, logistics and transport.

Guseynov shared a plan for the development of the Northern Sea Route. It includes 152 activities, including the construction of 10 icebreakers, 14 ports, 141 cargo ships, the launch of 12 satellites into orbit, the construction of 4 FMBA buildings and 4 emergency departments. According to the deputy minister, its implementation will bring the country's economy by 2035 more than 16 trillion rubles in taxes and almost 30 trillion rubles in added value.

Maxim Fateev, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, addressing the participants of the conference, read out a greeting from the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin. In particular, it says that "for the sustainable development of the Arctic, issues such as the solution of social, economic, infrastructural problems in this most important region, the implementation of large-scale investment projects here are seen as priorities."

It is especially important for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation “to ensure the most comfortable conditions for creating and doing business in the Arctic, primarily for small and medium-sized businesses,” the head of the Chamber notes in his greeting.

In his report, Maxim Fateev listed the main tasks for the sustainable development of the Arctic, as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation sees them. He noted that one of the main problems is the shortage of qualified personnel. Thus, in 2021, the need for personnel in the Russian Arctic zone was estimated at almost 74 thousand people. Almost a quarter of them are specialists who are needed by investment projects. Joint efforts of the state and business are also important here, the vice-president of the Chamber noted.

The Arctic zone is a unique place with great economic and trade potential. However, starting and running a business in the Arctic is not easy, says Maxim Fateev. According to him, for the successful development of entrepreneurship, the support of both the state and development institutions is needed.

Press Service of the Chamber