THE NORTHERN SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONGRESS

II NORTHERN SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONGRESS

Syktyvkar, 21 April 2006
RESOLUTION
   The Second Northern Social and Environmental Congress was held on 19-21 April 2007 in Syktyvkar. The slogan of the congress was "Economic and Cultural Developmental Horizons". The congress focused on a wide range of problems and strategic challenges set by RF President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Komi arranged on 6 April 2006, on the threshold of the congress.
   The northern social and environmental congress has been arranged by the Komi Government, Ural Branch in the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Komi Science Centre and Board of Rectors of Komi Republic. The congress was actively supported by RF Presidential Administration, RF Government, Federative Council, and RF Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications. The leading national research and educational institutions, National Environmental Forum of Russia, Komi Voityr Interregional Social Movement and a range of other national and foreign cultural, social and environmental social organizations.
   The congress co-chairmen were Vladimir Torlopov, Sc.D, Head of Komi Republic, and RAS Member Valery Chereshnev, Chair of RAS Ural Branch, Chairman of National Environmental Forum of Russia.

On the eve of the plenary sessions the Day of science, culture and business in Komi Republic was held. Mr. Sergey Mironov, RF Federative Council speaker, inaugurated the events behind the Day and the congress itself. The Day of science, culture and business included the following events:

A joint enlarged meeting of the congress organizing committee, Coordinating Board for Social Strategies under Chairman of Federative Council, Russian Academy of Sciences and Russian Chamber of Trade and Commerce;
A field enlarged meeting of the Bureau of the Russian Academy of Sciences for activity coordination in regional branches and regional research centres;
An enlarged meeting of the RF Chamber of Trade and Commerce Committee for timber industrial and forestry development;
A range of meetings at companies, research centres and colleges in the capital city of Komi Republic.

   The northern social and environmental congress has actualized the problems for promising research programmes, innovative projects and educational strategies related to studying and developing the Russian North taking into account over 50 research and practical conferences held in Komi and other northern regions of the country. The problems that were the focus of constructive discussions included ethno-cultural aspects of economic development and habitation in northern regions and, in particular, the specific role of the Finno-Ugric dimension in the Russian domestic and foreign policies.
   Round-table discussions were arranged on the problems of the Finno-Ugric ethno-cultural factor in the process of interactions of the state and civil society institutes within the poly-ethnic environment in the Russian North. The research advisory panel under Executive Committee, RF Association of Finno-Ugric Nations, took part in that event.
   The congress participants have familiarized themselves with scale strategic projects which can, once they are implemented, change the image of northern regions and achieve the increased competitiveness of Russia in the foreign markets and improved life quality of the northerners.
   In particular, the prospects of implementing the Yamal Mega project (within the limits of Komi, managed by RAO Gasprom), an alumina mill project in Komi (project owner: JSC Komi Aluminium, a part of SUAL Group Holding Company), and Usinsk Oil Refinery (Enisey-Usinsk, plc.) have been discussed.
   Specific emphasis was laid on the problems of improving the state forestry-related policies and timber sector and forestry development priorities. As part of the congress, the representatives of the timber business circles and Chamber of Trade and Commerce of Komi Republic have had a series of round-table discussions on the theme "On the development prospects of the timber industrial complexes in Russia, North-West of Russia, and Komi Republic: government control, pricing and tariff policies, RF Forest Code within the format of challenges set by RF President Vladimir Putin at the meeting in Komi (Syktyvkar, 6 April 2006).
   A plenary session set-up made it possible to group the reports within two thematic frames: "The economic policies, ecology and strategic planning" and "The social strategies, national heritage and the policy"s ethno-cultural aspects". The poster session focused on the in-depth analysis of the problems.

8 workshops were arranged as part of the congress:

Responsible business and a new north development stage;
Strategic planning and forecasting in the northern territorial socio-economic development;
The ethno-cultural and confessional space of the Russian North within the economic growth environment;
The North as a knowledgeable society;
The demographic policy environmental aspects and health problems in the Russian North;
Social and environmental examination of northern territorial development programmes;
The Chernov Readings dedicated to 100-year anniversary of Georgy Chernov, a prominent geologist and mineral researcher in the European North-East;
The northern strategies: alternative planning opportunities (the congress youth workshop).

Over 300 reports from the Russian and foreign congress participants have been heard at the two plenary sessions and at a series of workshops, round-table discussions and travel meetings.
Altogether 500 researchers and experts from the leading research institutions and industrial companies in 21 Russian regions as well as guest reporters from the United States, Canada, Finland, and Estonia participated in the congress.
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Based on the roles that the Russian northern strategies play in attaining the country"s competitiveness, as well as its reliable and safe development, the congress participants have noted specifically:

A high scientific, cultural and political potential of the northern social and environmental congress that does not only help to coordinate efficiently the activities of the leading colleges and research centres in the northern regions, but makes the congress a permanent platform for free and competent discussions of sectoral, trans-sectoral and international strategies of long-term development of the Russian North;

The need to combine three purposes, i.e. for stable economic growth, safe habitat and efficient protection of the local people"s interests, within the framework of long-term strategic planning system. To this end, we would need effective political support of the preserved Circumpolar World unique ethno-cultural social environment, socially aligned business development and anticipatory environmental programmes;
The long-felt need of developing the northern aspect of the environmental strategies of the Russian Federation elaborated by the National Environmental Forum on the instructions of the RF President as well as advisability of rapid completion of the Russian social doctrine with due account of the Russian North natural and ethno-cultural specificity that would help to regard the local people life quality as of paramount concern behind the socio-economic policies.
The social relevance of the joint activities of the research community, representatives of the business, civil society institutions and the political authorities to advance the projects that would be capable to advance the level of scientific element in the Russian northern policies that are still unable to get over the inertia of one-sided raw mineral development.
Urgency of permanent and stage-by-stage intensification of the international cooperation of the northern countries with due account of the specific opportunities, which emerge due to the cultural and language relationships of many northern nations, and, in particular, of the Finno-Ugric community.

   According to the congress participants, comprehensive consolidation of the priority economic and cultural ties between the related nations does not only weaken but, rather, strengthens multi-fold the historically shaped civilization unity of Russia, since the respect for the habitat, the local cultures of the communities and the culturally formed confessions has always been the ultimate value in the northern countries.
   The congress participants share the unified view of the northern dimension element of the Russian domestic and foreign policies that should be, primarily, based on the fact that both the nature of the northern territories and the northerners themselves are entitled to the country"s specific concern and fixed legislative guarantees.
   On account of this, the major priorities of the Russian state must always incorporate the ethno-cultural policies as the primary goal; those policies do not only guarantee the integrity and availability of the cultural heritages of the northern nations but their right to preserve the natural heritages in their entirety required to maintain and restore the ways of life of the northern ethnic groups. The protection of nature"s firmness and the vital interests of the local people are the two sides of the single medal. A competent civil society jointly with the scientific community as its kernel must become one of the major guarantors of steady development of the northern territories.
   The northern social and environmental congress is a standing scientific forum that calls for consolidation of this community ranks.