- Dear Aisen Sergeyevich, dear Yakutians! On behalf of the regions and the Northern Forum Secretariat, I congratulate you on the Day of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic!
Yakutia is at the forefront of international cooperation in the Arctic. The contribution of Yakutia to the development of the northern territories and the Arctic is very important not only on the scale of development of the Russian Arctic, but also in the entire Arctic region. The history of the Northern Forum, an international organization of the northern regions, is directly connected with Yakutia, which from the very beginning since the 1990s has taken the most important part in the initiation and organization of the Northern Forum's international activities. The first President of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Mikhail Efimovich Nikolaev, is considered one of the two founding fathers of the Northern Forum, together with the Governor of Alaska of those years, Walter Hickel. Thanks to the contribution of the Republic, under the patronage of the Northern Forum, such international projects as the Northern Zoos Cooperation, International Arctic School, Circumpolar Flights and many others began to be implemented. In 2013, a significant event took place in the history of the organization, thanks to Yakutia. During the Chairmanship of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) led by Egor Afanasevich Borisov, the Northern Forum Secretariat was transfered from Alaska to Yakutia, and has since been located in Yakutsk. In September 2019, the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), headed by Aisen Sergeyevich Nikolaev, supported and organized the held of the Northern Sustainable Development Forum (NSDF) together with the Northern Forum and North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov. NSDF is a priority project of the Northern Forum and will be held annually in Yakutia.
Today, the Northern Forum is the only international organization working for the sustainable development of the North and the Arctic, with the Secretariat based in Russia on the territory of our Republic. Currently, 14 regions from 5 countries are participants in the Northern Forum: Akureyri (Iceland), Alaska (USA), Kamchatka Krai (Russia), Gangwon Province (South Korea), Krasnoyarsk Krai (Russia), Lapland (Finland), Magadan Oblast (Russia), Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Russia), Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Russia), Primorsky Krai (Russia), Sakha Republic (Russia), Khabarovsk Krai (Russia), Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra (Russia), Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (Russia). It should be noted that the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has always participated most actively in the work of the Northern Forum. Four out of ten Northern Forum Working Groups are located in Yakutia: WG on Regional Adaptation to Climate Change, WG on Environment and Conservation of Biodiversity, WG on Education and Research, WG on Assessment of the Quality of Life in the Arctic Regions.
Dear friends, we hope that our long fruitful cooperation with the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and cooperation on the interregional international level, which is carried out by the Northern Forum, will contribute to the success and prosperity of the North and the Arctic!
With all my heart I wish the peoples of Yakutia health, happiness, well-being, peace, prosperity and further achievements in the sustainable development of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)!