Arctic and Northern areas are inhabited approximately by four million people. It is relatively a small number in terms of the size of the world population. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the North and the Arctic are the “kitchen” where forms weather of the whole world. Moreover, it is a place which keeps vast supplies of fossil fuels

Last decades the Arctic is changing rapidly as a result of global climate change. Climate change is bringing particularly significant shifts in the development of the Northern regions. It affects everything - spring floods and shallowing of rivers, permafrost melting and soil erosion, Arctic Ocean’s ice cover reducing, and the Arctic flora and fauna. Climate change is already having significant and costly effects on the quality of life in our regions. it is causing thawing of the permafrost, coastal erosion, deformations of the Arctic infrastructure, and partial flooding of Arctic cities and towns.  The commissioning new facilities, not only social and infrastructural, but also industrial, is becoming more and more expensive. It affects the employment and incomes of our population.

We aware the importance of joint efforts to reduce negative impacts of global changes, and recognize the need to focus on positive practices which make life in the North and the Arctic more comfortable for everyone. Due to the demographic and geographical features of the Arctic, issues of poor transport connections and unavailability of medical and educational services are the most relevant and urgent. Each Northern Forum member-region possesses great experience and competence. For example, we know how to work with the small aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, telemedicine, remote school and vocational education, interaction of indigenous and local people with industrial companies.

Northern Forum Development Strategy 2030 and the Resolution #210

Huge territories and a small population form the ways to develop the infrastructure, social and transport services of our regions.

The Northern Forum Development Strategy 2030 was being developed since 2015 by the efforts of the Northern Forum member-regions, international expert scientific community. It was adopted by the Board of NF Governors at the end of the II Northern Forum Governors’ Meeting.

The Northern Forum would like to thank all contributors for preparing the Strategy. We are especially grateful to experts from Lapland (Republic of Finland) led by Governor Mika Riipi, who started this work. We highly appreciate a contribution of state authorities and experts from the Krasnoyarsk and Kamchatka Krai, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug and the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), and the Nord University (Norway). We want to expess our gratitude to Professor Alexander Pilyasov and to former Executive directors of the Northern Forum Secretariat - Mikhail Pogodaev and Olga Timofeeva-Tereshkina, who organized and coordinated the whole process of writing the Strategy.

The NF Development Strategy was recognized by the Northern Forum member-regions as a document which identifies the aim, objectives, key directions for the development of the Northern Forum until 2030, the main mechanisms for the implementation of priority tasks and key indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the organization’s activities towards renewal. We hope that the Strategy will serve to the further development of the organization, to its strengthening at the international level, and will attract new member-regions to the Northern Forum.

The Northern Forum is an international organization which brings together regional governments in the North and the Arctic. It is a platform for cooperation and exchange of experience and best practices in order to improve the quality of life and promote the sustainable development of cold regions. Growing of the Northern Forum will strengthen a voice of the Northern regions at the international level; our regions should be heard by reputable international organizations and national governments to make right decisions and improve quality of life of the Northern people.

Arkadiy Diodorov,

Ex. Director,

Northern Forum Secretariat