The Big Three at the XV International Forum «The Arctic: Present and Future»

9–10 December, the XV International Forum «The Arctic: Present and Future» named after A. N. Chilingarov was held in St Petersburg, bringing together more than 2,000 participants — representatives of federal and regional authorities, business, the scientific community, and public organizations.

The key outcome of the forum was the consolidation of opinions on the need to move fr om general principles to concrete actions for the sustainable development of the Arctic. The focus was placed on people: the development of infrastructure and the economy should create comfortable conditions for permanent living and raising children, rather than being limited to the organization of rotational work. At the same time, the integration of the Northern Sea Route into the country’s unified transport system was discussed, and the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor project was recognized as critically important for the macroregion.

Special attention was paid to technological sovereignty: the development of the Arctic requires domestic technologies for the continental shelf and the icebreaker fleet. Support for small and medium-sized businesses was discussed — lowering the revenue threshold for the application of the simplified taxation system from 60 to 20 million rubles could have a significant impact on Arctic enterprises. In addition, the forum addressed the implementation of master plans in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation with a total cost of 2.9 trillion rubles, wh ere up to 5% of funding is already provided through state programs, and the attraction of private investment was recognized as a key condition for success.

Big Three took an active part in the forum. Chief Technology Officer Mikhail Favorov spoke at the strategic session «Before "has been" replaces "is": preserving the unique ecosystems of the Arctic» with a presentation titled «From response to management: digital platforms as a tool for ecosystem preservation». The discussion focused on balancing economic development and environmental security, implementing carbon-neutral projects, and scaling successful technological solutions across the entire Arctic zone.

The forum confirmed its status as a key platform for developing practical solutions for the Arctic’s development. All proposals will be systematized into a public resolution for the Government of the Russian Federation, and the most pressing topics will form the basis of the «Direct Line with the President» on December 19.

• Organizer: Interregional Public Organization «Association of Polar Explorers»
• General Partner: PJSC «MMC Norilsk Nickel»
• Official Sponsor: VTB Bank (PJSC)
• Section Partners: ANO «Energy of Development» of the State Corporation «Rosatom» and LLC «Gazprom Invest»