During the first day of the conference, November 15, participants discussed state policy on attracting skilled personnel to the Arctic. UArctic was represented at the plenary session by: Marina Kalinina, Vice President Interregional; Anders Oskal, Lead of the UArctic Institute of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry (EALÁT); Peter Skjöld, Chair of the UArctic Board, and Elena Kudryashova, Vice-Chair of the UArctic Board.
Elena Kudryashova, Rector of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University, addressed the conference participants with an opening speech. She noted that the Arctic needs highly qualified, unique specialists able to work in the harsh conditions of the North.
Anders Oskal, Lead of the UArctic Institute of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry (EALÁT), Secretary General of the Association of World Reindeer Herders, shared his views on the employment issues faced by indigenous peoples of the North. He emphasized the importance of preserving traditional forms of economic activities of the indigenous peoples, on the one hand, and the necessity to engage them in the economy of the “big world”, on the other hand. He also pointed out the need to balance interests of experts and government officials.
Peter Skjöld, Chair of the UArctic Board, Executive Director of the Arctic Research Center at the University of Umeå, spoke about Sweden's experience in “social transformation” and work on attracting personnel to northern regions.
Marina Kalinina, UArctic Vice President Interregional Cooperation, Advisor to the NArFU Rector for International cooperation, emphasized the importance of international research and educational cooperation in the Arctic for development of human capital. Marina Kalinina highlighted the following aspects: challenges that exist today in this area; tasks that are formulated at decision-making level; characteristics of development institutions that implement these tasks, and best practices based on existing experience.
Nikolai Korchunov, Chair of the Senior Arctic Officials, Ambassador-at-large of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also addressed the conference participants and noted the contribution of NArFU to the development of regional agenda and the role of the University of the Arctic in the development of international scientific and educational cooperation in the region.
The conference is being held online and end on November 16. Experts are expected to discuss several issues: "Personnel for investment projects in the Arctic", "Aspects of northern recruiting", "Northern Sea Route - boundaries and opportunities", "Personnel for social sphere in the Arctic", "Education and employment among Arctic indigenous peoples”, “Training a new generation of Arctic researchers ”.