On February 4, 2022, the Working Groups Chairmen meeting of The Northern Forum was held. The meeting was opened with a welcoming speech by the Chairman of the Northern Forum`s Regional Coordinators Committee, Advisor on Arctic Cooperation to the Head of the Regional Council of Lapland Arja Haikara. Executive Director of the Northern Forum Vladimir Vasiliev acted as moderator.
There were speeches by the chairmen of the Working Groups:
- Isakov Eduard, the Federation Council representative from the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, The Northern Forum’s Working Group Сhairman on Creative Industries Development.
- Kozupitsa Sergey, The Krasnoyarsk Region Government Deputy Chairman , The Northern Forum’s Working Group Сhairman on Housing Construction for the Arctic;
- Gubarev Viktor, The Deputy State Assembly ( Il Tumen) Chairmen of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), The Northern Forum’s Working Group Сhairman on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation in the North & the Arctic;
- Gabysheva Feodosia, The Science, Education, Mass Media and Public Organizations Committee Chairman of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (Il Tumen) State Assembly, The Northern Forum’s Working Group Сhairman on Education and Science;
- Nikolaev Igor, the Head of the State Autonomous Institution of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) - " Strategic Studies Center", The Northern Forum’s Working Group Сhairman on the Arctic regions’ population life quality assessment.
Chairmen made proposals on organizing and improving activities of five NF Working Groups. The Working Groups Chairs announced their plans for 2022, and also proposed directions for project activities. It was proposed to create a data bank on the NF website for all Working Groups and to integrate the activities of Working Groups on related topics.
The Northern Forum has outlined the intensification of project activities within the framework of the Working Groups as one of its main areas of work in 2022. The Northern Forum Secretariat plans to initiate similar meetings with Working Groups during a year.
In 2015, Resolution # 177 «On the Northern Forum Project Activities» formed NF Working Groups to ensure the engagement of regional authorities in elaborating the solutions to the specific problems of the northern regions in various areas and improve the Northern Forum project activity.
Since 2021, 12 Working Groups is functioning in the Northern Forum:
- Business Cooperation in the North
- Culture
- Education and Science
- Environment and Conservation of Biodiversity
- Development of Interparliamentary Cooperation in the Arctic and the North
- Creative Industries
- Regional Adaption to Climate Change
- Health in the North and Social Issues
- Assessment of Quality of Life in the Arctic Regions
- Housing in the Arctic
- Transport in the North
- Development of Energy in the North