September 27, at a gala event in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Northern Forum, for the first time in the history of the organization, the badges of the Northern Forum Goodwill Ambassador and the Walter D. Hickel medals were presented.

This sign was conceived in 2019 to strengthen international and interregional cooperation, to support the activities of the Northern Forum through respected and famous people in the world community and was adopted at the IV General Assembly of the Northern Forum in April 2021.

Given the long-term fruitful work in the field of international cooperation, active support for the activities of the Northern Forum, the desire to make a concrete contribution to the development and strengthening of international and interregional cooperation, the status of the Northern Forum Goodwill Ambassador is assigned to:

• Paul Fuhs- President of Marine Exchanges, Commissioner of the Arctic Economic Council, Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

• Alexander N. Pilyasov- General Director of Regional Consulting. Doctor of Geographical Sciences, Professor of the Moscow State University. Chairman of the Russian Section of the European Association for Regional Science, Moscow, Russian Federation

• Nadezhda K. Kharlampieva- Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of World Politics of the Faculty of International Relations of St. Petersburg State University, Higher Senior Officer of the Department of Hydrology of River Mouths and Water Resources of the State Scientific Center "Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute", doctoral student of the University of Lapland (Finland) , Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
• Timo Rautajoki- Independent Observer and Expert, Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland

• Paolo Venturini- police officer, extreme marathon runner in Padua, Italy

• Alexander A.Kugaevsky - Deputy Rector for Analytical and Expert Activities of the Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Candidate of Economic Sciences, Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russian Federation

• Vera I. Kondratieva- composer, musician, chairman of the public organization of culture of indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North "Ma maehem" ("My land"), member of the Public Chamber of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra, vice-president of the public organization "Salvation of Yugra", actress of the theater of the Ob-Ugric peoples "Sun", initiator and ambassador of the International project "North for Victory. Everyone is for the cause of peace. "

Congratulations to all the newly minted Northern Forum Goodwill Ambassadors! We hope for good friendship, long and fruitful cooperation!

The Walter J. Hickel Medal is a badge of honor, approved in 2013, and designed to reward the most distinguished people of the North for their contribution to the development of the regions and the Northern Forum itself.

For many years of contribution to the development of the Northern Forum and for loyalty to the idea of caring for the north, the Walter Hickel Medal of Honor is awarded to:

• Nikolai A.Nakhodkin - representative of the All-Russian Research Institute of Civil Defense and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Director of the Associated Secretariat of the Northern Forum in the city of Yakutsk in 1993-2005;

• Natalia I. Slugina - Head of the Department of International Relations of the Office of the Governor and Government of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, member of the Committee of Regional Coordinators of the Northern Forum from the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug;
• Halldor Yohannsson- Director of the Arctic Portal.

Congratulations and thanks for the long, loyal cooperation and contribution to the development of the North and the Northern Forum!