The conference was organized as part of the V International Meeting of representatives states-members of the Arctic Council, states-observers and scientific community, held under the auspices of Security Council of the Russian Federation.
The issues discussed during the conference were the main priorities for organizations conducting their activities in the North: training for the development of the Arctic, consolidation of efforts to preserve unique Arctic ecosystems while developing global resource projects, preservation of traditional life styles of indigenous peoples in the North.
These important topics were reflected in the speeches of senior officials of the UArctic and representatives of member institutions from Russia, United States, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Korea. Lars Kullerud, UArctic President, said with certainty that the greatest value to the Arctic region is its human potential. Kari Laine, Director Thule Institute, University of Oulu and UArctic Vice President Research, presented prospects of scientific networks and underlined the importance of scientific cooperation. The audience’s attention was attracted by the report of Lassi Heininen, Professor of the University of Lapland and leader of UArctic Thematic Network “Geopolitics and Security”, where he considered the Arctic as the region of geopolitical stability.
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia's Security Council, also stressed the importance of international cooperation. "Within our meetings, we are consistently expanding the platform of international dialogue, raising issues more and more important for the Arctic development," said the Security Council’s secretary.