ST. PETERSBURG, June 13. /TASS/. The Norilsk Nickel Company (Nornickel) will expand its support for the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples under an agreement with the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, the company's Vice President Andrey Grachev told reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

Norilsk Nickel and the Agency signed an agreement on sidelines of the forum on Friday.

"We have a set of activities that we have coordinated with the Agency, and in this case they act as experts. We have events there, and new events, that have already proven themselves as effective," Grachev said.

Activities that will receive additional support are measures aimed at preserving languages and cultures of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples, and they will be included in sustainable development issues, the company told TASS.

Nornilsk Nickel also continues events that have already demonstrated efficiency, the vice president said. "This is a project that is being jointly implemented by Norilsk Nickel and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. The program's purpose is to train representatives of low-numbered indigenous peoples to work on UNESCO and UN platforms," he added. Under the support programs, the company invests in development of the economy of traditional environmental management (meat and fish processing workshops, refrigerators, purchase of community products), and in improving the quality of life.

The federal agency's leader, Igor Barinov, noted that "in conditions of industrial development, indigenous peoples are among the most vulnerable groups, and their settlement and life support systems depend critically on the preservation of traditional habitat being affected by development projects." According to him, cooperation with big corporations in this matter helps to respond promptly to the needs in this area. "Here, very helpful become big oil and gas producers, industrial companies, which, in terms of their corporate agreements with representatives of low-numbered indigenous peoples, are much more prompt, and they address more effectively those acute issues," he stressed.

Norilsk Nickel's new policy

In November 2023, Norilsk Nickel announced a new version of the policy regarding the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples. The company has attracted international experts, including from the United Nations. Work on the new policy featured Navin Rai (Nepal), an international expert on indigenous issues and the author of the current IFC and World Bank standard on indigenous peoples, Alexey Tsykarev, an ex-member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and Antonina Gorbunova, deputy chairman of the UN expert mechanism on the rights of indigenous peoples.

The document's adoption is at the final stage, Nornickel's vice president told TASS. "Right, a document has been developed. <...> There (in the new version of the policy - TASS) we have included latest practices, in particular the procedures of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), other due diligence measures, and best practices of the United Nations," he said, adding that within a month the document would be presented for approval to the company's Board of Directors. The new edition has been approved by foreign experts cooperating with the company, he added.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) took place on June 5-8. This year’s theme was "The Formation of New Areas of Growth as the Cornerstone of a Multipolar World." Events included meetings for small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries, the SPIEF Youth Day, as well as the Drug Security, SPIEF Academy and SPIEF Junior forums. SPIEF was organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS was the event's information partner.