Norilsk Nickel has summed up the results of its five‑year, 2 billion ruble ($23.7 million) programme to support the indigenous peoples of the Taimyr Peninsula. The company presented the results at the International Forum of Indigenous Peoples in Krasnoyarsk, which was attended by delegations from Armenia, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Russia and Ethiopia.
Nikolai Utkin, first vice‑president and head of Nornickel’s government relations unit, spoke about the company’s principles of working with indigenous peoples and the results achieved.
"Nornickel is one of the few companies that has a corporate policy in the area of interaction with indigenous peoples. Since 2021, we have had a Coordination council for interaction with tribal communities. For us, the most important thing is not to destroy, but to improve the conditions in the ancestral territories inhabited by indigenous peoples, of which they are full‑fledged owners," he noted.
Among the key outcomes of the five‑year support program is the construction of more than 30 houses in settlements, the purchase of 21 apartments for orphaned children in Dudinka, and the establishment of new medical and obstetric stations and cultural and leisure centres.
With Nornickel’s support, 41 students from among the indigenous peoples of the Taymyr Peninsula are studying at Zapolyarny State University.
In the future, the company plans to promote the development of domestic reindeer herding in the Taymyr Peninsula.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
