Norilsk Nickel will support the Kola Sami

Norilsk Nickel and the Kola Sami Association signed an Agreement on Interaction and Cooperation on June 5, within the framework of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum - 2021. The document assumes support from the company to projects focused on the preservation and development of the Sami language, culture, and traditional economic activities of the indigenous peoples living in the Murmansk Province.
Elena Rocheva, President of the Kola Sámi Association, thanked Norilsk Nickel for supporting several socially significant projects: the publication of the Almanac of Sámi Literature in 2019 and the help given by the company last year to create a monument to the feat of soldiers of the Sámi reindeer transport battalions - defenders of the Soviet Arctic.
“Measures to support local communities representing the interests of the indigenous peoples of the North have always attracted special attention of Norilsk Nickel acting within the framework of its own Indigenous Rights Policy. The company has a rich positive experience of interaction with associations of indigenous peoples in the Taimyr Peninsula: the five-year development plan developed by Norilsk Nickel together with the tribal communities is currently being implemented. And although our enterprises do not exist in the territories of traditional Sami residence in the Murmansk Province, we always treat with understanding the needs and demands of the indigenous people of the regions where the company operates. Today there is every reason to continue our interaction at a new qualitative level,” stressed Andrey Grachev, Vice President of Norilsk Nickel.
On the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Andrey Grachev said that the company had previously signed a similar agreement with the indigenous peoples of the North, with representatives of the indigenous peoples of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Taimyr. This agreement included dozens of different events, for example, such complex projects as cultural events and the construction of residential buildings.
According to Igor Barinov, Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, “trying to decide the fate of indigenous peoples without their participation is absurd.” “At conference calls, one of which was held in Taimyr and the second in Ugra, we discussed the social responsibility of companies supporting the indigenous peoples of the North,” said Igor Barinov.
“We invited representatives of all Taimyr communities to participate in the Coordination Council under the company’s Polar Division. We have 36 large and 14 small communities in the peninsula. Every vote is valuable to us, so we invited representatives of all 50 communities to join this council,” the vice-president of Norilsk Nickel said.
Foreign participants of the forum noted the best practices of Norilsk Nickel. Lars Kullerud, President of the University of the Arctic said, “I am very pleased to note that Norilsk Nickel has hosted me several times at its factories, and I got to know their work. I was deeply impressed that people there not only improve their professional level, but also study the specifics of work in the Arctic, and they should know the specifics of interaction with indigenous peoples.”
The main task is to preserve one’s identity and preserve one’s languages, our traditional values, and knowledge. This is how Grigory Ledkov, President of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation views its mission.
The vice-president of Norilsk Nickel adheres to the same idea in cooperation with the indigenous peoples of the North: “The humanitarian component is important. We understand very well that if people lose their language, people lose their roots, then they lose their territory, and this is a direct road to extinction.”
“The system of joint work with the peoples of the North turned out to be successful in Taimyr. Therefore, now Norilsk Nickel has decided to implement a similar project in the Kola Peninsula,” Andrey Grachev noted.
According to the vice-president of Norilsk Nickel, “The agreement covers all aspects of life: from the publication of various works of Sami literature to various joint projects, for example, related to the preservation of this people’s way of household activities, culture, and crafts.”

Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished