“When we drew up the program, we did not write it ourselves, we visited indigenous communities, negotiated with them, and they gave us their proposals. These included the most pressing issues related to the life of the indigenous peoples of the North, which were the most worrying for our neighbors. And after we came up with a plan, we re-negotiated it with community leaders who signed up for this program,” he said.
Andrey Grachev also noted the popular nature of this program and its fundamental transparency, since it was discussed in the communities, and everyone knew what activities would be included in it and when a particular project would be completed. In addition, according to him, each provision of the program has its own estimate, the deadline for the completion of a facility. “And this specificity was introduced by us. Each program should have a supervisory body, which is constantly obliged to monitor the degree of implementation. At the request of representatives of the communities of Taimyr, together with the Polar Division of the company, a Coordinating Council was created, which monitors the implementation of plans and corrects these plans in connection with the emergence of new ideas,” he said further.
Speaking about the initiator of the Council, Andrey Grachev said: “A year and a half ago, Vladimir Potanin received an appeal from representatives of the communities of Taimyr with a request to create such a Council in the company. In his opinion, the Coordinating Council should act on the territory where the indigenous peoples of the North live compactly. Therefore, a counter proposal was made: let's create it not in Moscow, but in Taimyr. And the Council should include representatives of municipal authorities, representatives of communities and representatives of the Norilsk division of the company.”
Referring to the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) procedure implemented by Norilsk Nickel for the first time in the Arctic zone of Russia, the vice president of the company emphasized that the principle “Nothing for us without us” is the main thing in this process, noting that negotiations and accounting interests are part of Norilsk Nickel's corporate culture. “We have always said that our policy towards the indigenous peoples of the North is based on three principles. The first is taking into account the interests of the indigenous peoples of the North. The second is the maintenance of traditional crafts. And the third is a constant dialogue with representatives of the peoples of Taimyr,” he said.
Concerning the development of tourism in the areas inhabited by the indigenous peoples of the North, Andrey Grachev said that in the near future a visitor center would be built in Ust-Avam, which would contribute to the development of ethno-tourism on the territory of Taimyr, and that Nornickel considers these objects not only in terms of additional jobs for the local population, but also hopes that they will be the hallmark of this region. "Representatives of the communities believe that it is tourism that will supplement their earnings along with traditional activities," he added.
Speaking about the prospects for the development of the Kolmozerskoye lithium ore deposit in the Murmansk Province, Andrey Grachev spoke about the work that the company is doing to take into account the interests of the Saami living in these places. “We have experience, we are ready for further conversation,” he said. “Especially since there is an opportunity to rid Russia of "lithium dependence". Since June, we have started preliminary consultations with the Saami on the lithium project. So far, everything is at the stage of informing and collecting data.”
Summing up the forum, the vice president of Norilsk Nickel said: “Firstly, we felt that business in addressing the development of indigenous peoples is in demand by the state. Secondly, we made sure that the goals of indigenous peoples, and those of the state and business either completely coincide or are identical. And this is the key to future cooperation. And thirdly, we agreed that the practices of relations with indigenous peoples that exist in various subjects will be analyzed. I heard a lot of interesting things from the representatives of Yakutia and from Yugra. Everyone has their own experience, and it is necessary to collect it, post it on the Federal Agency for Nationality Affairs website and make it publicly available to the entire business community and all subjects of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. Working together suits us.”
ABOUT THE COMPANY
MMC Norilsk Nickel is a diversified mining and metallurgical company, the world’s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper. The company also produces cobalt, rhodium, silver, gold, iridium, ruthenium, selenium, tellurium and other products.
The production units of Norilsk Nickel Group are located at the Norilsk Industrial District, on the Kola Peninsula and Zabaykalsky Krai in Russia as well as in Finland.
MMC Norilsk Nickel shares are listed on the Moscow and on the Saint-Petersburg Stock Exchanges, ADRs are accepted for trading on the Saint-Petersburg Stock Exchange.
Norilsk Nickel fully supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The company considers social responsibility and commitment to the principles of sustainable development as one of the pillars of operational efficiency and business development. Nornickel seeks to continuously improve its activities in the areas of environmental protection, human rights, health and safety, environmental impact assessment, and biodiversity preservation. The company spent RUB 221.5 billion on SDG-linked projects in 2021.
Vladimir Malakhov, Rough&Polished
