Programme

New points of economic growth in the Russian Far East will not provide the anticipated effect if we do not simultaneously ensure the comprehensive development of the areas surrounding them – this includes building housing, nurseries, schools, healthcare facilities, and cultural centres. Initial experience relating to a new government approach to comprehensive urban development in the Russian Far East comes in the form of long-term plans to develop the towns of Komsomolsk-on-Amur (Khabarovsk Territory) and Svobodny (Amur Region). These focus the efforts of all key agencies and state companies on creating a qualitatively new environment in these towns, including a comfortable and accessible social, utilities, transport, and energy infrastructure and modern public spaces. What have been the initial results of applying this new approach to urban development in the Russian Far East? What new solutions and tools must be implemented at the federal level in order to ensure the comprehensive development of towns in the Russian Far East? In which other towns in the Russian Far East will urban development be prioritized as a task of federal importance?

State companies are making a significant contribution to forward-looking development in the Russian Far East. A key objective for these companies, aside from profitability, is solving the challenges faced by the state. One such challenge is improving the quality of life of inhabitants of the Russian Far East. Many of Russia’s leading state companies are currently implementing specialized solutions in the region. Will Aeroflot’s so-called ‘flat’ tariff on destinations in the Russian Far East be maintained and extended? What other measures can the company offer to support the mobility of people in the region? Has the Agency’s for Housing Mortgage Lending (AHML) lowering rates on mortgage programmes for residents of the Russian Far East proven effective? In what other ways could the organization ensure affordable housing in the Russian Far East as part of this programme? How can Rostelecom help to eliminate the digital divide in the Russian Far East? What else can other state companies do to accelerate development in the region?

By 2025, 100,000 new jobs are projected to be created at new enterprises in the Russian Far East, and 70% of them will be for qualified specialists. It will be impossible to fill these positions using only the region’s existing workforce, however. The government has proposed a programme to attract specialists from other regions; nonetheless, the scale and conditions of these proposals are indicative of the need to adopt new measures aimed at attracting staff and creating a new system to train and retrain specialists in accordance with the employers’ requirements. What is the status and what are the development trends of the employment market in the Russian Far East? How is the government helping to attract more people to come and work in the region? How will labour mobility programme 2.0 measures stimulate migration to the region? Is job rotation a potential way to lay down roots?

Concentrating resources in ‘growth points’, measures to reduce imbalances in quality of life, achieving more equal levels of socioeconomic development, and overcoming the limitations of infrastructure are the main challenges when it comes to formulating integrated development plans for the nine regions of the Russian Far East. What are the trends in regional development, as viewed through the prism of the recently formed ‘growth points’? What government support measures are already in place and in use, and what additional mechanisms are required? What needs to be done to create a safe and comfortable living space to fully realize, strengthen and grow human potential in the Russian Far East? How are plans for regional development interlinked, and will they create an overall architecture of development in the Russian Far East?

The Russian Government first began implementing its priority programme to promote the integrated development of single-industry towns in July 2016. The programme encompasses 319 cities in 60 regions of the Russian Federation across eight federal districts. Under the direction of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the programme is expected to reach the following target indicators by the end of 2018:
• Create more than 200,000 jobs not connected with the major city employer;
• Attract investment in fixed assets amounting to RUB 317 billion;
• Significant improvements to the quality of the urban environment.
Who should be engaged to bring change in single industry towns and how are they to work with existing social communities in these cities? What are the best practices in human capital development that can be replicated across single-industry towns? Who are the experts that can assist in developing the necessary institutions for these towns and what training programmes are needed to manage the transition?

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations is taking active steps to implement a set of measures aimed at improving day-to-day safety for the population and businesses alike, and developing modern approaches to increase the effectiveness of measures to protect people and territories from emergency situations, including those carrying environmental consequences. An important area of focus is international cooperation on issues regarding environmental safety and dealing with the aftermath of environmental disasters. What trends, both in Russia and worldwide, can be observed in mitigating the impact of environmental disasters on the national economy? What is the role and significance of international cooperation in combating the environmental consequences of disasters? How does effective coordination between different ministries and agencies result in mitigating the environmental impact of natural disasters?

Their geostrategic location and existing economic potential of their natural environment make the border regions of the Russian Far East stand out as the most attractive regions for investment and economic activity. At the present time, these regions are home to the majority of ASEZs, and a free port regime is in operation. Major cross-border transport infrastructure will be completed in 2018–2019. With limited local budgets, how can authorities keep pace with economic processes while ensuring that the local population, the incoming workforce and visitors to the border regions have access to high-quality infrastructure and public services in a timely manner? Are government support measures for geopolitically important regions sufficient? What steps need to be taken to activate cross-border cooperation as a driver for the development of border regions?

The effectiveness of talent management is today taking on an ever greater significance for the global competitiveness of a country. In Russia, a range of strategic programs are being implemented to develop talent for participation in efforts to upgrade the country’s scientific and technological base, launching businesses on new markets, and the digital economy. The Russian Far East should not remain on the sidelines as solutions to these challenges are put into effect, and has its own part to play in Russia’s national strategy. The Russian Far East is a territory of great challenges. The very opportunity created by these for self-realization in difficult circumstances could become the ‘business card’ used by the region to attract talent. What role could the Russian Far East play in Russia’s national talent management strategy? Which of the challenges posed by the Russian Far East are on a grand enough scale to attract Russia’s most talented young people? In what way should the Russian Far East participate in global competition for talent?

Involving inhabitants of the Russian Far East en masse in tackling everyday municipal and regional issues and increasing their level of constructive engagement demands new approaches to creating a system of local self-government and relations between government, public institutions, and active citizens. The foundations of such an undertaking must be improving the system of local self-government; more actively engaging socially oriented non-profits in the provision of social services, together with improving government support mechanisms for non-profits; identifying and supporting active citizens (or ‘doers’) whose efforts create new opportunities to provide good living standards in the Russian Far East and helping them to implement and replicate their projects; and developing the infrastructure of the non-profit sector and the opportunities it can offer non-profit organizations and active citizens. What is the role of civil society institutions in ensuring the forward-looking development of the Russian Far East? What is being done to secure access for non-governmental organizations seeking to provide social services? How are measures to support the non-profit sector being improved, and what opportunities for socially oriented non-profits and active citizens are afforded by the non-profit infrastructure being built today: resource centres and innovation centres in the social sphere?