The draft law on the register of indigenous ethnic minorities will be brought in to the State Duma in April

On the Reindeer Herder’s Day in the settlement Aksarka and on the 55th congress of hunters and reindeer herders in Yar-Salye a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, the president of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East Grigory Ledkov reported about his work.

Within conferences of nomads with heads of districts he told about preparation of draft laws touching upon rights and guarantees to northerners. Thus, he presented the draft law on protection of arctic territories. He informed that Yamal had been included into the Arctic zone. According to his words, now measures of social support and socioeconomic development of territories are being elaborated. The issue of saving of northern coefficients in wages comes to the first place. As the deputy notes, it needs to support oil and gas mono-towns in Yamal, development of strategically significant projects “Yamal LNG” and “The Northern Latitudinal Railway”, further development of the peninsulas Yamal and Gydan. Now it is necessary to save working hands in order all inhabitants of Yamal would be able to participate in these projects, as he says. Also the law outlined topics of environmental protection and protection of territories, where indigenous peoples reside. Mechanisms on resettlement of citizens will be elaborated in the law. The main thing is not to allow decrease of measures on state support for all inhabitants of the Arctic. Grigory Ledkov reported about fulfillment of recommendations given by delegates of the congress of indigenous ethnic minorities of the North, Siberia and the Far East in Salekhard in 2013. The draft law on defining the order of belonging of indigenous ethnic minorities of the North to the native ethnos was formed. The register is its working title. There is hope that already this month it will be brought into the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the first reading. Solving of a row of issues depends on this law – saving of territories of traditional nature use, their status, access to water and hunting biological resources, organizing of communities. The deputy is included to the working group that conducts negotiations with the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency. According to the words of Grigory Ledkov its specialists now understand that declarative measures and the need for accountability that exist for indigenous peoples are unnecessary. To remove them it needs to take the law on defining the order of belonging to the native ethnos. Now the main thing in the negotiations with the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency is to increase the amount of quotas on traditional fishery for nomads. According to the words of Grigory Ledkov, solving of issues on saving of territories of nature management and organizing of communities is the next theme for work. The list of issues is big, but specialists try to solve them step by step, as Grigory Ledkov says. Also the deputy told the reindeer herders about activation of work of the association with young people, its activity on the federal and international levels.