Information Passport of Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug
The Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug is one of the largest in terms of territory of the Russian Federation, a stable and dynamically developing region.
Geographical location, climate and nature
Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug is located in the Arctic zone of the West Siberian plain, in the Far North of the Russian Federation. Its area is 769,250 km2, which is several times larger than the area of an average Western European state.
The northernmost mainland point of the autonomous okrug is at 73° north latitude, 800 kilometres from the Arctic Circle.
More than half of the autonomous okrug is located above the Arctic Circle, and a small part of its territory is located on the eastern slope of the Ural Ridge. The distance from the centre of the okrug to Moscow is 2,436 km.
The territory of Yamal is located in three climatic zones: arctic, subarctic and the northern (taiga) zone of the West Siberian Lowland. The climate is continental, determined by the presence of permafrost, proximity of the Arctic Ocean, abundance of bays, rivers, swamps and lakes.
The region is characterised by long (up to eight months) winters, short (about 50 days on average) summers and strong winds. The average annual air temperature is minus 10°C. Magnetic storms accompanied by aurora borealis are frequent.
The region is washed by the waters of the Kara Sea and includes the Yamal, Taz, and Gydan peninsulas and the islands of Bely, Oleniy, Shokalskiy, and others. The main rivers are the Ob, Taz, Pur, Nadym, Yuribey, Messo-Yakha and others. There are about 300,000 lakes and 50,000 rivers on the territory of the okrug.
Administrative structure, power
Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug is a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, territorially included in Tyumen Oblast. It is located in the Ural Federal District.
The administrative centre is the city of Salekhard, located on the Arctic Circle. It was founded in 1595 (until 1933 - Obdorsk). Within the boundaries of the territory of the municipality there is a city of Salekhard with the adjacent territory and the settlement of Pelvozh. The population as of 01 January 2023 was 48,693, including 48,619 urban population and 74 rural population.
The major cities of the region are Novy Urengoy, Noyabrsk, and Nadym.
The system of government bodies of the autonomous okrug consists of:
- The legislative body of the Autonomous Okrug is the Legislative Assembly,
- Governor is the highest official of the autonomous okrug;
- The Government of the Autonomous Okrug - the highest executive body of the autonomous okrug.
Dmitry Artyukhov has been the Governor of Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug since 09 September 2018. On 10 September 2023, at the thirty-first session of the Legislative Assembly of autonomous okrug he was elected for the second time for a term of five years.
Demography and national policy
According to the preliminary estimate of the permanent population of the region as of 01 January 2024 the population of the region was 516,096 people.
The population density is 0.67 people per square kilometre, the share of urban population is 85.2%.
Since the 1990s, autonomous okrug has been one of the few regions of the Russian Federation with a constant positive natural population growth rate of more than 3,500 people per year.
More than 6,500 newborns are born in Yamal every year. In 2022, 13.2 children were born for every 1,000 residents of the region, which is higher than the all-Russian indicator (8.9 births per 1,000 residents). In January-November 2023, 13.0 children were born for every 1,000 inhabitants of the region, which is higher than the all-Russian indicator (8.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants). Yamal ranks fourth in the country and first in the Ural Federal District in terms of birth rate.
The mortality rates are rather low - 5.5 deaths per 1,000 population by the end of 2022, which is lower than the all-Russian indicator (12.9 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants). In January-November 2023, the indicator of the number of deaths per 1,000 population in the region was 5.5 people, which is lower than the all-Russian indicator (12.0 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants).
Autonomous okrug ranks third in the country and first in the Ural Federal District in terms of mortality rate.
It is one of the most multinational regions of the Russian Federation. Representatives of 126 nationalities and ethnic groups live in the region.
According to data from the State information system for the unified information system for modelling and forecasting the socio-economic development of the indigenous peoples of the North of the Autonomous Okrug (GIS EIS "Yamal"), as of 1 January 2023, the share of the aboriginal population in the total population of the Okrug was 9 per cent (49,820 people); 18,787 people lead a nomadic lifestyle, or 37.7 per cent of the total aboriginal population of the Autonomous Okrug. According to the data of the All-Russian population census of 2020, the national composition of the population of the region was as follows: Russians - 49.6 per cent, Nenets - 7.0 per cent, Tatars - 3.7 per cent, Ukrainians - 3.6 per cent, Khanty - 2.0 per cent.
Economy
The stable situation in the region's economy is evidenced by the high level of investment in fixed assets. In 2022, autonomous Okrug ranked second in the Russian Federation in terms of investment (5.1% of the total volume in the country), providing an inflow to the regional economy of 1,414.7 billion rubles (+8.8% in real terms to 2021).
In January-September 2023, enterprises and organisations of all forms of ownership invested in the real sector of the economy of the autonomous okrug about 950 billion rubles (90.5% to January-September 2023). The decrease is due to the implementation of the most capital-intensive stages of the Arctic LNG-2 project in 2022 (high base of the third quarter of 2022).
In January-September 2023, the autonomous okrug retained its leadership among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in terms of capital investment per capita - 1,853.4 thousand rubles (first place in the country). In terms of average per capita investment in fixed assets, the autonomous okrug is 13 times higher than the Russian average.
Today, the region's largest oil and gas producing companies are implementing such projects as:
- "Arctic LNG-2": construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on the resource base of the Salmanovskoye field, comparable in capacity to the Yamal LNG project;
- Arctic LNG-1: construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on the resource base of the Soletsko-Khanaveyskoye, Trekhbugornoye and Geofizicheskoye fields;
- Ob LNG: creation of the necessary infrastructure for ammonia and methanol production.
In addition, a significant share of investments is allocated to the ongoing development of existing and planned oil and gas condensate fields (Kharasaveyskoye, Medvezhye, Yubileynoye, Kruzenshternskoye, Yamsoveyskoye, Urengoyskoye, Yakhinskoye, Novoportovskoye, Severo-Samburgskoye, Severo-Chaselskoye, Bovanenkovskoye, Meretoyakhinskoye, Zapadno- and Vostochno-Messoyakhskoye), as well as production drilling.
On 25 September 2023, the analytical credit rating agency ACRA (JSC) confirmed the credit rating of the autonomous okrug at 'AAA' (RU), with a stable outlook, and its bonds at 'AAA' (RU).
The credit rating of Yamal is conditioned by the minimal level of debt burden, high degree of self-sufficiency and stability of the budget and high level of its liquidity, as well as high indicators of regional economic development. The autonomous okrug's rating is at the highest possible level for Russian regions.
Being the main gas-producing region of the Russian Federation, Yamal is the leader among the regions of the Ural Federal District (among the subjects of the Russian Federation - second place after Nenets Autonomous Okrug) in terms of industrial output per capita (January-November 2023 - 9,304
For many years the region has been in top three in terms of construction works per capita among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In January-November 2023, with the volume of 923.1 thousand rubles per capita, the autonomous okrug ranked 1st among Russian regions.
Fuel and energy complex
As the main gas production centre of the Russian Federation, Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug has everything necessary to remain the centre of domestic and global gas production in the 21st century.
The region holds more than 65% of Russia's gas reserves (about 20% of the world's reserves), as well as 20% of Russia's oil and condensate reserves (about 3% of the world's reserves).
The autonomous okrug accounts for about 80% of Russian and 13% of global natural gas production. Over 21.6 trillion m3 of natural gas has been produced here since the region's subsoil was actively developed.
Production of liquid hydrocarbons in the autonomous okrug accounted for more than 7% of total Russian production and 1% of global oil and condensate production. More than 1.4 billion tonnes of liquid hydrocarbons have been produced in the region over the entire period of active subsoil development.
The autonomous okrug has discovered 242 hydrocarbon fields, of which 108 are under commercial development, and 134 fields are undergoing geological exploration. There are 339 active subsoil licences for geological exploration and production of hydrocarbons, including 310 onshore licences and 29 offshore licences in the Kara Sea.
Actual production for 2023: oil - 36.1 million tonnes, gas - 483.2 billion m3, condensate - 31 million tonnes. For the period January-May 2023, 15 million tonnes of oil (100.6% compared to the same period in 2022) and 12.4 million tonnes of gas condensate (106%, respectively) were produced.
The autonomous okrug is the main gas-producing region of the Russian Federation. In January-May 2023, total gas production totalled 206 billion m3 or 84.5% of the corresponding period of 2022.
The main oil and gas producers are subsidiaries of PJSC Gazprom, PJSC NOVATEK, PJSC Gazprom Neft, PJSC Rosneft, and PJSC Lukoil.
Yamal's unique location has made it possible to create a logistical model for year-round supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the Northern Sea Route to markets in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
In addition, significant resources of scarce and highly liquid types of minerals, such as ores of chrome, iron, manganese, copper, lead, aluminium, noble metals, as well as barites and phosphorites, are concentrated in the subsoil of the Polar Ural in the Autonomous Okrug.
Transport infrastructure
The length of public roads of regional significance in the autonomous okrug is 1,430 kilometres (for reference: the length of public roads of local significance is 1,588 kilometres), the length of public railways is 660.3 kilometres, and the length of navigable waterways is 4,261.5 kilometres.
The autonomous okrug has eight airports with hard artificial surfaces (Nadym, Novy Urengoy, Salekhard, Noyabrsk, Yamburg, Bovanenkovo, Sabetta, Utrenny) and three with dirt surfaces (Tarko-Sale, Urengoy, Tolka), one landing site in the village of Krasnoselkup, and other settlements have helicopter landing sites. Flights to many major cities of the country are operated from the airports of the Autonomous Okrug. In addition, small aircraft carry out inter-municipal and intra-municipal passenger transportations.
Agro-industrial complex
The main branches of agriculture are reindeer herding and fishing.
The main goal of the development of the agro-industrial complex in the Autonomous Okrug is to provide consumers with quality products in a wide range of products through the creation of a stable and coordinated production system.
One of the main objectives is to develop regional fish processing and reindeer herding processing in order to produce products that meet food safety requirements, in a wide range of products with high added value.
Reindeer husbandry and processing of reindeer herding products
Today, more than 50 organisations - agricultural enterprises, farms, agricultural consumer cooperatives and other forms of ownership - carry out reindeer breeding activities in the autonomous okrug.
According to the results of the slaughtering campaign in 2023, 2.837 thousand tonnes of reindeer meat have been harvested, which fully covers the region's internal demand for reindeer meat.
Reindeer meat and meat products are also supplied to social institutions. In 2023, the volume of supplies reached 329 tonnes, which is 17% more than in 2023.
The venison processing enterprises are annually supplemented with new production facilities and technological lines.
The infrastructure of the reindeer breeding industry is represented by 15 slaughtering complexes and 14 processing facilities that meet the technical, technological, sanitary and environmental requirements of Russian and international legislation.
Systematic work is being carried out to improve the efficiency of production and create new facilities for the deep processing of reindeer herding products. Three projects are currently under way to build new production facilities and modernise existing ones, which will make it possible to expand the range and increase the volume of finished venison products by 900 tonnes per year.
In order to expand the market for food products produced in Yamal, work is underway to certify reindeer husbandry products.
Thus, in 2022, one enterprise received a certificate of compliance with the standards of "organic products", in 2023, two enterprises of the autonomous okrug received certificates of organic products for 30 types of venison products and became the first recipients of such a certificate in the Russian Federation. The products of these producers are labelled with a special graphic sign "organic".
In order to popularise local products (venison meat and meat products), they were the first in Russia to register the place of origin of the product "Venison of Yamal".
Fishing and fish production
The region's fishery complex includes more than 100 organisations and 2,500 employees, including 13 fish processing plants with a total output capacity of about 8,000 tonnes of deep-processed fish products. Over the last five years the level of fish resources extraction has been more than 10 thousand tonnes annually.
Stable catch volume allows increasing the intra-regional output of deep-processed fish products aimed at satisfying consumer demand.
In order to develop regional processing of fish products, increase the output of deep-processed products and expand the range of products, the Government of the autonomous okrug provides state support aimed at modernising existing production facilities and opening new ones.
In 2023, the implementation of measures was aimed at increasing production capacity in the eastern part of the autonomous okrug:
- complete modernisation of outdated production with an increase in the capacity of finished product output to 310 tonnes per year;
- implementation of a project to commission a new production facility in the eastern part of the autonomous district with an annual output capacity of 350 tonnes per year (commissioning is scheduled for early 2024).
In 2024, work on modernisation and commissioning of new production facilities will continue in the district (two projects are planned for implementation), which will increase production capacity by 668 tonnes per year.
Each enterprise has developed a quality control system, which is certified in accordance with the international standard HACCP.
In order to expand the market for food products produced in Yamal and to ensure quality assurance, the company is working on certification of finished fish products.
In 2019, the company obtained a kosher certificate for tinned fish products under the Yamalik trade mark. To pass the certification, laboratory tests and mandatory assessment of compliance of manufactured goods with the provisions of technical regulations controlling the quality and safety of food are carried out.
In order to increase the availability of regional producers' products, a project to open branded shops under the Made in Yamal brand is being implemented in the autonomous okrug since 2021. The co-operation of Yamal producers has made it possible to open eight branded shops.
Since 2023, the regional sales market has been expanded through the launch of the Farmer's Island project. In 2023, two Farmer's Islands were opened in Noyabrsk (Pyaterochka shop) and Salekhard (Dary Yamal market).
In 2024, we plan to open two retail outlets in Novy Urengoy and Tyumen. There are also plans to open Yamal Farmer Islands in Russia's largest airports.
The project united 30 agricultural producers of the autonomous okrug. The product range includes more than 300 items.
Regional producers continue to expand the geography of supplies. Since 2021, the export of fish products to the countries of the customs union - the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Belarus - has been developing. Since 2021, the flagship of regional fish processing LLC "Salekhardsky Kombinat" has exported more than 13 tonnes of canned products.
The main direction of development of the reindeer breeding and fishing industries is the development of intra-regional processing, expansion of the range of deep-processed products, ensuring demand in the intra-regional market and increasing the volume of sales of more marginal products outside the region.
Science
Every year the autonomous okrug as an Arctic region of the Russian Federation more and more confidently declares itself on the world stage as the most important centre of scientific partnership and humanitarian cooperation in the circumpolar world.
Two academic structures operate in the territory of the Autonomous Okrug - the Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Yamal Experimental Station, a separate structural subdivision of the Federal Research Centre of the Tyumen Scientific Centre of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 2011, the Arctic Research Centre was opened to address a wide range of scientific tasks for the benefit of the district's residents. Yamal scientists conduct research in cryology, archeology, archeology, biology, ecology, ethnology, economics and sociology. Scientific publications such as the Scientific Bulletin of Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug, the international collection of articles "Arctic Archaeology", monographs, methodological recommendations and dictionaries are regularly published. Scientists participate in Russian and international grants. The geography of cooperation between Yamal science covers university and academic research centres in Russia, Europe, Canada, the People's Republic of China, the United States of America and the Republic of Korea.
In the autonomous okrug, there is a growing need for applied work, especially in the field of ecology of the territory, which is under the influence of anthropogenic development processes and climate change causing permafrost degradation. In these areas, innovative solutions are needed to prevent and remediate damage to the District's residents and infrastructure. That is why the autonomous okrug became one of the participants of the West-Siberian Interregional Scientific and Educational Centre of the world level (hereinafter referred to as the West-Siberian IEC), one of the five first scientific and educational centres of the world level in Russia.
Yamal scientists are creating a system of automated geotechnical monitoring in cities (Salekhard, Novy Urengoy) and forming a network of permafrost monitoring in natural conditions for forecasting and building a regional geocryological map. In order to ensure geotechnical safety of design, construction and operation of capital facilities and artificial structures located in the complex natural and climatic conditions of the Arctic, a research laboratory of Earth cryology and geotechnical safety was established in the Autonomous Okrug in August 2021. The established laboratory is an engineering structure with scientific support, which solves engineering problems at different stages: design, construction, operation of facilities and structures. The laboratory's activities are aimed at adapting advanced scientific and technical developments to the Far North conditions.
For fish resources, a set of studies was carried out to determine the optimal weighting for releasing young fish into the natural environment and to determine the status of whitefish populations in the region. Monitoring studies of the Ob river made it possible to determine the degree of the Ob's self-purification.
Special attention is paid to the study and preservation of the ancestral habitat and traditional way of life of small indigenous minorities of the North. Archaeological monuments and intangible cultural heritage - folklore and native languages of Yamal's indigenous ethnic groups - are being studied.
Many works are carried out on the basis of research stations equipped with modern equipment, providing unique opportunities for year-round field research.
Every year, Russian and international scientific and practical conferences and seminars are held in the autonomous okrug, which help build up the presence of academic, university and industry science in the region, promote science-based management decisions and popularise scientific activities.
Currently, work is underway to create the International Arctic Station "Snezhinka" on the territory of the autonomous okrug, which will become one of the largest research grounds where scientists from all over the world will be able to experiment, test and implement breakthrough technologies in various fields.
Thanks to the work of Yamal scientists, the number of archeological monuments is growing. Every year their list increases by five or six new objects. The funds of the I.S. Shemanovsky District Museum and Exhibition Complex have been significantly replenished, including unique exhibits that are regularly displayed in museum expositions.
The Department of External Relations is working on the expansion of the problems. It traces the formation of trade routes with the centres of Eurasian civilisations in ancient and medieval times, their directions, filling with goods, nomenclature of imports and exports, formation and state of the internal market. All these facts are used in writing, in co-operation with the regional Department of Education, an educational and methodological manual on the history of the autonomous okrug.
In 2023, the State Institution of the autonomous okrug "Scientific Centre for the Arctic Research" continued to develop international cooperation with colleagues from the People's Republic of China. In Yamal, the Seven Larch Carboniferous Polygon is being prepared for launch, which has attracted the attention of representatives of the Chinese scientific community.
Chinese scientists acted as speakers at the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Permafrost Soils in the Anthropocene" in Salekhard. They also collected biological samples for further research in their scientific organisations. As part of the conference, the prospects for co-operation with Guangzhou University and Yunnan University were discussed.
In September in Salekhard, the Government of the autonomous okrug and the Research Centre for Ecological Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of science. The aim is to combine the efforts of Russian and Chinese scientists in the study of populations of waterbirds migrating from the Russian Federation to the People's Republic of China and South-East Asia. Particular attention is paid to the study of migratory routes and forecasting the state of populations of such large birds as Siberian Crane, Forest Goose, Piskulka Goose, Lesser (tundra) Swan, White-fronted Goose. Conditions will be created in Yamal for Chinese scientists to work on the basis of research stations in the region, where they will be able to conduct long-term studies of wild birds.
Previously, cooperation was carried out under the Protocol of Intent to develop cooperation between the Government of the Autonomous Okrug and the Environmental Science Research Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese side provided transmitter-loggers to trace migration routes and identify key Siberian Crane habitats.
In April, the head of the autonomous okrug's representative office in St. Petersburg and an employee of the Scientific Centre for Arctic Research and leader of the Seven Larch Carboniferous Range project took part in the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on the Development of Science in the Arctic (ASM4), where information on methods for monitoring and adapting to climate change in the region was presented.
In the summer, students from the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Indonesia studying at St. Petersburg State University underwent research internships on Yamal.
In October, the Director of the Arctic Research Centre took part in the II Festival of Knowledge, Science and Culture and III International Conference on Modern Trends and Achievements in Life Sciences in Shenzhen (People's Republic of China), presenting a report on the work of Yamal scientists in studying environmental problems of the Arctic zone.
Educational system
The development of the autonomous okrug's educational system is inextricably linked to the socio-economic processes taking place in the region, as well as to the demographic situation and the state of the labour market.
There are 165 municipal and eight non-governmental (departmental) preschool organisations and three kindergartens set up by individual entrepreneurs in the district's preschool educational system.
There are 130 schools (including two non-state Orthodox gymnasiums), two children's homes, and 28 organisations for additional education of children in the autonomous okrug.
Yamal is among the top regions in the All-Russian Schoolchildren Olympiad and ranks 6th among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In the final stage of the Olympiad, Yamal schoolchildren showed the best result for the last eight years: 7 winners and 11 prize-winners.
In 2023, for the first time ever, the Yamal Arctic Circle Olympiad was included in the All-Russian list of Olympiads and other intellectual and creative competitions. The Olympiad has become open to schoolchildren all over the country and is held in such subjects as maths, physics and biology.
37 graduates of psychology and pedagogy classes received certificates for targeted training for the first time. With their help, the graduates can enter any pedagogical university in the country.
Thirteen bilingual classes have been opened in the region. Internships to leading language schools in the country and abroad are organised for winners and prize-winners of foreign language Olympiads.
As part of the national project "Education", the autonomous okrug's educational system is implementing activities under the federal projects "Every Child's Success", "Modern School", "Digital Educational Environment" and "Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation".
The autonomous okrug has a regional centre for identifying and supporting gifted children, where 12 high-tech laboratories have been opened and more than 40 Olympiad intensive shifts have been held. More than 5,000 children took part in the centre's events.
In 2023, tourist and educational routes for boarding school students were expanded. 90 schoolchildren from the peoples of the North visited leading universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
There are 75 "Growth Point" centres for digital and humanitarian profiles in the region, 5 IT-clubs, 13 mobile technology parks were created, 117 educational organisations were provided with modern digital equipment, and 100% of the district's schools were provided with high-speed Internet in accordance with the Digital Standard.
Yamal is working to create a modern digital infrastructure in accordance with the Digital School standard.
100% of students have safe access to the Internet, including automated information systems, services for working with digital educational content, learning with the use of distance education technologies and electronic equipment.
Five Yamal schools are methodological, personnel and material and technical resource centres for in-depth study of physics, mathematics and IT profiles.
Career guidance for schoolchildren has been organised through vocational tests, diagnostics on digital platforms, viewing online lessons of the "Show of Professions" project of the national project "Every Child's Success", and participation in the large-scale federal projects "Big Break" and "Ticket to the Future".
All schools in the district have introduced a career literacy course in cooperation with Profilum, an all-Russian digital platform.
Workshops in technology classrooms have been equipped with modern equipment for profiling and training children in professions. Multifunctional technology rooms have been set up in all boarding schools to train children in the professions of electrician, plumber and turner.
Seven state vocational educational organisations and one private institution - Gazprom Technikum Novy Urengoy - provide vocational training in the region. In 2023, according to Rostrud, Yamal is among the top 10 regions in terms of graduate employment: the employment rate of graduates by field of activity and competences was 85%.
In 2023, the Regioanl Department of Education, colleges and employers signed an agreement on the implementation of the federal project "Professionalism". This made it possible to build a new model for training highly qualified personnel to meet the demands of the regional labour market, as well as provide employment for graduates.
A project for the employment of young people from among the indigenous minorities of the North at the enterprises of the Yedeyko Fuel and Energy Complex is being implemented.
The YamalSkills interregional championship is held in the region, and the YamalProfi - additional qualification for graduates project is being implemented.
In 2023 a regional hospitality championship on competences for the tourism industry was held for the first time. Yamal's project to create an educational cluster for vocational education and training "Yamal Tourism" was among the winners of a competitive selection by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science for a grant in the form of a subsidy.
Colleges are equipped with high-tech equipment, 34 workshops from the federal network have been set up, and there are four corporate resource training centres established jointly with Gazpromneft-Noyabrskneftegaz in Muravlenko, NOVATEK-Tarkosaleneftegaz in Tarko-Sale, Gazpromneft-Yamal, and Rosseti Tyumen energy class in Novy Urengoy.
Since 2017 the project "Young Diplomats Club of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug" has been actively implemented with the aim of educating future international travellers. Meetings with consuls, ambassadors and other representatives of the diplomatic profession, outstanding personalities, master classes and seminars of leading experts in the field of diplomacy and international relations are organised for children.
The most active children had the opportunity to take part in the thematic educational programme "Children are Ambassadors for Peace" at the Artek International Children's Centre, in international youth conferences and forums, including presenting their environmental projects in Iceland, visiting the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UN headquarters in New York, Vienna and Geneva.
In 2023 the Yamal philological marathon, an intensive educational autumn session, and the Diplomatic Reception for Young International Students were held. Diplomatic classes were opened in schools in Salekhard and Novy Urengoy.
In the second half of the year, information and awareness-raising events were organised for schoolchildren of the autonomous okrug in order to introduce them to Russian higher education institutions implementing dual degree programmes with partner universities from Eastern and Asian countries: MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, National Research University Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg State University.
Three lectures were also held to popularise the history, culture and languages of the Republic of India, the People's Republic of China and Japan. The participants of the events were schoolchildren of 10-11 grades of educational institutions in Salekhard, Labytnangi and Novy Urengoy who plan to enter universities in oriental studies, Foreign Religious Studies, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication.
In November 2023 a study tour to military educational institutions in St. Petersburg was organised for 23 grade students from indigenous minorities of the North from boarding schools. The schoolchildren visited the Nakhimov Naval School of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the St. Petersburg Suvorov Military School of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the St. Petersburg Cadet Corps "Boarding School for Nuns of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation". The main condition for selecting children for the trip was good marks in such subjects as maths, Russian, English and physical education. The Yamal residents got acquainted with teachers and students, educational institutions' curricula, which will allow them to decide on their future profession and, possibly, this year, having passed the fifth grade, the young northerners will continue their education in St. Petersburg.
International cooperation
The autonomous okrug has traditionally been an active participant in the implementation of the main provisions of the Russian Federation's foreign policy. This is largely due to its geographical location in the Arctic zone, the natural resources available on its territory and the uniqueness of the traditional way of life and culture of the indigenous peoples of the North.
Since 1996 Yamal has been strengthening its position in the circumpolar region by actively participating in the work of such international organisations as the Arctic Council, the Northern Forum, the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, the Parliamentary Conference of the Barents Region, the Northern Research Forum, and the Northern Council.
Thanks to its active presence in the international Arctic agenda, stable relations have historically been established with the northern neighbours in the circumpolar region: Iceland, Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden.
In 1997 as part of the celebration of the Reindeer Herder's Day, the first constituent congress of the World Reindeer Herders took place on Yamal, which started the process of forming a professional consolidation of reindeer herders - the Association "Reindeer Herders of the World", the establishment of which provided reindeer herders with a platform-forum for contacts and co-operation, which contributed to the inclusion of reindeer husbandry in the international agenda.
Yamal gained its first serious experience of holding a large-scale international event when it organised the III International Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region in Salekhard in 1998, which was highly appreciated by the international community.
Vivid cultural projects have also appeared in Yamal, such as the International Nomadic Northern Film Festival (1998-2008) and the Polar Rhapsody International Ice Sculpture Festival (2001-2019).
In 2001 a long-standing cooperation between the Lycée Bertrand de Borne in Périgueux (France) and the International Ice Sculpture Festival "Polar Rhapsody" (2001-2019) was initiated. Périgueux (France) with the school of Salekhard within the framework of the international inter-school exchange project. In 2009 the gymnasium in Labytnangi became a permanent partner of the project.
In the early 2000s one of the main areas of activity was the development of initiatives to consolidate and develop Yamal's international role in the implementation of the Northern Sea Route development projects.
Participation of the region's delegations in interregional and international events also contributed to the efficiency of foreign economic activity.
Since the 2000s the region's participation in presentations of the Ural Federal District in Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France and Japan, the prestigious international exhibitions ANUGA in Germany, EXPO in China and SIA in France has been organised.
Since 2003 Yamal has been taking part in the international agricultural exhibition "Green Week" in Berlin, where agricultural products of the leading agro-industrial enterprises are annually presented. As part of the exhibition, foreign economic contracts were signed, in particular, with Polarica Oy (Finland) and P.Köver e.K. (Germany).
The President of Iceland has visited Yamal three times: working visits in 2002 and 2003, and in 2013 as an honoured guest of the III International Arctic Forum "Arctic - Territory of Dialogue".
In 2003 the Governor General of Canada visited Yamal as part of her visit to Russia, which marked the beginning of long-term programmes to preserve the culture and develop the traditional economies of the indigenous peoples of the North.
Since 2003 representatives of the region have actively participated in sessions of the UN Permanent Forum and meetings of its working groups on indigenous issues. Due to Russia's unique experience in terms of state support for indigenous peoples and Yamal's results in the field of sustainable development of indigenous minorities of the North, the region has three times become a venue for meetings and visiting sessions of the UN Permanent Forum in 2006, 2007 and 2015.
In 2004 the Yamal national team took part in the Arctic Winter Games for the first time, which gave a start to the constant and successful participation of young athletes in prestigious international competitions as the only region representing Russia.
In 2006 the district capital was entrusted with the honourable mission of hosting the Fifth Ministerial Session of the Arctic Council chaired by Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the organisation. It resulted in the adoption of the Salekhard Declaration, which was signed by the foreign ministers of seven countries. The region has confirmed its reputation as a reliable and active participant in the implementation of the state's foreign policy course.
In 2007, the procedure of certification of agricultural products of the agro-industrial complex according to the European Union quality standards was completed, which made it possible to supply the first 50 tonnes of reindeer meat to the European market in 2008.
The Yamal Neftegaz annual international conference was a landmark event for sharing experience of Russian and foreign leading companies in the fuel and energy sector.
The main foreign trade partners have traditionally been industrialised countries. However, with the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in 2014, the autonomous okrug's enterprises promptly reoriented the import of necessary modern, high-tech equipment from the traditional markets of Central Europe and the USA to the countries of East and South-East Asia. In 2016, China, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea became the leading counterparties of the region.
Since 2006 three regioanl institutions have gradually become members of the University of the Arctic (Finland). A stable relationship has also been established with the Finnish Saami Education Centre. Thanks to joint work with the Frisian Academy (Netherlands), a regional dossier on education in the languages of the indigenous minorities of the North (Nenets, Khanty, Selkup) was prepared in 2016.
Fruitful humanitarian ties have been established with Hungary. For a number of years Hungarian and Yamal schoolchildren have been jointly studying the origins of the cultural heritage of their peoples within the framework of the international Yamal-Hungarian ethno-cultural exchange project "Ancient Kinship", and the region's creative teams continue to participate in the Days of Finno-Ugric Peoples.
The implementation of international exhibition projects has contributed to the expansion of inter-museum cooperation.
The priority of the region's cultural policy is the preservation of folklore traditions of the indigenous peoples of the North, including through the participation of representatives of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug in international forums, festivals, competitions and other events aimed at studying, disseminating and preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the world's indigenous peoples.
The region's participation in the implementation of the state policy in respect of compatriots living abroad has become an effective direction. Over the years more than 100 events have been organised and held in this area, and contacts have been established with representatives of more than 40 countries. Among the most famous are the International Forum-Festival of Youth "We are for World Peace!", as well as projects aimed at preserving the memory of military brotherhood and patriotic education of young people.
Within the framework of cooperation with the integration centre "Recognition. Trust. Prospect" in Düsseldorf (Germany) since 2012, business relations between representatives of both parties were established, social work with the population, career guidance for young people, inter-school exchanges, assistance in organising medical treatment for Yamal children in Germany were carried out. In December 2014, the Düsseldorf-Yamal Friendship Society was established on the basis of the organisation, which implemented a number of socially significant projects.
For many years, support has been provided to the Regional Children's Charitable Foundation "YAMINE" both through joint activities with the Riga training centre "Support for Social Inclusion" (Latvia) and through assistance in organising treatment and rehabilitation of Yamal residents abroad.
The region's effective inclusion in the global strategy of responsible attitude to the Arctic territory received a new impetus during the environmental expedition to clean up Bely Island. The project was rightly recognised by the international community for its comprehensive content and high results. In the course of the project's development, the environmental and historical lines were formed, which reached their logical conclusion in 2016.
The defining vector of Yamal's presence on the international agenda has been and remains defending its geopolitical interests and consolidating the region's strong position in the Arctic.
The Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug's cooperation with Finland and Germany on export supplies of reindeer meat, non-food by-products and wet-salted reindeer skins over a long period of time was an example of establishing a long-term and stable partnership in terms of external relations.
The municipalities of the region have become active participants in international cooperation processes. Over time and with the acquisition of relevant experience, the geography of their international cooperation has expanded considerably. The main areas are sports, culture and education.
Novy Urengoy was the leader in the region in terms of twinning. Novy Urengoy. Within the framework of the twinning agreement with Kassel (Germany) signed in 2005, for many years the parties have successfully implemented programmes and projects aimed at training and exchange of experience in the sphere of administrative management, organisation of inter-school exchange and in-depth study of the German language, holding joint events dedicated to anniversaries, development of cooperation in the social sphere. One of the significant social achievements of co-operation with the German company Wintershall AG is the construction of an inclusive kindergarten in Novy Urengoy.
Twinning relations were also established between the cities of Salekhard and Rovaniemi (Finland), the Shuryshkarsky District and the municipalities of Iceland.
Time has confirmed a certain regularity of the influence of the chosen course of expanding international relations on the overall development results of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug.
In 2020 the implementation of projects to develop external relations with foreign partners was affected by the situation with the spread of a new coronavirus infection in Russia and the world, but the transition to a remote format allowed the majority of projects to be implemented online.
The key areas in which the autonomous okrug continued its international cooperation are the implementation and holding of events related to the issues of sustainable development of the Arctic, participation in the activities of international organisations, interaction with compatriots, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, foreign economic activities, organisation of high-level visits, including interaction with diplomatic missions of foreign countries.
Yamal hosted events as part of the Russian Federation's chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021-2023. In 2021, a meeting of the Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials Committee was held in Salekhard to open Russia's chairmanship of the international organisation, and in 2023, the autonomous okrug was the venue and organiser of the final event, during which the chairmanship of the international organisation was handed over to Norway. On the same dates on behalf of the Ambassador-at-Large, the district capital hosted the youth conference "Arctic. Edges of the Future".
In view of changes in the foreign policy of the Russian Federation, the region is actively developing comprehensive cooperation with partners from Eastern and Asian countries, mainly in the areas of education, science and culture. A start has been made on strengthening co-operation with the Republic of Serbia through twinning of cities.
As part of the "Turn to the East" direction, the Governor of the autonomous okrug has set the task of organising in-depth study of the Chinese language, history, culture and art of Eastern countries by the region's students. To this end, cooperation with the Russian-Chinese Association to support the development of cultural and sports co-operation is being carried out.
In summer 2023 two educational internships were held for the region's students at Changchun University and at a children's language camp at Suzhou University (People's Republic of China). Teachers of social sciences and humanities from Yamal schools also completed a professional development programme in the format of a foreign educational internship.
In December, teachers from six municipalities in the autonomous okrug studied modern bilingual teaching methods at the L.R.I. School in Kathmandu (Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal) as part of the educational internship programme "Modern Bilingual Teaching Methods in the Intercultural Dimension of East and West: Nepal's Experience".
As part of the development of the autonomous okrug's cooperation with the Republic of Serbia, an official delegation from the region travelled abroad. During the visit a preliminary signing of an agreement on friendly relations between the cities of Noyabrsk and Aleksinac was held. Noyabrsk and Aleksinac. The parties intend to create conditions for open dialogue, partnership and expansion of mutually beneficial contacts, exchange of experience and implementation of joint cultural and humanitarian projects for the benefit of the residents of Noyabrsk and Aleksinac at the municipal level in various areas. Work on the agreement is ongoing.
In 2023 two projects of the Federal Agency "Rossotrudnichestvo" ("Hello, Russia!" and "Mission Dobro") were supported and implemented, a cooperation agreement was signed between the School of the village of Noyabrsk and Aleksinats. Katravozh village school named after Hero of the Soviet Union A.M. Zverev and two Belarusian schools in Minsk and Mogilev district.
The Yamal patriotic project "Memory Trips", implemented since 2007, took place in the Republic of Armenia for the first time. Cossack cadets took part in the festive events dedicated to the 78th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 in Yerevan.
A meeting of the grandsons of the grandchildren of the combat comrades, Nenets I. Yaptik and Kazakh M. Kaishataev, who died in the fight against fascism in 1945, was organised. Three years ago, A. Yaptik travelled to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and this time Mukhtar, named after his grandfather, came to Yamal to tell the Yamal people his story together.
For the second year the international youth patriotic project "Breakthrough" was implemented in Belarus. It was dedicated to the deeds of fallen compatriots in the struggle to liberate the Belarusian land from fascist invaders, in particular, to the deeds of Anatoly Zverev from Yamal and Jumash Asanaliev, a native of Kyrgyzstan.
For the first time abroad a Yamal play was shown. On the stage of the Youth Variety Theatre in the capital of Belarus, the family puppet theatre "Zhuza" presented the play "Vai and the Sea" based on a Nenets fairy tale, and theatrical master classes on puppeteering were held. On the initiative of the Belarusian side, an agreement between the theatres was signed.
Work continues with international organisations such as the UN, the Association of World Reindeer Herders and the Northern Forum, aimed at the sustainable development of the region and improving the quality of life of northerners. A working trip to Mongolia took place as part of the preparations for the World Reindeer Herders' Congress in Mongolia in 2026. Representatives of the region also took part in the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, the 16th session of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva, and the 15th General Assembly of the Northern Forum, an international organisation of northern regions.
The city of Gubkinsky continued interaction with representatives of the branch of OAO Zhongman Oil and Gas Corporation (People's Republic of China), which has been open in the city since 2017 and has proven itself with the use of a low-temperature drilling (oil) rig. Mutually beneficial partnership and co-operation of the city with the branch in addition to the main activities is also carried out in the areas of education, culture and social sphere.
The V International Municipal Forum of BRICS+ countries in St. Petersburg was attended by deputy heads of six municipalities of the region. At the section "Multilateral Cooperation in the Arctic: Interests and Strategies" the representative of Gubkinsky shared her experience of interaction with this Chinese company.
Representatives of the autonomous okrug took part in the events of the Finno-Ugric Transit project in Hungary, implemented since 2012.
In November 2023 the international conference "Festival of Languages of the Peoples of the North" was organised in St. Petersburg. Russian scientists and specialists, as well as foreign experts, discussed new methods of teaching, popularising and protecting indigenous languages, factors that have a negative impact on language use and the gradual loss of language skills.
The International Arctic Forum of Young Diplomats was held in Salekhard in March with the support of the public children's movement "Diplomats of the Future". The event united young diplomats from more than 15 clubs operating in different regions of the Russian Federation, as well as in the Republic of Belarus and the Republic of Uzbekistan. The key event of the Young International Diplomats Reception was the BRICS+ model, during which schoolchildren from Lugansk, Mogilev (Republic of Belarus), Abakan, Norilsk, Salekhard, Labytnangi and Novy Urengoy spoke on behalf of the BRICS+ member states. The students were also given lectures on the culture and traditions of South-East Asia, East and Africa, and discussed the problems of diplomacy in the 21st century and the importance of BRICS for the establishment of a new multipolar world.
Compatriots living abroad continue to take an active part in the activities of the interregional public ecosociological organisation "Green Arctic". Based on the results of the selection and comprehensive training of the Arctic Volunteers, volunteers from the Republic of Kazakhstan took part in the summer expedition of 2023.
The participation of vocal performers from the Republic of Kazakhstan in the regional patriotic music project "Roads of Generations" in Noyabrsk was also organised.
On the videoconference "Arctic Resources of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district", organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the region, Russian and Chinese representatives of business and scientific circles discussed the possibilities of exporting goods "antlers and antlers of reindeer" to the People's Republic of China, the activities of peasant (farming) farms, available biological resources.
Foreign economic activity
According to customs statistics for the first 11 months of 2023, the non-CIS countries accounted for 99.8% of the total volume of trade turnover of the autonomous okrug, the CIS countries - 0.2%. The leading place in the foreign trade of the region in 2023 was occupied by non-CIS countries: the People's Republic of China - 28%, the French Republic - 24%, the Kingdom of Belgium - 18%. Trade turnover with the CIS countries was carried out with the Republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
In the reporting period, a positive balance of foreign trade was formed. Imports amounted to 13.5% of the foreign trade turnover, respectively, export supplies accounted for 86.5%. The commodity structure of exports and imports compared to 2022 remains unchanged, the main component being mineral products, machinery, equipment and vehicles, metals and products thereof, the rest of the turnover falls on textiles, textile products and footwear, food products and agricultural raw materials and other goods.
In the reporting period, 99.88% of the autonomous okrug's exports went to non-CIS countries and 0.12% to CIS countries. The main export supplies were made to the French Republic (27% of the total export volume), the Kingdom of Belgium (21%), the Kingdom of Spain (21%), the People's Republic of China (19%) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (7%). Mineral products traditionally prevailed in the commodity structure of exports - 99.8%.
In terms of imports, 99.75% were from non-CIS countries and 0.25% from CIS countries. The main import supplies were made from the People's Republic of China (95% of the total import volume), the French Republic (1%) and the Italian Republic (10%). Machinery, equipment and vehicles prevailed in the commodity structure of imports - 99.8%.
Non-energy exports occupy an insignificant share in the foreign trade of the autonomous okrug (less than 1% of the sales volume) and are represented mainly by sales of food products and agricultural raw materials.
International exhibition events
To achieve this goal the autonomous okrug is carrying out comprehensive work to implement the Regional Export Standard. In 2023, as part of measures to promote export activity, the participation of export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises of theregion in international exhibition and fair events was organized.
In September 2023 the Orion Fishing Artel and LLC Salekhardsky Combine presented their products under the regional brand "Made in Yamal" at the SEAFOOD EXPO RUSSIA exhibition of the fishing industry, seafood and technologies in St. Petersburg. As part of the event, Yamal producers held a number of meetings with representatives of federal and foreign trade networks.
On the site of the 29th International specialized wholesale exhibition-fair "PRODEXPO - 2023", which was held in November in Minsk (Republic of Belarus), under the regional brand "Made in Yamal" Yamal producers (LLC "Salekhardsky Combine", LLC Production Company "Nyda-Resurs", Fishing Artel "Orion", IP Kotlyarova N. V.) demonstrated their products to potential foreign partners. V.) demonstrated their products to potential foreign partners, held negotiations and reached a number of preliminary agreements on deliveries. The exhibition presented products from fish and venison, wild fruits, various types of tea from northern herbs and berries, exclusive jam and marmalade from pine cones.
In order to promote the tourism potential of the autonomous okrug, in March, representatives of the region took part in the business part of the 29th International Exhibition of Tourism and Hospitality Industry MITT 2023 in Moscow, introducing the Yamal tourist program "Journey to the Arctic Circle", which allows residents of other regions to get a connection in Salekhard when buying a ticket to a destination participating in the program.
Culture and art
The Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug is one of the distinctive region of the Russian Federation. The region's culture is based on the multinational traditions of the peoples inhabiting the autonomous okrug. The strategic goal of the cultural sphere is to meet the social and spiritual needs of the population and to promote the self-realization and development of talents.
In the autonomous okrug there are 82 institutions with the status of a legal entity, including: 14 public libraries, 23 cultural and leisure institutions, 13 museums, 30 organizations of additional education in the field of culture and art, one park of culture and recreation, one concert organization. A professional theater operates on the basis of the Institution of Culture and Entertainment Complex in Noyabrsk.
Eight multifunctional cultural facilities were commissioned as part of the regional Cultural Environment project. At present, the Cultural Center in Novy Urengoy is under construction, two cultural centers in Nadym and Noyabrsk, three children's art schools in Novy Urengoy and Muravlenko, Nadym area (Pravokhetinsky settlement) are at the design stage. The reconstruction project includes two cultural facilities: the Obdorsky Ostrog historical and architectural complex and the Geologist Culture and Sports Center in Salekhard.
Since 2017 the autonomous okrug has been implementing the project "New Library of Yamal", under which modern intellectual institutions with a unique environment and a diverse range of services are being created, equipped with equipment for organizing high-tech information processes, with comfortable premises that provide opportunities for creative development, self-fulfillment and social communication of residents.
The autonomous okrug participates in the realization of the federal project on creation of model municipal libraries. Within the framework of the regional project "Cultural Environment" 23 libraries have been modernized, nine of them in rural areas of the okrug.
Active transformations are underway in the museum sphere. Since 2023 permanent museum expositions have been gradually updated in municipal museums. The projects will make it possible to implement the latest approaches to the translation of the cultural and historical heritage of the Arctic region using modern interactive technologies.
To ensure the preservation and creation of a new museum and tourist site work is underway to create an exposition space for the I. Shemanovsky District Museum and Exhibition Complex on the territory of the cultural heritage site of regional significance "Camp site of the 501st construction site No. 76 near the Glukhariny Passage" in the Nadym District.
As part of the regional project "Creative People", large-scale exhibitions from the collections of federal and regional museums are realized. In 2023, the District Museum and Exhibition Complex opened the exhibition "The Age of Ringing Metal" dedicated to the history of the peoples of the Urals and Siberia. The basis of the exposition are unique artifacts, the history of which is more than 4,000 years of the Bronze Age on the territory from the Urals to Vladivostok. The project partners are the Orenburg Governor's Museum of Local History, the National Museum of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Arkaim Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve, the National Museum of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the V.K. Arsenyev State United Museum-Reserve of the History of the Far East, and the My History Museum and Exhibition Complex.
In 2023 the Regional Museum and Exhibition Complex named after
I. Shemanovsky jointly with the Russian Ethnographic Museum (St. Petersburg) opened the exhibition "Images of the Arctic: Peoples of the Circumpolar World". Cooperation with major federal and regional museums of Russia will continue, and in 2024 it is planned to organize an exhibition from the funds of the V.K. Arsenyev Museum-Reserve of the History of the Far East, the Orenburg Governor's Museum of Local History, the State Museum and Exhibition Center "ROSIZO", and the State Darwin Museum.
In order to ensure the development of additional education in the sphere of culture and art in accordance with the requirements of the time, the Autonomous Okrug has developed a departmental regional project for modernization of children's art schools "Art for the Children of Yamal". The implementation of the planned activities within the framework of the project will make it possible to adapt institutions through their modernization to the current needs of society and introduce educational programs in modern art directions into the practice of art schools.
Within the framework of the national project "Culture" in the period from 2019 to 2023, the children's art schools of the autonomous okrug received 1,213 musical instruments. By the end of 2024, it is planned to equip all educational organizations of additional education in the field of culture and art with new instruments. Within the framework of agreements concluded with the leading factories of the Russian Federation for the manufacture of musical instruments, it is planned to purchase about 1,500 instruments by 2027.
Systemic measures are taken to support young talents and develop the creative potential of children and youth of the Autonomous Okrug in the field of culture and art. Five awards for high creative achievements for young talents inents are paid to students of organizations of additional education, students the field of culture and art have been established, 30 scholarships for outstanding creative achievem and pupils of professional educational organizations of higher education studying on a full-time basis. Four awards for high professional achievements have also been established for the best teaching staff of educational organizations of culture and the arts.
In order to increase the professional prestige of cultural workers, financial payments - incentives for cultural workers of the Autonomous Okrug for training children - winners of creative competitions - have been approved since 2022.
In order to improve professional competencies and exchange experience, the Arctic Cultural Forum has been held in the Okrug since 2014. Specialists from the authorities, expert community, specialists and heads of cultural institutions, as well as public figures, representatives of non-profit organizations and businesses participate in the discussion of the current agenda in the cultural sphere.
The region continues to implement long-term projects aimed at the development of professional art, expansion of touring, concert and theater activities: Festival of Theater Art, Virtual Concert Hall, Philharmonic Seasons.
The First Theater Festival remains one of the most popular projects. In 2018, the first professional municipal theater appeared in Noyabrsk. The young theater group - Noyabrsk City Theater - is an active participant in the socio-cultural life of the region, actively touring the municipalities of the autonomous okrurg.
The processes of digitalization of the cultural sphere continue. Information systems of cultural institutions are available for a wide range of users: the Consolidated Electronic Catalog, the Literary Map of Yamal "Khorey", the Cultural and Educational Portal "Subject Conversation", and official websites of institutions.
These information systems represent an extensive database of Yamal writers, poets and craftsmen. They contain more than 9,000 works by Yamal authors, where every tenth work is in the languages of the indigenous minorities of the North. They familiarize visitors with virtual photo exhibitions, legends and stories of exhibits, results of regional contests and a course of video lectures. In order to promote Yamal culture abroad, the Literary Map of Yamal is being adapted into foreign languages. Currently, more than 1,000 works have been translated into English.
Information about all cultural institutions and events is presented on the Yamal Culture information portal integrated with the PRO.Culture.RF federal digital platform. The Yamal playbill consists of more than 1,000 events. Here you can also submit online applications for participation in creative and professional competitions, as well as in award and grant events. The active participation of Yamal's cultural institutions in digital projects of the Russian Ministry of Culture, such as PRO.Culture.RF, is confirmed by the region's leadership in the Information Activity Rating.
The websites of cultural institutions and art schools provide an opportunity to remotely purchase tickets and apply for admission.
The autonomous okrug continues the successful implementation of the federal program "Pushkin Card", which involves 80 state and municipal cultural institutions, as well as seven institutions of youth policy and small businesses providing services for organizing and conducting cultural events and film screenings (a total of 87 organizations). As of January 01, 2024, all state and municipal cultural institutions were connected to the Pushkin Card program.
The realization of digital solutions is envisaged by the National Project "Culture". Ten virtual concert halls have been created on the basis of children's art schools. This makes it possible to attend live and recorded concerts and performances of major cultural centers of the Russian Federation. Since 2021, virtual concert halls have been opened in small communities as well.
In addition, residents of rural settlements have the opportunity to watch movies of the First channel. On a par with the whole country, movie premieres from 2023 are available to residents of all remote district centers of Krasnoselkupsky, Tazovsky, Shuryshkarsky and Priuralsky districts. In 2023, a cinema hall was opened in the district Center of National Cultures in the village of Aksarka, Priuralsky district.
The regional project "Digital Culture" intensified the widespread introduction and use of information technologies in the museum exhibition space of the Autonomous Okrug - creation of virtual exhibitions, connection of audio guides using the all-Russian platform "Artefact", implementation of exhibition projects using augmented reality technologies. These are projects of the Shemanovsky District Museum and Exhibition Complex ("Time of the Mammoth", "Man of the North") and exhibition projects opened in municipal museums.
One of the strategic objectives of the sector is the preservation and popularization of the cultural identity of small indigenous minorities of the North: popularization of the folklore fund of the Autonomous Okrug, development of artistic crafts, holding festivals and competitions aimed at a wide representation of the culture of small indigenous minorities of the North. International ethno-festival "Soul of the Tundra", International exhibition of artistic bone-carving art "Soul of the North", "Days of Indigenous Peoples of the World", "Days of Reindeer Herders" became traditional and popular among residents and guests of the region. And also events of the national project - the International Festival of park sculpture "Legends of the North", in which masters and creative teams from all over the autonomous okrug, many regions of Russia, as well as CIS countries take part. The total number of visitors to each of the festival events is about 3,000 people.
Yamal's professional groups are actively touring. In 2023 the governor's national song ensemble "Soyotei Yamal" toured Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, and Nadezhda Serotetto, a concert artist (of all genres), toured the municipalities of the Autonomous Okrug. Performances of the governor's national dance ensemble "Syra`sev", governor's national song ensemble "Soyotei Yamal", ethno ensemble "Minlei" took place within the framework of the International Exhibition-Forum "Russia" at VDNKh (Moscow). In 2024, the governor's ensemble of national songs "Soyotei Yamal" will tour Omsk, Kurgan, Tyumen, and a tour of the Yamal Philharmonic with the performance "Syra`sev" in Kogalym, Surgut, and Khanty-Mansiysk. Charity tours of the Yamal Philharmonic Society's teams and soloists with the creative program "We Do Not Abandon Our Own" to six municipalities are planned across the region.
In addition, 17 traveling exhibitions across the regiont from the funds of the Museum and Exhibition Complex named after I. Shemanovsky and other events of state cultural institutions of the autonomous okrug are planned.
Tourism resources
Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug is the pearl of the Russian Arctic. The unique geographical location, diversity of flora and fauna, northern lights, rich historical and cultural heritage, originality and traditional way of life of tundra nomads are the main components of the Yamal tourist product. The most popular destinations are cultural and educational, ethnographic, event and business tourism.
The Polar Urals, one of the most difficult and interesting tourist areas of the Ural Ridge, is located on the territory of the autonomous okrug. The diversity of Yamal's natural resources - from flat tundra to the mountains of the Polar Urals - determines the development of such types of tourism as hiking, skiing, combined tourism, and water tourism (rafting on canoes, catamarans, and boats). On the territory of the autonomous okrug there are tourist routes of different types and complexity (from 1 to 5 categories).
Ethnographic tourism, based on familiarization with the traditional culture of indigenous peoples of the North, is widespread in the region.
One of the brightest events is the traditional holiday of the indigenous peoples of the North "Reindeer Herder's Day", which is held in many cities, towns and factories of the region, gathering nomads from the surrounding areas of the Arctic tundra. Traditionally, this day includes competitions in national sports, reindeer sled races and national dress contests.
The information portal nordfest.com is designed for tourists and tour operators planning a trip to the event.
The unique geographical location of the region in the Arctic zone, the abundance of preserved cultural, ethnographic and natural sights, as well as the natural habitat of rare representatives of flora and fauna create interest among potential tourists.
A significant part of tourist attractions of the autonomous okrug is located in the system of specially protected natural areas of regional and federal significance. The most popular tourist attractions are habitats of rare animals: musk ox, Atlantic walrus; mountain lakes – Hadataeganlor, Bolshoye and Maloye Shchuchye; mountain ranges – Rai-Iz, Harbey, Yanganape; geographical feature - the easternmost point of Europe, etc.
The development of tourism in specially protected natural areas is a priority task of the national project "Ecology". The current system of protected areas of the autonomous okrug is represented in all climatic zones of the region and in six of the seven districts, consists of 15 territories of different categories and status, with a total area of about 8.8 million hectares, or 11.4% of the total area of the region. Federal SPNAs are represented by two territories: the Verkhne-Tazovsky Nature Reserve and the Gydansky National Park. The total area of federal protected areas is 1.5 million hectares. Regional protected areas are represented by one nature park, 11 nature reserves and one nature monument. The total area of regional protected areas is more than 7.2 million hectares.
The most visited protected area is the Ingilor Nature Park. The key factors influencing the choice of the park among potential tourists are the abundance of natural and historical and cultural objects, transportation accessibility of the territory, and close proximity to settlements. In 2023, the territory of the park was visited by 2,413 tourists, and more than 3,000 tourists are expected in 2024.
According to official statistics, 191.8 thousand tourist arrivals were registered in the autonomous okrug during 2022. As of January 01, 2023 - 178 thousand arrivals, which indicates the growth of interest in the tourist potential of the region and the gradual overcoming of the decline caused by the spread of a new coronavirus infection.
The state policy in the sphere of tourism in the Autonomous Okrug is implemented in accordance with municipal, regional and federal programs and plans.
At the regional level comprehensive activities and projects in all major areas of work in the field of tourism are implemented by the Department of Youth Policy and Tourism of the Autonomous Okrug and the state budgetary institution of the autonomous okrug "Agency for the Development of Regional Tourism".
There are tourist information centers in the region in the towns of Salekhard, Noyabrsk, Tarko-Sale and in the village of Aksarka. On the territory of the region there are 1,567 entities of the tourism industry: 130 hotels, 49 travel agencies, 23 museums, 15 specially protected natural areas, 25 national communities hosting tourists, 2 ski complexes, 2 ski slopes, 736 catering facilities, 586 historical and cultural monuments. There are 8 tour operators operating in the region, forming the regional tourist product.
To inform the population about the tourist opportunities of Yamal, the information tourist portal of the autonomous okrug visityamal.ru is functioning.
Physical culture and sports
At present there are 1,698 sports facilities in the autonomous okrug, including: 245 adapted sports facilities, 475 sports halls, 18 indoor sports facilities with artificial ice, 71 swimming pools, 342 flat facilities, 43 ski centers, 30 sports facilities for shooting sports, 474 other sports facilities not included in the main list.
The level of provision with sports facilities is 74%.
More than 291,000 people, or 59.5% of the district's population, systematically participate in physical education and sports in sports clubs, general physical training and recreational groups at the autonomous okrug's sports facilities.
More than 5,000 physical culture and sports events were organized and held in municipalities, in which more than 300,000 people took part.
The structures of the physical culture and sports movement in the Autonomous Okrug employ 2,862 full-time physical culture workers, including 2,272 specialists with higher professional education.
More than 5,050 athletes with disabilities, or 39.2 % of this population group, are engaged in physical culture and sport in the region.
More than 450 regional sporting and physical culture events are organized and held annually in the field of physical culture and sport.
Since 2019 work has been actively underway to install modular sports facilities as part of the federal and regional Sport-Norm of Life projects. New modern fast-erecting buildings make it possible to solve the problem of dilapidated buildings, as well as to increase the number of people engaged in physical culture and sports.
In 2023, the following objets were put into operation:
- «Snezhinka» mini sports complex (ski center), Gubkinsky;
- mini sports complex (ski center), Kharampur village, Purovsky area;
- swimming pool of the «Yunost» Children's and Youth Sports School, Novy Urengoy (reconstruction);
- cultural and recreational center "Siberia", Muravlenko;
- ski base-stadium with a cross-country ski track, Muravlenko;
- an indoor sports ground in the village of Zeleny Yar, Priuralsky area;
- ski center with a shooting range, Noyabrsk;
- Northern Character martial arts center in Krasnoselkup settlement, Krasnoselkupsky area.
Thus, by the end of 2023, including through the commissioning of these sports facilities, the following target indicators have been achieved:
- the level of provision of the population with sports facilities based on the one-time capacity of sports facilities amounted to 74%;
- the share of the population of the autonomous okrug systematically engaged in physical culture and sports amounted to 59.5%.
Youth policy
In December 2020 the Federal Law "On Youth Policy in the Russian Federation" was signed. The law fixed such concepts as "youth", "youth public associations", "infrastructure of youth policy", marked new age boundaries of this category of population. Youth, young citizens - a socio-demographic group of persons aged from 14 to 35 years inclusive, having citizenship of the Russian Federation.
According to official statistical data, 145,998 citizens aged 14 to 35 live in the autonomous okrug, which is 28.5% of the total population of the region.
The state youth policy in the autonomous okrug is implemented in accordance with municipal, regional and federal programs and plans.
At the regional level, complex activities and projects in all main areas of work with youth are implemented by the Regioanl Department of Youth Policy and supervised organizations: District Youth Center, Regional Center for Patriotic Education "Avangard", Arctic Volunteerism Center, Center for Organization of Children's and Youth Recreation.
Systematic interaction with local self-government bodies has been established. In each municipality youth affairs bodies and municipal institutions carry out activities. As of today, 21 municipal institutions in the autonomous okrug organize work with youth.
The youth of Yamal implements a large number of multi-format projects (creativity, media, sports, intellectual direction, youth leadership, projects of the youth of indigenous peoples of the North, volunteerism, etc.) becomes a subject of small and medium-sized businesses, gets involved in social and political movements and organizations, thus taking an important part in the socio-economic development of the region and the state.
In order to develop the region media space, the "I am Young" media channel is operating – this is a unified information field for interaction between representatives of the youth audience. The number of subscribers of the "I am Young" media channel in social networks (VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Telegram) is more than 21,000 people, and the total coverage of publications on a monthly basis is more than 600,000 people. In 2023, a media center was created to improve the quality of coverage of municipal, regional and federal news events and to enhance the skills of media professionals in the region.
One of the key tools for involving young people in the creative process and raising awareness of the sphere's activities was the involvement of the target audience in the creation of content on the "I am Young" media channel - more than 180 people submitted applications, and more than 80 of them have already become the heroes of videos and staged photo shoots. At the main award of the year "Time of the Young" of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the media channel "Ya Molod" took the 3rd place in the rating for work in social networks.
To popularize the values of the youth policy of the autonomous okrug, branded clothing "YAMOLOD.STYLE" was developed and created in two capsules: basic and alternative. Together with the jewelry brand "Mozi J" a pendant with the logo "Yamolod" was developed and released, with the brand "Voploti" a limited collection of zippered sweaters was made specially for the annual conference "Yamolod.conf". Specialized stores were opened in Salekhard and Noyabrsk, and an online sales site yamolodstil.rf was launched.
The development of IT-direction is promoted by the IT-conference "YAMAL.DEV CONF" - an event for representatives of the information technology sector of the autonomous okrug, aimed at forming a community of young IT-sphere specialists, creating conditions for professional development of conference participants. In 2023, the event for developers was held for the 5th time and gathered 70 participants and representatives of large companies as speakers.
In 2023 Yamolod.biz was introduced, which develops entrepreneurial skills among schoolchildren and students aged 16 to 25. Weekly educational modules were held on the basis of youth spaces in Salekhard, Noyabrsk and Novy Urengoy. Following the results, the best participants were sent to Salekhard for the final event, the program of which included meetings with experts and current entrepreneurs.
The region has created conditions for involving young people in creative activities and unlocking their potential. In 2015, an official subdivision of the creative television association AMIK - the Official Arctic League of the International KVN Union (hereinafter - the League) - was opened in Yamal.
Over the nine years of the League's existence, games have been held in Salekhard, Novy Urengoy, Noyabrsk, Muravlenko and Gubkinsky. More than 2,000 spectators attend the events every year. In addition to the League, which is the flagship project of the KVN movement, since 2021 the KVN Junior League has been organized to train children's teams.
Thanks to the systemic support of the KVN movement, Yamal teams take part in the First League of the International KVN Union, the International KVN Festival "KiViN", and participate in comedy projects of the TNT TV channel.
As part of the Yamal Student Spring regional festival of student creativity, municipal (qualifying) stages of the student spring were held in eight municipalities.
"The Yamal Student Spring is a regional stage of the Russian Student Spring All-Russian Festival. The total number of participants who took part in the municipal stage and the district festival amounted to 620 people. The purpose of the festival is to support talented student of the autonomous okrug and to form a delegation to participate in the All-Russian festival, which was held in 2023 in two stages. The delegation of the autonomous okrug at the All-Russian Festival was represented by 70 participants. The regional program won the grand prize. For five years, Yamal has been among the top three regions in the team competition at the All-Russian Festival.
In the second half of the year the region creative laboratory "Zapolyarye LAB" took place - it is an autumn theatrical laboratory, the peculiarity of which was the absence of binding the participants to their main creative profile in order to master other directions. The total number of participants in 2023 amounted to 113 people: 100 participants from the autonomous district, 13 participants from the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk People's Republic. They were divided into five theater companies, each company was assigned a director to coordinate the creation of a collective performance under the conditions of the task received from the organizers.
The creative laboratory helps to identify talented participants, winners of the performance and winners of "special prizes", who are recommended to participate in the district festival of student creativity "Yamal Student Spring" in 2024.
In addition, youth subcultures are being developed in the okrug to promote youth creativity. In 2023, as part of the "Region for the Young" program for the comprehensive development of youth policy in the constituent entities of Russia, with the support of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, master classes in street culture and sports with invited experts from all over Russia were held in a number of cities in Yamal. The total number of participants was 290 people. In June, the district festival of youth subcultures "SUP" was held, which gave a start to the introduction of a mentoring system among the leaders of the areas. The number of participants was 100 people. The regional festival of youth subcultures "SUP" combined regional selection for the international contest-award "CARDO", introduction of the mentoring system, master classes, competitions and contact improvisation in hip-hop culture.
In September 2023 the Interregional festival of youth subcultures "In the rhythm of the streets" was held for the 5th time. The total number of participants - 137 people, including participants from Volnovakha district of the Donetsk People's Republic. The program combined nine directions, seven regions, a grant competition from Rosmolodezh.grants, master classes, selections and evening events to create a united community. The festival won the right to hold the All-Russian contest of youth projects supported by Rosmolodezh in a face-to-face format, the maximum amount of grant support of 500,000 rubles and the maximum prize fund of 3 million rubles were determined. The development of the festival is helped by the creation of a regional branch of the all-Russian public organization of street culture and sports "Streets of Russia". This has created a community of representatives of Yamal's subcultures, which includes 34 leaders of various fields from across the region.
In 2023 the program for training personnel in the field of youth policy was continued with the participation of employees of youth policy institutions that work directly with young people.
The educational program "#Context" was included in the top 5 best practices of the country in the All-Russian contest of professional skills of Rosmolodezh. The educational tracks were organized online, with 180 youth workers participating. More than 200 applications were submitted for participation in the internship program, of which 30 people were approved (the competition is six interns for one place). A mentoring program was launched for the first time. The three best tandems will be awarded monetary incentives as part of the Municipal Forum Campaign 2024.
In 2024 the educational program "#Context" will consist of a corporate university for specialists of the sphere. The Regional Youth Center has received an educational license to conduct additional education programs, more than 500 specialists of the youth policy sphere will be trained in eight different areas.
The autonomous okrug became one of the "pilot" regions of Russia for the creation of art residences - modern spaces with administrative, informational, material, financial and curatorial support for creative self-realization of young people. In 2021 the Polaris art residence was opened in Salekhard, which has already supported more than 25 residents, including theater artists, vocal and musical groups, choreographers, designers, and others.
In 2023 14 residents worked on their projects at the Polaris Art Residence and organized more than 500 thematic events, with more than 5,000 participants and spectators. 35 invited experts from the field of contemporary theater, art, choreography, vocal and cinematography worked on the projects. In March 2023 the Polaris Art Residence initiated the opening of the first biennale of contemporary art on Yamal, which includes five projects and will last until March 2025. The annual festival-laboratory of experimental theater "The Case of the Body" was held. 12 groups from four cities of the autonomous okrug applied for the festival, and 4 groups were selected, presenting three performances. As part of the annual film festival, the first "Locals" film lab was held at the art residence, and five short documentary films were presented.
The art residence «Mixer» opened in 2023 in Noyabrsk. In the next two years, six more art residences will start operating in modern renovated buildings in municipalities. In total, the Yamal's network of art residences will comprise eight institutions, including three main programs: work with invited art figures, an educational program in the field of contemporary art for the general public, and the development of the local creative scene. The activities of the art residencies are implemented in eight creative areas: contemporary choreography, audio production, design and fashion, theater, film, subcultures, contemporary art exhibitions, and informal education.
Since 2022 a competition for grants from the Governor for the creation of youth spaces has been holding in the autonomous okrug. On June 06, 2023, the second contest ended. A total of 18 applications for 21 objects were submitted in 2023 (in 2022 there were 18 objects). Applications were received from 12 municipalities for a total amount of 210.6 million rubles. Eleven winners from nine municipalities were selected. Over two years, the total amount of grants for 24 infrastructure projects amounted to RUB 180 million.
In order to develop and realize the leadership and creative potential of the okrug's youth, the Yamal Youth Initiatives project office operates on the basis of the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization "District Youth Center" in five areas:
- "Project office.contest" is an annual grant competition, which is held remotely on the official website of the project office initiativyyamala.rf in two waves, the grant fund is 2.5 million rubles. In 2023, 869 people became participants of the project, 311 applications were submitted to the competition following the results of two waves, 31 projects received grant support. The contest included special nominations: support for students, support for rural youth, and support for initiatives of indigenous minorities.
- "Project Office Intensives" are educational sessions in all municipalities to improve young people's knowledge of project activities. The sessions with invited experts and Project Office ambassadors provide participants with a detailed understanding of the components of a successful application, workshops on writing project maps, and consulting support for participants in grant competitions.
- "Project Office.consultations" - consultations from Project Office ambassadors and regional experts on an already completed social project. Every young person who has a prescribed project has the opportunity to finalize it or to check for correctness of its writing through the website https://yamalproject.taplink.ws/, by contacting an ambassador from his/her municipality and receiving a consultation.
- "Project office.ambassadors" - training in social design and finalization of project maps. 29 Project Office ambassadors became participants of the working meeting held in the beginning of 2023 in Salekhard. The participants attended educational trainings, improved skills necessary to conduct training on the topic of social design.
- "Project office.360" - providing year-round support for the implementation of youth projects and preparation of reporting documents.
Work is underway with young people from indigenous minorities of the North. In 2023, the communication platform was held for the first time for Yamal students and activists of indigenous minority public associations studying in Tyumen and St. Petersburg.
In 2023 the "project for working youth" was organized, which is a system of municipal educational and competitive programs with selection for the regional stage. The regional stage of the project was held in November 2023 for 25 winners of municipal stages and represented an educational program in the following areas: "School of trainers", "Personal effectiveness", "Interpersonal communication". The main target audience of the project in 2023 are representatives of professional communities, working youth, leaders of public associations.
The development of the intellectual direction continues. In 2023 the direction received support from the Governor of the autonomous okrug to hold the region's first festival of intellectual games. The event was held in all municipalities of Yamal and gathered 1,020 participants from 14 to 35 years old. The festival included an educational program by invited experts on the following formats of intellectual games: "What? Where? When?", multi-game, "Own Game", "Pentagon", "Quartet of Erudites", "Brain-Ring", as well as a tournament on the main discipline of "What? Where? When?".
Regional intellectual tournament "Battle of the Intellects" in 2023 was supported by the All-Russian competition of programs for comprehensive development of youth policy in Russian regions "Region for the Young". The tournament was held from September to November in three leagues: schoolchildren, students, working youth. The total number of participants was 700 people.
In 2023 the District Youth Center together with the Regioanal Department of Education organized the Yamal Intellectual Games intellectual tournament for schoolchildren. The participants were 738 schoolchildren from all over Yamal, the final of the tournament was held on February 17 in the Polaris Art Residence. As a result of the tournament, the winning team from Noyabrsk and two tournament winners visited Neskuchny Garden in Moscow and played a TV version of the game "What? Where? When?".
The project "Yamal Intellectual Clubs Support Center" operates throughout the district for the effective work of the intellectual movement. The project is engaged in training municipal coordinators of the intellectual movement - in March 2023 in Salekhard a "School of Coordinators" was held, the participants were specialists in youth work who implement this direction in their municipalities.
Since November 2018 the regional project "Social Activity" of the national project "Education" was implemented, and in 2022 - the regional project "Development of the youth support system ("Youth of Russia") of the national project "Education". There is an interdepartmental council for the development of volunteerism (volunteering) and socially oriented non-profit organisations in the autonomous okrug.
Since April 2020, the Arctic Volunteerism Centre has been operating in the region. The institution is a regional resource centre to support volunteer (volunteer) civic initiatives and projects. Currently, 288 volunteer associations operate in the autonomous okrug, and more than 34,000 people are involved in volunteer activities.
The Arctic Centre for Volunteerism holds an annual "Contest of Volunteer Initiatives" aimed at creating conditions for the sustainable development of volunteer (volunteer) initiatives in the autonomous okrug, which improve the quality of life of people and contribute to the growth of the number of citizens involved in volunteer (volunteer) activities. A total of 55 projects worth over 15 million roubles were supported.
With the support of the Arctic Centre for Volunteerism, an annual camp is held for representatives of regional branches of public movements: "Victory Volunteers, Medical Volunteers and emergency volunteers. These events are aimed at increasing the level of competence and skills of volunteers in the main areas of activity, forming a common platform for communication, sharing experience and motivating representatives of volunteerism.
The Arctic Volunteer Centre also contributes to the development of student squads in Yamal, which currently number 257 people. Units have been established in Salekhard, Novy Urengoy, Noyabrsk, Nadym, Gubkinsky, Tarko-Sale and Muravlenko. Every year more than 2,000 students of the Autonomous Okrug are involved in the labour movement and take an active part in activities at various levels.
During the summer period the students work in five areas of activity: construction, pedagogical, service, medical and agricultural. They participate in such large-scale projects as the All-Russian Student Construction Site "Akademichesky" (Sverdlovsk region), the Interregional Student Construction Site "Druzhba" (Bovanenkovskoye field), the Interregional Construction Site "Northern Lights" (Novy Urengoy). Every year, the region hosts more than 1,000 representatives of the movement from other regions of Russia, who participate in the construction of socially significant and industrial facilities in the region.
One of the priority areas of youth policy is the preservation of patriotic traditions and work on pre-conscription training of young people. Successful practices in this area include the regional network project "UnArctic" (more than 4,500 participants), a cultural and educational trip for winners of regional All-Russian events (1,000 people), "Historical and patriotic quest "Russia - a country of heroes" (more than 3,000 people). Since 2023, excursion and cognitive trips to Russian cities "My Russia" have been organised for students in grades 7-11 at schools in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk People's Republic (600 people).
The main platform for coordinating and implementing activities in the area of patriotic and pre-conscription education is the Avangard Regional Centre for Patriotic Education in Noyabrsk. Every year, the centre organises about 40 district patriotic events with a total attendance of more than 100,000 participants.
In the direction of military-patriotic education by order of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. On 23 April 2023, a branch of the autonomous non-profit organisation of additional professional education "Centre for the Development of Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth" (hereinafter referred to as the "Warrior" Centre branch) was established.
The branch of the centre "Warrior" carries out its activities in accordance with the programmes developed at the federal level with the direct participation of the state budgetary institution of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug "Regional Centre for Patriotic Education "Avangard" in the following areas:
- an additional general-development programme on civic and patriotic education and military sports training (for citizens aged 14-17), implemented at two sites - in Noyabrsk and Salekhard (coverage - 740 people);
- patriotic profile summer camps for boys and girls aged 14-17 (900 people).
Instructors of the Warrior Centre's branch assist in conducting initial military training programmes as part of district military-patriotic events for participants over 18 years of age.
In the area of preventive work the social project "Alternative" has been implemented since 2022, the aim of which is to create a system of prevention to reduce juvenile delinquency. The programme of the project is an algorithm of interdepartmental cooperation in working with adolescents prone to involvement in the activities of destructive groups, is built in the format of the "School of personal growth of adolescents" and is comprehensive in nature. Project activities are aimed at supporting minors to change their current situation through the development of social stability and conscious choice of life path, and at joint work between minors and a team of specialists from the institutions of the prevention system. Special emphasis in prevention work is placed on individual support and diagnosis of changes in the participants, taking into account the completion of each step of the project.
Over two years, 986 minors aged 14-17, including 660 people on preventive registers and 326 socially active young people, have undergone the programme of the School of Personal Growth for Adolescents.
One of the positive results of the project is the deregistration of its participants. As a result of the programme, 112 people were deregistered in 2022 and 130 in 2023.
In addition, since 2023, a "School for Professional Development of Specialists" has been held for the specialists of the prevention entities involved in the implementation of the project programme (more than 100 specialists from the institutions of the prevention entities in the region).
In 2023, 9,292 children and young people aged 7 to 18 living in the autonomous okrug, including 3,833 on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Crimea and 2,380 children in camps in the Tyumen Region, were provided with recreation at the expense of the district budget. Priority was given to organising recreation and recuperation for children in difficult life situations, as well as children from large families and children whose parents are participants in the RSA. The application campaign for recreation and recuperation was carried out through the AIS "Children's Recreation" (leto.yanao.ru).
In 2023, eight profile shifts were organised:
1. an inclusive shift at the Olimpiyskaya Rebyachka children's centre (Tyumen Region) for 217 Yamal children, 38 of whom have special health needs;
2. Two bilingual shifts at the camp "Madagascar Island" (Sochi), attended by 198 Yamal children;
3. A shift was organised in the Madagascar Island camp for children from boarding schools from families leading a traditional way of life, in which 43 children took part;
4. Three profile shifts for gifted children were organised at the Serebryany Bor DOL (Tyumen Region) (travelling Olympiad summer school);
5. In the Yubileiny camp (Anapa), a district profile shift "First" was organised for 448 participants of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth "Movement of the Firsts".
In addition, the pedagogical teams of the Regional Nonprofit Organisation "Sodruzhestvo vozhaty Yamal" (hereinafter referred to as Svoya) organised three shifts in MBU UBO "Ellada" (Tuapse) for 598 children. Each shift included a profile programme "Yamalod.Camp", children were trained in the following areas: creativity, leadership, graffiti, breakdancing, social design, KVN, media, volunteerism, patriotics.
In 2023 the autonomous okrug continued to participate in the federal programme, which includes the provision of subsidies from the federal budget (15% of the total amount) to co-finance the organisation of recreation and recuperation of children studying in grades 5-8. The programme provides for payment of the cost of vouchers and partial payment for children's travel to and from the place of recreation. The number of children covered by this programme is 1,696. As part of the programme, children spent their holidays at the Orlyonok and Smena centres for children.
In the Artek International Children's Centre and the Orlyonok, Smena and Ocean centres, 219 children spent their holidays at the expense of the federal budget (the cost of trips) and the district budget (free escort for organized groups of children). In addition, 10 Yamal children were paid for travelling and accompanying to the Artek International Children Centre under quotas of the state fund "Defenders of the Fatherland".
Labour market
For many years the autonomous okrug has been among the leaders in terms of the main indicators characterising the labour market. According to the results of the labour force survey conducted in November 2023, the number of the labour force in September-November 2023 averaged 312.2 thousand people (60.5% of the region's total population), of which 307.8 thousand people were employed in the economy and 4.4 thousand people had no occupation but were actively looking for one (according to the International Labour Organisation methodology, they are classified as unemployed).
The labour force participation rate (78.2%) and employment rate (77.1%) remain high and ahead of the Russian Federation (63.0% and 61.1% respectively). The overall unemployment rate is 1.4 per cent. This indicator is the lowest in the country among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. There are 13,000 vacancies in the district's job bank. There are eight vacancies per job seeker.
Conditions and labour protection
Labour protection is the most important condition for stable and successful labour activity. Special assessment of working conditions (SOUTH) is a unified set of consistently implemented measures to identify harmful and (or) dangerous factors of the production environment and labour process and to assess the level of their impact on the employee, taking into account the deviation of their actual values from the standards (hygienic standards) of working conditions established by the federal executive body authorised by the Government of the Russian Federation and the use of personal and collective protective equipment.
According to preliminary data, in the organisations of the region, the SOTS (taking into account the five-year period of validity of the results) has been carried out for 155,031 workplaces, employing 238,042 workers, which is 91.2% of the average number of workers in the autonomous okrug (the average number of workers in 2022 is 261,044).
The state of labour conditions and labour protection is always closely related to the state of the economy of the region. The most favourable working conditions are traditionally observed at large enterprises of the fuel and energy complex, as they have greater opportunities for modernisation and renewal of production and, accordingly, for increasing expenditures on labour protection measures.
In 2022 for labour protection measures in the autonomous okrug, only for a limited number of enterprises included in the list of the Department of the Federal State Statistics Service for the Tyumen Region, Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrug - Yugra and Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug, the amount of spent funds, compared to 2021 increased by 18.3%.
In mining organisations and fuel industry enterprises, deductions for labour protection measures per employee exceeded similar costs in the region by more than 1.4 times. The actual costs of guarantees, compensations and personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees with harmful and (or) hazardous working conditions in 2022 exceeded the figures for the autonomous okrug by 1.2 times.
The number of employees receiving free PPE in 2022 was 194,700 people, which is 88.1% of the list of employees in the autonomous okrug, including 40.7% of employees working in harmful and (or) hazardous labour conditions (35.3% in 2021).
The coefficient of frequency of occupational traumatism in the region as a whole with the loss of working capacity for one working day or more per 1,000 workers decreased by 30% compared to 2020 and amounted to 1.0 (based on the number of people covered by statistical observation).
Living standards and social protection of the population
The strategic guideline for the socio-economic development of the autonomous okrug is to ensure a sustainable increase in the standard of living and quality of life of the population on the basis of the formation and development of a competitive economy.
In this regard for many years the most important direction of social policy has been social protection and support of the population, which is carried out by providing social support measures, state social assistance to certain categories of citizens and social services through a system of social service organisations, whose activities are aimed at improving the quality and standard of living of the population of the autonomous okrug and solving the problems of vulnerable segments of the population.
In accordance with the legislation of the autonomous okrug both regional privileged categories of citizens - labour veterans, Yamal veterans, home front workers, public sector specialists, large families, etc. - and federal categories - veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and categories equated to them, disabled persons and families with disabled children, etc. - can exercise the right to social support at the expense of the district budget.
The social obligations guaranteed by the state to support citizens living in the territory of the autonomous okrug are fulfilled in full. The district social payments provided in 2023 are indexed by 4.0% from 01 January 2024.
Social infrastructure
In 13 municipalities of the autonomous okrug, social services are provided to the population by 13 state social service organisations under the jurisdiction of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation, including one residential home for the elderly and disabled and 12 social service centres. Also included in the register of social service providers in the region are 14 socially oriented non-profit organisations, three commercial organisations and 33 individual entrepreneurs.
Medical services for the population of the autonomous okrug are provided by 27 health care institutions, including: 15 hospital institutions, four dispensaries, four emergency medical aid stations, four special type organisations (over 2,800 doctors, over6,900 average medical workers).
Residents of remote and hard-to-reach settlements and tundra population receive the bulk of emergency and urgent care through the specialised ambulance department of air ambulance evacuation, which consists of four territorial departments. MI-8 helicopters are on duty in each department. The flights are carried out in round-the-clock mode. Emergency consultative emergency medical aid and medical evacuation departments of the Territorial Centre for Disaster Medicine of the Salekhard Clinical Hospital are equipped with three medical modules.
At the same time, there are 16 stationary obstetric stations and four stationary paramedic stations for the nomadic population. Medical assistance to residents of remote settlements and fishing grounds is provided by mobile medical teams consisting of medical and nursing staff from seven medical organisations (Salekhard Clinical Hospital, Nadym Central Hospital, Tarko-Sale Central Hospital, Muzhi Central Hospital, Aksarka Central Hospital, Yar-Sale Central Hospital, Tazovskaya Central Hospital).
In order to improve the availability and quality of first aid, primary health care to residents of rural small settlements with a population of less than 100 people, in accordance with the order of the Government of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug dated 15 December 2015 No. 902-RP "On measures to organise the provision of first aid, primary health care to residents of small settlements of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous okrug with a population of less than 100 people", house farms were organised.
In accordance with the data in the Unified State Information System in the sphere of health care, housekeeping services have been organised in all small settlements of the region with a population of up to 100 people that do not have medical organisations on their territory. Persons responsible for the operation of the households have been trained in the principles of first aid.
As of April, 2024