On October 21, 2020, an online meeting of the Arctic Mayors" Forum (AMF) took place. The event was attended by representatives of Arctic cities from all over the world – Bodø, Tromsø (Kingdom of Norway), Ikualuit (Canada), Luleå, Umeå (Sweden), Oulu, Rovaniemi, Tornio (Finland), Sermersook (Greenland), Murmansk, Arkhangelsk (Russia).
The Forum participants discussed issues related to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), in particular, the key problems faced by Arctic municipalities in this regard, incidence rates and measures taken by municipal authorities to prevent the spread of infection and combat negative socio-economic consequences of the pandemic.
The participants paid special attention to the discussion of measures taken in order to support local business communities, tourism, as well as social institutions – schools, preschool and higher educational institutions.
In addition, the issue of choosing a legal form for registration of the Arctic Mayors" Forum (AMF) was discussed, a preliminary proposal was made to establish an “Association” as an organizational and legal form. The issue of formalizing the procedure for admitting new members to the organization is planned to be considered additionally after the registration of the Arctic Mayors" Forum (AMF).
Head of Murmansk city Administration Evgeny Nikora briefly highlighted various aspects of the fight against the spread of coronavirus infection on the territory of the municipality of the city of Murmansk and invited the Forum participants to take part in the III International session "Cooperation in the Arctic", which was initiated by the Government of the Murmansk region (the event is planned to be held on November 17, 2020).
The parties thanked each other for the productive conversation and expressed hope for further cooperation.
