Event news
Saint Petersburg is the ecological capital of Russia
The first speaker was the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management, Senator Aleksandr Dvoynykh.
“In our society, the demand for high environmental standards constantly grows, and this demand needs to be responded. Therefore, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his message to the Federal Assembly that ecology remains one of the most topical themes, despite international challenges. Among the key issues are management of production and consumption waste, protection of water resources, development of infrastructure of specially protected natural areas. All these topics are covered at “Ecology of Big City” Forum, which indicates the agenda relevance and the venue authority,” Dvoynykh said.
Aleksandr Gutsan, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-Western Federal District, sent his greetings to the Forum participants.
“The national project “Ecology” is one of priorities for the government. Our task is to move to the model of rational nature management to improve people’s lives. “Ecology of Big City” Forum contributes to its solution,” Gutsan wrote.
The welcoming speech from the Vice-Governor of Saint Petersburg Valery Pikalyov was read by the first deputy head of the Administration of the Governor of Saint Petersburg Mikhail Petrov.
“Petersburg is considerably experienced in environmental protection. Every year the city increases the number of relevant events. In 2023, the number of water bodies to be cleaned of pollution will increase to 344. Petersburg is included in the federal project for conservation of unique water bodies. The city is located on the largest water system in Europe. Issues related to water will become one of the central ones in the program of “Ecology of Big City” Forum,” Pikalyov wrote.
Natalia Tretyakova, Head of the International Conventions Department of the Department of International Cooperation and Climate Change of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, spoke about state support for environmental and nature-protection initiatives and projects.
“The Ministry pays great attention to the issues discussed at “Ecology of Big City” Forum. Today, key achievements in the field of ecology and environmental protection will be demonstrated here. These projects in the field of sustainable development, waste recycling, water conservation, eco-education are extremely important, and always supported by the Ministry at the highest level,” Tretyakova said.
Igor Kapyrin, Deputy Director of the Department of Pan-European Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, stated the need to build international cooperation in the field of ecology on the principles of partners’ equity. At the same time, according to him, Russia itself can now act as a supplier of advanced technologies and practices.
The ceremony ended with the speech by Sergey Voronkov, CEO of EXPOFORUM International.
“It is symbolic that “Ecology of Big City” starts its work on World Water Resources Day. The topic of water is a key one on the Forum. The current event confirms that Petersburg is not only the cultural, scientific, industrial, tourist capital, but also the ecological one. This is the 22nd time we are holding the Forum with active support of the Committee on Natural Resource Management, Environmental Protection and Environmental Safety. Delegations from 90 Russian cities have come to us to adopt the advanced St. Petersburg experience in the field of water treatment, environmental monitoring, environmental protection activities,” Voronkov said.
XXII International Forum “Ecology of Big City” is held on March 22–24. All details and current news are available at the official website of the project.
