MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. More than 700 representatives of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples over three years took courses at the Public Diplomacy School to learn how to protect effectively their interests in the international arena, Norilsk Nickel's Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs Andrey Grachev said during a meeting at Russia's Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs.
"The project began in 2022, and recently we have signed an agreement with the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs to continue this educational program. What the Public Diplomacy School is about? This is training in language, in ethical international standards so that students could learn to speak and effectively defend their interests in the international arena. Over three years, 700 participants from 37 regions have taken courses, and now they are practicing gained skills," he said.
The Public Diplomacy School, the company's representative continued, is a joint project of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' MGIMO University, implemented with the support of Norilsk Nickel. The school graduates have delivered more than 50 speeches and three extensive reports at UN meetings.
The Public Diplomacy School is part of Norilsk Nickel's large program, worth more than 2 billion rubles ($24 million), to support the peoples of the Taymyr Peninsula, which the company implemented over five years - between 2020 and 2024. During that time, more than 40 events were implemented to build housing and social facilities in remote villages, to develop the healthcare system, and to implement educational and cultural projects. The initiatives include meat and fish processing workshops, 33 houses, more than 20 apartments for orphans, and 79 indigenous students study at the Polar State University and receive scholarships from Norilsk Nickel. The company has invested in restoration of the written language of the Ents, a people with only about 300 representatives left.
In March, the federal agency and Norilsk Nickel signed an agreement to extent cooperation in supporting indigenous peoples.