Alexey Tsykarev: Russia can offer BRICS expertise in institutional support for indigenous small-numbered peoples

Against the backdrop of continued stagnation in the activities of the Arctic Council, which recently marked its thirtieth anniversary, cooperation among BRICS countries in the northern latitudes is acquiring additional value. Economic cooperation in the Arctic has great potential for BRICS states, but the association needs its own sustainable mechanisms, and indigenous peoples here are not a peripheral topic, but one of the key factors of long-term stability, reminds Alexey Tsykarev, an expert at PORА, adviser to the president of the Association of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, chairman of the Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples and Public Diplomacy «Young Karelia,» and a member of the steering committee of the Kali Foundation.

It is important to take into account that at the national level, the approaches of BRICS countries to the issue of indigenous peoples differ. For example, China at the official level declares that there are no indigenous peoples on its territory, considering all 56 ethnic groups as part of a single Chinese nation, whereas for Brazil the rights of indigenous peoples are a matter of principle. It is enough to recall the Kali Foundation, created for the fair distribution of benefits, including to indigenous peoples: Brazil effectively links access of companies from a number of sectors to its market with contributions to this fund.

Under these conditions, Russia is capable of showing leadership and offering BRICS its expertise. Our country has accumulated unique experience in legal regulation and institutional support for indigenous small-numbered peoples, recognized at the international level. By admitting foreign companies into its Arctic zone, Russia has the right and must extend national standards and rules to them, seeking from partners an understanding that indigenous peoples are not only bearers of traditional knowledge but also guardians of Arctic ecosystems, and that their presence and economic activity in the northern regions is one of the factors of Russian statehood and national security.

Partners should view Russian standards on indigenous peoples’ rights not as a barrier to investment, but as a condition for their long-term legitimacy.

Russia could use its influence in BRICS to develop common standards by the association on the rights of indigenous peoples—naturally, taking into account the national characteristics of each country. Such a step would allow BRICS to compete with Western multilateral mechanisms, such as the World Bank, whose operational policies regarding indigenous peoples have already been repeatedly improved. If BRICS formulates its own principles based on respect for sovereignty and the real participation of communities, this will become not merely an alternative, but a substantive contribution to the global agenda of sustainable development of the Arctic.