“Ecology: a Right, not a Privilege”: 10th NIEC Plenary Session Held in Tavricheskiy Palace

Plenary session of the 10^th Nevsky International Ecological Congress “Humans and the Planet: Are They Compatible?" was held at the headquarters of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent a greeting to the participants of the Congress – representatives of academic, expert, business communities, government and civil society organizations from all over the world. The welcoming speech was delivered by Special Presidential Representative on Climate Issues Ruslan Edelgeriyev.

Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko noted that the Nevsky Congress had become a significant event in the international environmental community and a credible discussion platform. She stressed that almost 1.5 thousand people from more than 50 countries participated in the Congress this year.

The session also featured the reports by Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Chairperson of the Government of the Russian Federation Viktoria Abramchenko, Speaker of the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan Dunyagozel Gulmanova, Speaker of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Khac Dinh, Deputy Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe Michael Reuben Nyambuya, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congres Wang Dongming, Secretary General of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Siti Rozaimeriyanty Dato Haji Abdul Rahman, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko, etc.

During the plenary session, the children of the “Ecolyata” movement came up with a number of initiatives and sang the anthem of their organization.

Summing up the work of the congress, Valentina Matvienko noted that open discussions held within the framework of the Congress had resulted in specific recommendations and proposals that would be reflected in the final resolution. It will be sent to representatives of all countries and international organizations participating in the NIEC.

The 10^th Nevsky International Ecological Congress was co-organized by the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.