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The main theme of the 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress (NIEC), which took place on 22–23 May in St. Petersburg, was ‘Planet Earth: Living in Harmony with Nature’. The Congress reaffirmed its status as an authoritative discussion platform that brings together representatives of the government, science, business, and the youth and environmental communities from all over the world. The Congress helped to find joint solutions in matters concerning sustainable development and environmental protection.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent greetings to the Congress participants, organizers, and guests, which were read out by Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Gutsan at the plenary session. Putin emphasized that the Congress’s motto reflects the international community’s desire to preserve the environment as a crucial element of sustainable development. He also noted the importance of Russia’s ‘Environmental Well-Being’ national project, the use of environmental standards, the observation of nature protection regimes, and the construction of a closed-loop economy.
In 2025, the Congress brought together more than 1,700 participants and media representatives, including roughly 420 foreign representatives from 75 countries, around 310 representatives of Russia’s federal and regional executive and legislative authorities, five heads of federal services and agencies, and three leaders of Russia’s regions.
The event was attended by ministers from five foreign states, six deputy ministers, representatives of 13 international organizations and associations, six heads of foreign parliaments, seven deputy speakers of parliaments and chambers, as well as 14 heads of diplomatic corps. Approximately 380 representatives of Russian and foreign businesses from more than 210 companies were actively involved in the Congress discussions.
The plenary session ‘Ecology of the New Reality: Challenges and Opportunities’ was the central event of the Congress’s business programme. Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matvienko pointed out that ecology and environmental protection issues are shared by every inhabitant of the planet: “No matter how many thousands of kilometres separate our countries, environmental problems know no state borders. They affect each continent, each country, and each person. We firmly believe that there can be no place for political pressure or manipulation in the work on the green agenda. Russia strictly fulfils all the international environmental protection obligations it has assumed. As part of the Ecology national project, in the last five years alone, major results have been achieved in terms of eliminating cumulative environmental damage, cleaning and restoring river systems, and reducing pollution,” she said.
“Dynamic economic development enhances people’s responsibility for nature. In this regard, the effective management of natural resources is essential for any state or person. Russia actively advocates for consolidating the world community’s efforts in terms of the environment. We support initiatives through the United Nations and are working within the framework of more than 20 conventions and agreements. We face common challenges, which makes it all the more valuable that we can outline the trajectories for joint further actions at the Congress,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said.
“The attitude of citizens and businesses to environmental issues is changing for the better. This has become possible thanks to Russia’s systemic policy to promote traditional values. Protecting and cherishing nature is the same as loving your family and homeland. At the president’s initiative, systematic work is being carried out to solve urgent problems related to environmental protection. Numerous enterprises, including industry leaders, are re-equipping their production facilities in favour of low-carbon solutions. Close attention is being paid to the disposal and recycling of packaging materials. This all this brings Russia closer to achieving its strategic goal of creating a closed-loop economy,” Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the NIEC Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov said.
“All state programmes and federal projects are based on research and technological work, because ecology is science first and foremost. The Russian government’s environmental protection bloc oversees almost 50 research institutes. The work of Russian scientists encompasses all areas: from climate change to innovative methods of geological exploration,” Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov said.
The first day’s discussions covered a wide range of issues ranging from food and climate security to the digitalization of ecology and preservation of biodiversity. The session ‘Food Security amidst Climate Change’ addressed challenges with agribusiness and reducing emissions. The session ‘The Caspian: Cooperation for the Future’ examined international measures to preserve sea levels. The session ‘Everything for Nature: Artificial Intelligence and High Technologies’ presented AI-based solutions for the environment. Participants in the panel discussion ‘Sustainable Development of BRICS’ discussed transnational projects and green financing. The sessions ‘The Strategic Priority of Biodiversity’ and ‘Women’s Role in Achieving Ecological Well-Being’ provided platforms for an intersectoral dialogue.
The second day of the NIEC 2025 touched upon urban ecology and international partnership issues. The business breakfast ‘Ecology of Big Cities’ looked at modern technologies that can be used to respond to new challenges involving urbanization, ways to reduce the carbon load and develop eco-friendly transport, as well as the relationship between ecology and people’s health. Topics of the second day sessions included: ‘UNESCO: Preserving and Enhancing World Heritage’, ‘Prospects for Russian-Central Asian Cooperation’, ‘Circular Economy’, and ‘Low-Carbon Solutions for the Development of a Green Economy’. At the session ‘The Role of Business in the Ecological Well-Being National Project’, participants discussed business’s contribution to the implementation of the national project, as well as successful cases and areas of public-private cooperation in environmental safety.
The NIEC youth programme, which was managed by the Ecosystem Movement and the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, brought together participants from different regions of Russia and other countries. The programme included five thematic sessions, where experts, scientists, volunteers, and businesspeople discussed how to support young specialists’ sustainable development efforts. The programme included the ‘We’re for Cleanliness’ clean-up day at the Garden on the Neva, where 50 volunteers cleaned up the park and completed the EcoGTO workout. The students also managed to visit three enterprises in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region – Radium Institute, a fish farming centre, and the Sborka Eco-Centre – as part of the ‘More than a Job’ project. The programme concluded with eco lessons hosted by young naturalists from the Movement of the First, which were held at four sites in St. Petersburg and were attended by senators, experts, and representatives of specialized organizations.
On the final day of the Congress, an awards ceremony was held for the winners of the ‘We’re for Cleanliness’ clean-up day competition. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev presented letters of gratitude from the Russian president. The winners were awarded in five categories: ‘Most Active Public Organization’, ‘Most Active Region’, ‘Most Large-Scale Event’, ‘Most Active Company’, and ‘Eco-Education’. A total of 5,610 events were held in 89 regions of Russia and were attended by more than 572,950 people. The ‘We are for Cleanliness’ campaign took place on 18–27 April in 89 regions of Russia.
The NIEC was carbon neutral for the first time as a result of climate projects implemented by the petrochemical company SIBUR, which will transfer carbon units to compensate for the Congress’s carbon footprint through the Thread of Nature platform.
The general partners of the 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress were Rosatom State Corporation, Russian Environmental Operator, and Russian Agricultural Bank. The official vehicle of the event was TANK. Kurchatov Institute National Research Centre was the strategic scientific partner, and the MAER media holding was the communication partner. The Ilim Group, MMC Norilsk Nickel, Severstal, and PhosAgro were the business programme partners. Russian Railways was a partner of the Congress, and Sber was the organizing partner. The Network of Atomic Energy Information Centres supported the Congress as a business partner. The youth programme was supported by the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs.
The information partners of the Congress in 2025 were: Russia 24, TASS, MIC Izvestiya, RG Media, Parliamentary Newspaper, the Federation Council TV channel Vmeste RF, SenatInform, Vedomosti, Komsomolskaya Pravda media group, Lenta.ru, Gazeta.Ru, the St. Petersburg TV channel, Petersburg Diary, and NIA Ecology.