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Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko spoke at the plenary session of the 11th Nevsky International Environmental Congress (NIEC). Russian President Vladimir Putin sent the Forum participants greetings wishing them a productive time at the event.

The NIEC plenary session began with Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Northwestern Federal District Alexander Gutsan reading out the text of President Putin’s message to the Congress participants and guests.

“The motto of the current Congress – ‘Planet Earth: Living in Harmony with Nature’ – reflects the international community’s common desire to preserve and restore the environment as one of the most important components of sustainable development, above all by complying with environmental safety requirements, protecting specially protected natural areas, using natural resources in a sustainable manner, building a closed-loop economy, and launching and implementing the relevant state programmes. Russia’s ‘Ecological Well-Being’ national project, which started being implemented this year, serves the same goals,” Putin said in his address.

Putin said he was confident that the proposals and recommendations formulated at the Congress will be applied in the real world and will contribute to the joint search for solutions to the most pressing environmental problems.

The Congress’s plenary session was chaired by Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Patrushev. Before the session, they took part in a ceremony to present letters of gratitude from the Russian president to the winners of the ‘We’re for Cleanliness’ Russian Week of Cleanup Days. The campaign was held in all Russian regions to support the implementation of the new ‘Youth and Children’ national project and this time was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland. The events brought together more than half a million people who took to the streets of cities and towns to make them cleaner and tidier. As part of the Russian Week of Cleanup Days, veterans and military personnel took part in clean-up and landscaping work at military cemeteries, monuments, and memorial complexes.

In her speech, Valentina Matvienko thanked President Putin for his constant attention to the work of the NIEC and his special personal attitude to environmental issues.

“Per tradition, our Congress is being held in my native St. Petersburg, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, which is famous not only for its great history and culture, but also for its unique northern nature. There are 17 specially protected natural sites in St. Petersburg. I believe such harmony between a modern, dynamic metropolis and protected natural areas is fully consistent with the spirit of our Congress,” she noted.

Matvienko noted that the NIEC can rightfully be called a major event on the global environmental calendar. The Congress is attended by scientists, experts, parliamentarians, and representatives of international organizations, businesses, government bodies, and public and volunteer associations from more than 70 countries. “Such a broad level of international representation indicates that the majority of the world’s countries are ready for open, creative cooperation in matters concerning ecology and understand their responsibility,” she said.

The development of new technologies, increased energy consumption, pollution of the world’s oceans, reduction in forest area, and numerous other manmade processes have resulted in tangible negative consequences for the climate, natural ecosystems, and human health, Valentina Matvienko said. “This historical stage, which is important for the whole world, has made us think seriously about a number of fundamental questions. And the main ones are: how do we see our planet in the future and what exactly do we want to leave to new generations?”

Environmental problems do not know any state borders and concern each continent, country, and person, she said. “We must view global environmental challenges as a common, single, and indivisible task.”

There can be no place for political pressure and manipulation in work on the green agenda, Matvienko stressed. “Unfortunately, a number of countries, under the pretext of fighting for the environment, often limit opportunities for the economic growth of developing nations. In fact, environmental requirements often become an instrument of unfair competition. The Russian Federation firmly asserts that environmental issues should not be used in any way as a pretext for discriminating against states and introducing artificial restrictions against them,” she said.

Russia and its partners in the Commonwealth of Independent States, BRICS countries, and the Global South have found a confident voice in matters concerning environmental protection, Valentina Matvienko said. “Our priorities include joint scientific programmes, the creation of a platform for green technologies, and the implementation of a programme to preserve clean rivers.”

Valentina Matvienko spoke about the environmental priorities of Russian legislation and the implementation of environmental programmes. 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 air pollution. Much has also been done in forestry work. In 2024, total hazardous emissions in 12 industrial centres with high levels of air pollution decreased by an average of 20%. The network of specially protected natural areas is expanding and is currently one of the largest in the world. It includes about 12,000 protected areas with a total area of more than 240 million hectares. This is comparable to the area of approximately four Frances or five Swedens.

Valentina Matvienko noted that President Putin in February 2025 signed a decree on the creation of the Presidential Nature Fund, whose main goal is to support environmental initiatives and environmental projects. The president also took the decision to launch the new large-scale ‘Ecological Well-Being’ national project, which is calculated for the period until 2030.

However, Valentina Matvienko said perhaps the most important thing Russia has managed to do is change how citizens and businesses actually perceive environmental problems. “Lots of enterprises, primarily the flagships of the Russian economy, are actively engaged in the technical modernization of production facilities and reducing the negative environmental impact. The volunteer environmental movement, which has engulfed the entire country, also deserves special respect. Eco-volunteers, including people of all ages and professions, are monitoring the environment, cleaning up territories, saving wild animals, and conducting ambitious educational work,” she said.

A number of the environmental protection initiatives that are being implemented in Russia today were reflected in the final recommendations of previous the NIEC, she noted. Such initiatives include digital transformation in matters concerning ecology and nature management, information systems in the forestry industry, projects to use neural networks and artificial intelligence to help clean up territories, and a system for monitoring permafrost conditions. “Based on instructions from the head of state, a comprehensive system for monitoring environmental quality is being created in Russia. It will enable us to promptly respond to disruptions or changes in the state of ecosystems. We are ready to exchange experience on these and other issues on the environmental agenda and expand cooperation with all interested states,” Valentina Matvienko said.

For his part, Dmitry Patrushev noted that the wide range of Congress participants confirms that ecology has no borders and does not depend on age or political views. “Dynamic economic development is increasing humankind’s responsibility to nature. In this regard, the effective management of natural resources is essential for every state and person. In Russia, the ecological well-being of citizens is a strategic priority. It has been singled out by the Russian president as a separate national goal. The activities of all branches of government, businesses, and citizens are united within the framework of the ‘Ecological Well-Being’ national project. Roughly RUB 800 billion will be allocated for the implementation of its measures by 2030,” he said.

Dmitry Patrushev pointed out that Russia is actively advocating for the consolidation of the world community’s efforts in ecology. In particular, Russia supports initiatives through the UN and is working within the framework of more than 20 conventions and agreements. In addition, the basins of 70 Russian rivers are transboundary. “For this reason, we attach great importance to cooperation with our foreign partners. In particular, we believe it is important to focus efforts on expanding horizontal links between governments, experts, and scientific communities. This will allow for a comprehensive exchange of best practices, research results, and technologies globally in the ‘water-climate-food’ and energy security relationship,” he said.

“Considering Russia’s size, we are aware of our responsibility to preserve natural resources. So, we will continue our development with maximum care for the environment,” Dmitry Patrushev said.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov noted that in recent years, the NIEC has become one of the most important events in terms of shaping the environmental agenda. He spoke about innovations in urban water purification and landscaping. Environmental protection is an important goal for the city’s leadership, Beglov said.

Russian cosmonauts taking part in the 73rd expedition Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and Kirill Peskov greeted the NIEC delegates from the International Space Station: “From space, you can’t see any borders between countries, and all conflicts seem unimportant against the backdrop of the fragility and vulnerability of our planet,” the cosmonauts said.

During the plenary session, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Director of the APEC Forum Secretariat Eduardo Pedrosa, and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais addressed the Congress participants with video greetings.

The meeting was also attended by Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov and Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev.

“At the president’s initiative, systematic work is under way to solve urgent problems related to environmental protection. Ecology remains one of the few areas of public life where the language of politics should not hinder mutual understanding between countries. We are aware of the obvious fact that Russia’s overriding mission to create a multipolar world should serve the common good: the creation of a fair world order, where clean air, water, and soil are not a privilege, but the norm. Many of our enterprises, including industry leaders, are modernizing production facilities in favour of low-carbon solutions,” Adviser to the Russian President and Executive Secretary of the NIEC Organizing Committee Anton Kobyakov said.

Chairman of the UAE Federal National Council Saif Saeed Ghobash stressed that the NIEC reflects the understanding that environmental issues are no longer a purely national matter, but have become an important and shared issue for the future of the entire planet.

Director of the Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Oliver Avramoski, Vice President and Head of Iran’s Department of Environment Shina Ansari, Representative of the Azerbaijani President on Climate Issues Mukhtar Babayev, Serbian Minister of Environmental Protection Sara Pavkov, and representatives of volunteer organizations also expressed the views of European and Middle Eastern countries on modern environmental processes.

The Asian view on environmental protection was presented by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Le Minh Hoan, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Sommad Pholsena, and Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Deputy Minister of Ecology and Environment of the People’s Republic of China Sun Jinlong.

Chairperson of the Parliament of the Republic of Mozambique Margarida Talapa, President of the National Assembly of the Central African Republic Simplice Mathieu Sarandji, President of the Senate of the Republic of Burundi Emmanuel Sinzohagera, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana Alban Sumana Bagbin, and Senate President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea Maria Teresa Efua Asangono presented the vision of the environmental agenda on the African continent at the NIEC plenary session.

Based on the results of the Congress, a final resolution will be adopted and supplemented taking into account the proposals made at the plenary session.

Following the plenary session, Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, along with the Congress organizers, heads of foreign delegations, guests of the NIEC, and volunteers, took part in the ‘Garden of Memory’ international ecological and patriotic campaign, which is dedicated to the year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia. Trees were planted in the garden of Tavrichesky Palace as part of the NIEC tradition of replanting lost trees in Tavrichesky Garden.

The NIEC, which took place on 22–23 May 2025 at Tavrichesky Palace in St. Petersburg, was organized by the Russian government, the Federation Council, the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member Nations, and the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The Roscongress Foundation was managing the events of the NIEC.

The 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress was carbon neutral for the first time thanks to the compensation technologies used, according to the organizers.

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 media 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.

Official website of the 11th Nevsky International Ecological Congress: ecocongress.info/congress.