Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East (RAIPON)

April 1999

The Association was founded in 1990 at the First Congress of the Indigenous Peoples of the North. The aim of the organisation is to protect the interests and legal rights of the peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, to solve their social and economic problems, and to contribute to their cultural and educational development. The Association assists in implementing the indigenous peoples' rights with respect to their land and natural resources, as well as their rights to self-determination in accordance with international standards.

The Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East actively participates in the elaboration and realisation of Federal Government programmes for the economic and social development of the indigenous peoples of the northern regions. Through co-operation with the Parliament and the Government of the Russian Federation, RAIPON takes part in working on legislative issues, in securing indigenous peoples' rights, in the preservation of their subsistence lifestyles, and in their economic development. The Association unites more than 190,000 individual representatives of indigenous peoples, which are organised in 28 regional divisions on a geographic basis. This is the only organisation which fully represents the 30 indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation's North, Siberia and Far East.

The Association is listed as a Permanent Participant in the international Arctic Council founded by the Arctic countries. RAIPON experts take part in the Arctic Council's permanent working groups on preservation of biological diversity and prevention of ecological disasters. The Association participates regularly in the meetings of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Peoples. Currently, the Association is carrying out a common project with ICC (Inuit Circumpolar Conference), financed by Canadian authorities, and has initiated another project together with the Danish Committee "Nature and People in the North", funded by Danish authorities, to support the Russian indigenous peoples in the fields of environmental protection, education and organisation building.

Contact persons:
Pavel Vasilevich Sulyandziga, vice-president of the Association
Phone/fax: (+7) 095 432-9992, e-mail: udege@glasnet.ru
Sergey Mikhailovich Kirillin, vice-president of the Association
Phone/fax: (+7) 095 292-5147, e-mail: kirillin@duma.gov.ru