Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra Governor Natalya Komarova and a delegation from the region are taking part in the Expo 2020 in Dubai.
As part of the working trip, representatives of the region took part in the business session ‘Creative Economy: From Startups to the Creation of New Industries’, during which Komarova presented the region’s experience and priorities for the development of creative industries to international participants.
The meeting was moderated by Sofia Trotsenko, founder of the Winzavod Centre for Contemporary Arts and president of the Winzavod Foundation for the Support of Contemporary Arts. She pointed out that the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District – Yugra is among the top ten regions in Russia in terms of per capita income and among the top five in terms of socioeconomic development. “The district’s revenues primarily come from the oil and gas sector, but, nevertheless, you are the first region to pass a law on the development of creative industries. The regional government is actively implementing and supporting programmes and creating conditions for the development of creative entrepreneurship,” Trotsenko said.
“This potential was formed when the world decided to bring a person’s creative and intellectual resources into the industry. We decided that this is our road, our path,” Komarova said.
Over the next three years, Yugra has prioritized creating a full-fledged ecosystem to support members of creative industries, in which people can realize as well as monetize their creative potential. Komarova said the next big task is to develop infrastructure, including the creation of art residences and creative clusters. “The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade supports us in creating a free economic zone for members of the creative industries,” she said.
In addition, the region continues to work on creating a concept to develop creative industries in Yugra, which will be synchronized with the recently adopted federal concept until 2030. This document will be prepared taking into account research on the creative industries market, which will reflect the region’s development potential using modern methods. Yugra’s socioeconomic development strategy until 2050 will also be supplemented with indicators that call for the long-term development of creative industries.
Komarova cited IT (digital technologies) as a successful example of the development of creative industries. According to data from the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, creative industry organizations in the region generated revenue of USD 540 million in 2020, including USD 36.5 million in the IT sector.
“We view this industry as a locomotive, but at the same time we support and appreciate each area. The creative approach to organizing the lives of indigenous minorities – the Khanty and the Mansi – is particularly important. There is a special system of relationships here so as not to lose the language, people, and crafts. They may be the most talented of all of us. In order for the world to be richer and more beautiful, we consider such development to be extremely important,” Komarova said.
During her speech, Roscongress Foundation Deputy CEO and Innosocium Foundation Director Elena Marinina added that Yugra was the first Russian region to adopt a law on creative industries and unite the efforts of the public, the creative community, and the government to create an ecosystem to support and develop creative industries.
“The success of this initiative is demonstrated by art residences in Khanty-Mansiysk, Nizhnevartovsk, Nyagan, and Surgut. The region placed a special emphasis on resolving the issue of reviving the national traditions of the indigenous peoples of the North, preserving the cultural heritage of the region, and forming an understanding of the importance of local identity among the younger generation. The successful development of creative industries is already making a significant contribution to the region’s economy,” Marinina said.