Tatarstan at the UN: how sustainable development is achieved
The delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan headed by the President Rustam Minnikhanov paid a working visit to New York (the United States of America). The purpose of the visit was the development of relations with the United Nations and the replication of successful practices of Tatarstan as related to the sustainable development.
The republic traditionally attaches great importance to the development of cooperation with the UN and its specialized agencies – UNESCO, UNIDO, WHO, etc. The Tatarstan Investment Development Agency is working hard to stimulate investments in the sectors that will provide social and economic benefits and help countries to achieve sustainable development goals.
As part of the visit’s business program, a meeting with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was held. At the meeting, Mr. Guterres stated that the way in which Tatarstan implements the Sustainable Development Goals at the regional level could serve as a good striking example for many countries, and suggested that Tatarstan share its experience of interfaith coexistence with other UN member states.
Also during the visit, the top officials of Tatarstan met with the USA’s leading business figures. Among those participated in the round table were the representatives of the US-Russia Business Council, having its offices in Washington and Moscow and representing the trade and investment interests of the Russian and American member companies on bilateral commercial matters. The Council is represented by over 200 companies, including both the leading international companies and the narrow-focused organizations that provide for the niche needs of the Russian economy.
As Rustam Minnikhanov noted, despite the today’s difficulties in relations between countries, the republic successfully cooperates with many US companies, there are a number of joint projects that are being implemented, and there is an interest to further maintain all business contacts.
In the framework of the round table, Taliya Minullina, the Head of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency, did a presentation of the economic and investment potential of Tatarstan.
Tatarstan is interested in that the foreign companies choose our republic as a launchpad for working in Russia. There is a lot of potential for developing ties with the US companies in such areas as oil refining and petrochemicals, information technology and other areas of the digital economy.
Among large US companies already successfully operating in the Republic of Tatarstan are KBR, DowDuPont (oil production and refining, chemistry and petrochemistry); Ecolab Nalco (energy, oil refining, detergents and hygiene products); John Deere (agricultural machinery); Allied Mineral Products (production of refractories for the metallurgical industry); Honeywell (industrial production, production processes automation); 3M innovation and production company; McDonalds; Coca-Cola, etc.
The report Russian Regions: Republic of Tatarstan - Sustainable Development Goals was presented at the UN headquarters. The event was moderated by Alexey Borisov, the First Deputy Chairman of the United Nations Association of Russia.
The sustainable development goals adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 25, 2015 as part of the Resolution 70/1 cover a wide range of global problems which both the developing and developed countries are faced. The targets defined by the UN in 17 sustainable development goals are also reflected in the 2030 Strategy for Social and Economic Development of Tatarstan.
“Today, the Republic of Tatarstan is one of the most dynamic and industrially developed Russian regions with a multinational population and rich history. Tatarstan is actively involved in international activities and hosts various international events. I have been in Kazan more than once, and I am ready to affirm that Kazan is a magnificent city, and the extent to which the republic thrives is glaringly obvious. It's no secret that the key to success in that process – in the achieving the Sustainable Development Goals – is at the local level, and the UN keeps in mind the specific nature of the particular region,” noted Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and in the UN Security Council, in his welcoming speech.
“The population of Tatarstan is almost 4 million people. We have 173 nationalities. Different religions and different nations peacefully coexist within the territory of Tatarstan for more than 1000 years. The secret is simple: mutual respect and trust. This is the solid foundation for sustainable development.
The unemployment rate for 2019 was 3.3%, which is lower than the national average. Tatarstan’s residents are hardworking people. It is important to love your work and do it with pleasure,” said Taliya Minullina in her speech. The Head of TIDA also emphasized the powerful food sector, the environmental focus and the growing economy of Tatarstan.
“The growth of the economy and investments is only justified when the spent resources are sufficiently balanced, and the applied technological solutions work to improve the environmental situation.
In the structure of our economy, industry occupies more than 40%, that is why the environmental programs of our large enterprises and lean technologies, which are part of the world quality standards, are so important.
Our main industries are chemistry and petrochemistry, engineering, agriculture and energy. We produce and process oil, produce airplanes, helicopters, ships, and KAMAZ trucks. By the way, KAMAZ trucks are manufactured with EURO standard engines, and the public transport uses methane as well.
Our products are competitive in the world. Almost 50% of the products produced in Tatarstan are sold outside the republic. We are working hard on alternative energy,” said Taliya Minullina.
Revealing the 17th sustainable development goal – establishing partnership relations at the global regional and local levels between the government, private sector and civil society – she noted that more than 160 countries are trading partners of Tatarstan and told why Tatarstan is an example of how to work with other regions of different countries.
“International partnership implies not only export and import operations. These are cooperative researches and developments, exchange of best practices and, of course, the investment work.
Tatarstan has the most favorable investment climate in Russia. We have the best investment infrastructure: more than 100 industrial sites with a ready-made engineering infrastructure. This is the only region in Russia where there are 7 sites with federal tax benefits, five of which are entire cities. 79 countries are already our investors. In the last 10 years, the Republic of Turkey heads the list. The leading investors from Europe are Germany and France. The USA and China are also among the top five in terms of investment volume,” reported Taliya Minullina.
The event culminated with an active positive discussion. The representatives of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and other countries unanimously noted that they were ready to adopt the successful practices of Tatarstan and develop comprehensive cooperatio