Gilles Breton, CERBA National Chairman, took part in the online conference "Russian-Canadian Cooperation in the Field of Sustainable Development in the Arctic Region" on December 7, 2021. The conference was the second event in the series of ten conferences on bilateral Russian cooperation with Arctic and Non-arctic states in the area of sustainable development within the framework of ThinkArctic Project, organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, and the Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation. ThinkArctic Project will be conducted within the Program of the Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Council 2021-2023.

The Conference brought together experts, representatives of the public authorities, and the business community from both countries. Participants discussed the current state and prospects of the Russian-Canadian cooperation in the Arctic in the field of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the light of Russian chairmanship in the Arctic Council during 2021-2023. Click here to read the official press-release about the event by Roscongress.

The results of the Conference will further become a part of an analytical report on international cooperation in the field of sustainable development between Russia and Arctic and Non-arctic States. The results of the project will be presented at the high-level panels at international Arctic Forums in April of 2022 and 2023.

The recording of the Conference is available at the following link: https://roscongress.org/en/events/rossiysko-kanadskoe-sotrudnichestvo-v-sfere-ustoychivogo-razvitiya-arkticheskogo-regiona/about/

Dear CERBA and Partners,

As you may know, the Arctic Council was established in 1996 as a high-level intergovernmental forum that could address issues faced by the Arctic governments and the indigenous people of the Arctic.

Being a member of the Arctic Council and current chair, with regard to further Arctic collaboration Russia has developed the program of the Russian Chairmanship in the Arctic Council for 2021-2023, and the document setting Russia’s Chairmanship priorities for 2021-2023.

Links to relevant documents can be found below:

Russia’s Chairmanship Priorities

Programme of the Russian Chairmanship

On December 3, the joint memorandum in favor of mutual recognition of vaccination certificates between the countries was signed by the major foreign business associations in Russia, as well as the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).

On behalf of CERBA, the memorandum was signed by Nathan Hunt, Founder of the Association and Chairman of the Moscow Board. The signing ceremony took place during the public press conference held at the Moscow premises of "Izvestiya" – one of Russia's most well-known media portals.

"This is a historic moment of the unification of so many chambers and main business associations of Russia in the person of Alexander Shokhin, the President of RSPP," noted Pavel Chinsky, General Director, Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI France Russie).

This initiative aims to remove the main obstacle that is currently restricting business representatives from cross-borders travel by appealing to respective states’ governments to recognize foreign vaccination certificates for travel purposes.

In his speech during the signing ceremony, Nathan Hunt pointed out that international trade and business suffer from current travel restrictions related to COVID-19, and the recognition of certificates of vaccinations from other countries will allow resuming cross-border business contacts. Mr. Hunt also added that mutual recognition of vaccination certificates is in the best interest of all countries, including Canada, and can also contribute to global vaccination efforts.

The final document will be delivered to the Russia-based Ambassadors of all the countries represented by chambers that signed the memorandum (Canada, Japan, the EU Member States, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and will be copied to the Health Ministers of those countries.

JOINT MEMORANDUM IN FAVOR OF MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF VACCINATION CERTIFICATES

The undersigned business associations and chambers have agreed on the following joint memorandum regarding the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates:

- considering that the COVID-19 pandemic and related epidemiological safety measures have had a deep and lasting impact on cross-border mobility;

- mindful of the importance of cross-border activities and travel for the efficient functioning of the global economy and in particular trade and investment flows;

- convinced that global vaccination efforts are of prime importance for reallowing and reviving economic activity including international travel;

- understanding that the registration and certification of vaccines is a complex, regulation driven, and thus inevitably time-consuming process best left to competent health authorities;

- taking note that there is currently no mutual recognition of vaccinations and vaccination certificates between Russia and some of its most important trading partners;

- fearing that without mutual recognition vaccination certificates new measures such as QR code requirements for travel might once more have a negative impact on cross-border business activity;

- certain that against the background of rising infection levels, mutual recognition represents a strong incentive to further bolster global vaccination and re-vaccination efforts;

- believing that such mutual recognition will stimulate cross-border business contacts as well as trade and investment activities between Russia and its most important economic partners;

- convinced that such stimulus would be highly beneficial at a time when economic recovery remains haphazard and fragile;

Undersigned:

Nathan Hunt, Founder of the Association and Chairman of the Moscow Board, Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA)

Alexander Shokhin, President, Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)

Tadzio Schilling, Chief Executive Officer, Association of European Businesses (AEB)

Pavel Chinsky, General Director, Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI France Russie)

Alexis Rodzianko, President, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia (AmCham Russia)

Alf Torrents, Executive Director, Russo-British Chamber of Commerce (RBCC)

Daniel Russell, President and Chief Executive Officer, U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC)

Michael Harms, Managing Director, Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations

Frédéric Sanchez, Chairman, MEDEF International

Tim Knoll, Executive Director, German-Russian Chamber of Commerce (AHK)

Ernesto Ferlenghi, Vice President, Confindustria Russia

Vincenzo Trani, President, Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce

The original text of the Joint Memorandum can be found below:

English version

Russian version

Full video recording is available at (in Russia): https://bit.ly/3IPG5hd

You can read an original version here.

Canada-Russia Business Council successfully concludes its final meeting «ESG AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEW REALITY»

Over 600 participants became a part of the 4-weeks marathon of the 6 sector-focused working groups and a final plenary session on the 18^th of November having addressed life sciences, telemedicine and healthcare, cleantech in mining, metals and oil and gas, construction and infrastructure, aerospace and transportation, agri-tech and agri-food as well as ICT. 

MOSCOW & WWW, November 18, 2021 – The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) and the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP) are pleased to have hosted the 6^th biannual meeting of the Canada-Russia Business Council (CRBC). The CRBC was created to promote a deeper understanding of Russian and Canadian markets and a thoughtful delivery of quality information, analysis and business intelligence on their investment and business landscape. It assembles experts from business, finance, purchasing, government, diplomatic, consulting, academic and non-profit backgrounds to focus on key trends, constraints and opportunities in the bilateral relations  in the context of today’s global economy, Arctic and North development, post-pandemic recovery and ESG. 

The event was officially opened by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Canada, who noted that in the past 9 months Canada-Russia bilateral trade turnover had grown by 75% compared to 2020 and pointed out the investment climate improvement priorities. 

The keynote address was delivered by a prominent Russia expert, renowned economist, Daniel Thorniley, who stated  that “…business in Russia is better for your companies than Latin America, infinitely superior to Africa, much better than the Middle East and better than many markets of Asia.” The participants gained unfiltered insights about investment opportunities in Russia and its market dynamics.

CRBC’s panelists included the representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation,  Kinross Gold Corporation, Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie of the Government of Quebec as well as Former Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Government. 

Gilles Breton, the Chairman of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association and Co-Chair of the CRBC from the Canadian side outlined the major takeaways from the meeting including a leadership role in all aspects of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) by CRBC and its stakeholders; trade diversification focus; innovation underpinning the new bilateral trade activity. He also said: “We will have to consider more interaction with our respective governments in terms of removing obstacles to trade or misalignments in the pursuit of sustainable development and trade diversification objectives. In the case of Canada, our work is already cut out for us:  reverse not so much policy but practice that is inconsistent with that of all of Canada’s allies that also happen to be competitors in the Russian market. As part of our interaction with regional and provincial governments, we have seen the need to seek integration with the Arctic Council and the Nordic Council.” Gilles Breton also underscored the people aspect: “Specific comments from some of our stakeholders also remind us that in Canada we need to convey throughout our activities the intrinsically positive image of our business cooperation with Russia and of our Russian partners.”

The event was moderated by Nathan Hunt, the Chairman of the Moscow Chapter of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association. “Canada-Russia Business Council is committed to building, strengthening and promoting long-term cooperation between business entities in Canada and the Russian Federation,” said Nathan. 

For more information please  visit www.cerbanet.org   or  contact:  Moscow@cerbanet.org

About CRBC

The Russia Canada Business Council (RCBC) is committed to building, strengthening and promoting long-term cooperation between business entities in Canada and Russia. The impetus for the formation of the Council arose from Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 12, 2004. Both leaders expressed a commitment to the nurturing and development of long-term business ties between Canada and Russia.

The RCBC was created in 2005 by the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA) and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) and held its first general meeting in October 2005 in Moscow. The work of the RCBC has been carried out through the establishment of active committees with the participation of Canadian and Russian industry leaders, each focusing on an individual sector of the bilateral trade and investment relationship. In addition, the Council is mandated to assist in resolving any trade disputes and will work towards the reduction or elimination of trade and investment barriers.

Continued RCBC work provides a welcome opportunity to reaffirm the strong and growing economic relationship between Canada and Russia, providing a solid foundation for broader cooperation and progress in their overall bilateral relationship.

About CERBA

The Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association was founded in 2004 with a mandate to enhance and support trade, investment and good relations between the countries of Canada, Eurasia and Russia. CERBA is a unique non- for-profit organization having a network of over 180 corporations. To meet the dynamic needs of its growing membership it has established seven chapters located in Moscow, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Almaty. As an association, CERBA provides an extensive network of contacts in the private and public sectors with frequent events, informative seminars on pertinent topics in the Eurasian market, a bi-annual business summit, a quarterly printed Newsletter, committees of the Canada-Russia Business Council (CRBC), and annual trade missions.  Additionally CERBA provides market intelligence, advocates with the Canadian and Eurasian government on key issues, and manages active sector-based committees to promote partnership between CERBA members and their counterparts in Eurasia.

About the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP)

The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), established in June 1990, is a non-governmental organisation promoting the interests of Russia’s business community. The RSPP President is Alexander Shokhin. The RSPP was set up to promote Russian business interests in Russia and abroad, to help make Russia more business friendly and attractive to investors, and to maintain the balance of interests of business, government and society. The RSPP represents the interests of all Russian businesses, regardless of their size, sector or location. The RSPP operates in two capacities: as a non-governmental organisation, and as a national association of employers. This enables the RSPP to promote the interests of its members most effectively.

For more information about CRBC Meeting, please, visit www.cerbanet.org 

You can read an original version here.

Canada Russia Business Council hosted a Natural Resources Working Group entitled" Cleantech in Mining, Metals and Oil&Gas" on November 2, 2021. 

The meeting participants explored the possibilities of bilateral cooperation in the field of clean technologies in the natural resources sector to create a stronger ecosystem of technological innovation in both countries' public and private sectors, which would allow the implementation of new ideas to the market and a further companies' growth. The group was co-chaired by Paula Tolksdorff, Regional Director, Africa, ESG; Hatch representing Canada and  Nazim Efendiev, CEO, Metalloinvest representing the Russian Federation.

The moderator of the session, Robert Machowski, Regional Director - Russia and CIS, Hatch, outlined the importance and necessity of joint and concerted efforts of all countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and noted that already now, the efforts of companies within the framework of ESG are leading to the cost reduction and improvements in risk management.

During the Sessions, the following topics were discussed:

· Tomas Lopez Cabanillas, Deputy Director, International Affairs and Trade Division, Natural Resources Canada, presented national approaches to ensure that Canada's commitments to the UN Sustainable Development Goals are met and highlighted the use of clean technologies in Canada's mining sector.

· Michal Kowalczyk, Vice-President, ESG Strategy, Kinross Gold, spoke about Kinross Gold's energy efficiency approach and energy sources diversification. The company organized its Committee on Renewable Energy and Alternative Energy Sources back in 2006 and actively develops sustainable approaches in this direction.

·Yuri Gavrilov, Director for Strategy, Development and Transformation at Metalloinvest, spoke about the “green metallurgy” strategy. In 2020, Metalloinvest, together with KPMG, developed a climate strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. 

·Svetlana Ivchenko, Director of the Department for Sustainability, Norilsk Nickel, spoke about the organization's environmental protection strategy and climate change. Svetlana noted that some of the key achievements of 2021 were NorNickel's: metals' carbon footprint calculation methodology development and implementation and independent analysis of Norilsk Nickel's greenhouse gas emissions in 2019-2020 by Ernst & Young.

·Trevor Bergfeldt, Global Director, Decarbonization and Sustainability, Hatch, presented his topic on carbon footprint reduction in the mining and metals industries. Trevor provided an overview of decarbonization global driving forces and presented a proven methodology for identifying, prioritizing and implementing a portfolio of initiatives to achieve greenhouse gas and energy emission reduction targets.

·Ryan McEachern, Managing Director, MSTA, gave a brief overview of the Canadian companies that increase the responsibility in the mining industry.

· Oleg Pertsovskiy, Operations Director, Cluster of Energy-Efficient Technologies, Skolkovo, spoke about the emerging technologies in the green industry field and the leading start-ups' accelerators in Russia.

The group's participants and co-chairs agreed to continue working together on the CRBC platform. They noted that this kind of dialogue between regions, regulators, and industry shows the possibility to create and accelerate positive change by strengthening relationships, sharing experiences, best practices, and technologies. Moreover, these discussions are critical in the global movement towards a sustainable, prosperous and just world economy.

Intermark was honored to receive two awards: by CARTUS and BGRS, two of the largest global relocation companies in the world of outsourcing services, related to employee relocation.

CARTUS honored Intermark with the Platinum award for Commitment to Excellence 2021 at the recent Cartus Global Network Conference.

BGRS named Intermark as Platinum Award Winner among its Global Supplier Network, recognizing outstanding performance and going above and beyond to demonstrate Intermark commitment to service excellence.

These awards recognize commitment to quality, superior service, and innovation in the changing face of relocation. Intermark provides the best relocation services as well as immigration and NNG moving services in Russia & 9 CIS countries and is constantly thinking about its clients and how to improve their relocation experience and life in a new country.

You can read an original version here.

Dear CERBA Members and Partners,

You can read an original version here.

You can read an original version here.