The 1996 UNPO mission to the Sakha republic aimed to get a better insight into the issues that face the people of Sakha and its possibly solutions.

The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) covers an area of approximately 3,103,200 km2 It lies in the northeastern part of Asia, with borders stretching 2,000km north to south and 2,500km east to west. The Republic has three time zones, respectively 6, 7 and 8 hours ahead of Moscow. Most of the territory of the Republic is covered with taiga, the remainder being forest, tundra and Arctic desert. Over 40% of the republic's territory lies within the Arctic Circle, including several islands in the Arctic Ocean. 

The population of the Sakha Republic is 1.08 million representing over 80 nationalities. Russians are the largest group, malting up approximately half the population, followed by indigenous Sakha-Yakuts who constitute 33.4% of the population.  

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