Draft Concept of promoting socially-oriented NGOs presented at the plenary session of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation

Moscow 26/04/2016

The plenary session of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation takes place 26-27 April in Moscow. The main objective of the Concept of promoting socially oriented non-profit organisations, which has become the main theme of the first day of the meeting, is to activate the potential socially oriented NGOs have for the development of civil society, solving social problems and the formation of the non-profit sector in the Russian Federation.

Elena Topoleva, member of the Civic Chamber of the RF, told the members of the plenary session about the development of the document.

“I am deeply convinced that the development of our country as a whole will depend on how successfully we develop NGOs. At the ‘Community’ forums and at meetings of the Civil Chamber of the RF there are special sessions allocated to the development of the Concept of promoting socially oriented non-profit organisations. The establishment of a working group, whose members are working on this concept in both online and offline modes, has already been announced. The name of the concept has now changed. It is now called the Concept of promoting the development of socially oriented NGOs. It includes new sections covering, in particular, the international activities of NGOs and more attention is paid to the economic stability of NGOs,” said Elena Topoleva.

The main aims of the concept for socially oriented NGOs are to promote the institutionalisation of the activities of socially oriented NGOs, to develop the economic sustainability of socially oriented NGOs, to increase the participation of onsite and legal persons in the activities of socially oriented NGOs, assisting in the implementation of the most important public functions performed by socially oriented NGOs, to develop inter-sector partnership and the promotion of intra-sector interaction, to increase public confidence in the activities of the non-profit sector and to support the international activities of socially oriented NGOs.

For example, part of the ‘promotion of institutionalisation of the activities of socially oriented NGOs’ includes the simplification of registration procedures for socially oriented NGOs, in some cases the provision of NGOs’ accounts and records; the creation of a register of socially oriented NGOs in view of the specifics of the activities of such organisations; improvements to the system of classifying socially oriented NGOs as regards activities and more.

“I think that, before long, there will be another category of NGOs – organisations implementing socially beneficial services. The relevant draft law has already been submitted to the State Duma. This means that soon there will have to be an appropriate register,” said Elena Topoleva.

The part covering the ‘development of the economic sustainability of socially oriented NGOs’, in particular, provides access for NGOs to the market for social services; promotes greater participation by NGOs in public procurement; the development of social entrepreneurship and socially oriented NGO social entrepreneurs; distribution of support measures from small and medium-sized businesses for socially oriented NGOs.

The document is constantly updated on the website of the ‘Community’ forum, which is conducted by the Civic Chamber of the RF in federal districts.

As Elena Topoleva said, at the last Far West District Forum in Khabarovsk it was suggested that a programme of phased access for NGOs to the market for social services has already been developed and accepted by the Russian Government and has been brought under public control at the hands of federal and regional public chambers.

At the final ‘Community’ forum, which will be held in Moscow in November, it is planned that a draft concept will be submitted to President Putin.

Author: Yulia Viatkina

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