09.09.2019

Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow with responsibility for social development, spoke about the merits of a social partnership between officials, public and volunteer organisations and charities at a meeting held on 5 September.

“The State prefers to offer a standard set of social services. However, in social protection attention needs to be given to the specific needs of the individual and you can all help with this. Only charities and the volunteer community can delve sympathetically and in detail into every human story”, said Rakova.

Mutual support between the State and NGOs

According to Rakova, the Government is willing to support NGOs by issuing specific social orders which would be implemented using a register of social service providers that includes non-profit bodies. At the same time, these organisations can also introduce a range of new social services, develop standards and determine the costs involved in their provision.

In addition, on 3 September, Moscow’s Mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, approved a new grant support programme for NGO social projects entitled “Moscow is a kind city”. The capital will allocate 400 million roubles each year to SONGOs and charities for the implementation of social protection projects. The main difference between this and other initiatives is the emphasis on services in the social sector, allied to help for specific individuals.

The sharing of resources is another area of cooperation. State authorities have access to premises and fora for social advertising, while NGOs have the expertise, methods and social technologies that can be successfully incorporated within State social institutions’ practices. According to Rakova, the Government is ready to let SONGOs have the use of 20 buildings this year and another 30 in 2020.

A proactive approach to social protection

“Today we are enhancing the social support system by adopting a new proactive approach. Our task is to be the first ones to offer help rather than waiting for people to come to us”, said Rakova.

The Deputy Mayor explained that the Government has agreed to establish a new resource centre where NGOs can share experiences, methodologies and know-how which social institutions can apply in their work. Rakova added that plans were being made to create a database of potential beneficiaries in consultation with NGOs.

“We are keen to ensure that every Moscow citizen receives the targeted assistance that he or she needs and that there will always be someone on hand to help: not only you and I but also volunteers and socially responsible Muscovites”, said Rakova.

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2019/09/09/rakova-nko-gosudarstvo-pomoshh/