Socially Oriented Non-Commercial Organisations
working on Migrant problems are to receive support from the Federal Budget

According
to the published event schedule for 2013-15, referring to the strategies of
state national policy for the Russian Federation up to 2025, Socially Oriented
Non-Commercial Organisations working on immigrant problems will be financed
using support from the federal budget.

The plan,
published on 22 July by the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian
Federation, was foreseen as the ‘provision of financial support of Socially
Oriented Non-Commercial Organisations, including national and cultural Independence,
and cooperation with youth.’ The support is for the realisation of projects
aimed at promoting harmonious international relations, fostering the
multi-ethnic community, supporting world and civil peace, developing tolerant
attitudes and modes of communication, working against intolerance, xenophobia,
national, racial and religious hatred. 

Svetlana
Gannushkina, the manager of the social information network ‘Migration Right’ and
‘Memorial’, informed the author of this article that the state funding of
Non-Commercial Organisations working with migrants is a positive change. ‘We
are very glad, we think that this is correct,’ the human rights campaigner
emphasised, who added that the state funding of similar Non-Commercial
Organisations was available all over the world. The president of the charity
‘Migration in the Twenty-first Century’ Vsycheslav Postavnin echoed her views.
‘Immigrants need to be integrated not into the Federal Migration Service and
not into Ministry of the Interior, but into society. And a Non-Commercial
Organisation is the only mechanism able to connect immigrants with the native
population. And this is the way it works all over the world,’ the human rights
campaigner emphasised. According to Postavnin, it is surprising that
Non-Commercial Organisations currently carry out this work on foreign
donations. ‘It has long been time that our state donated funds for the work of
Non-Commercial Organisations. If we wish to foster civil society we need this,’
Postavnin remarked.

The plan consists of
82 bullet points, divided into 12 sections, as follows: the strengthening of
unity and the spiritual society of the Russian Federation’s multi-ethnic
population, guaranteeing international peace and concord, the improvement of
international (multi-ethnic) relations, the creation of conditions for social
and cultural adaptation and integration of immigrants, the cementing of
relationships of state and local government agencies with institutions of civil
society. 

Key events in the
published plan were: the development of the programme’s regional goal for the
improvement of international relations, the strengthening of unity amongst
Russian nationals, the creation of a monitoring system for international
relations, and the advanced warning of conflicts. Details of the financial
support available for Socially Oriented Non-
Commercial Organisations participating in this strategy until 2025 can be found
here:

http://government.ru/media/files/41d47a99d97a4ea0ebf3.pdf