This Report has been prepared in compliance with Article 22 of the FZ-32 Law dated 4 April 2005 “On the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation”.
The Report presents the results of the Civic Chamber activities throughout the year: working with the petitions of citizens, holding public undertakings, managing monitoring programs and hotlines with a focus on various urgent issues. Of special importance is synergizing the materials pertinent to the “Community” Forums of active citizens annually convened by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation in the federal districts with the final venue in Moscow.
Although it is not a research center, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation discusses all of the most significant problems facing the country. Attracting a wide range of experts and civil activists, including those from the regions, interacting with people at the local level, “on the ground” is the Chamber’s basic method helping to formulate its position, acquire new knowledge and, simultaneously, promote the culture of social interaction.
The first Chapter of the Report deals with the engagement of civil society in decision-making on matters that have priority status for the development of the nation: social consolidation, implementation of national projects endorsed on the basis of the May Decree of the Russian President1 The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 7, 2018 No. 204. “On the national goals and strategic objectives of the development of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024” // Russian President Website: http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/43027., spatial development, environmental issues and measures to control oncological diseases.
The second Chapter focuses on the activities pursued by major civil interaction institutes and structures – public chambers, social councils under the authorities exercising executive power. It also provides an assessment of the efficiency of public control mechanisms, including public monitoring committees (PMC), as well as mass media and media content in civil society.
The third Chapter is dedicated to the dynamics of the non-profit sector, socially-oriented NPOs, charity and ultroneous (voluntary) services. Special attention is paid to the matters related to the regulatory control and financial support of the Third Sector from the government.
The status of civil society is defined not only and not entirely on the basis of statistical data and social survey findings, notwithstanding their relevance. Of primary importance to the evaluation of the status of civil society is its current agenda: the existing problems and conflicts in the public limelight, all that various public associations, non-profit organizations and politically conscious citizens intend to deal with, those tasks that they set for themselves, those questions that they pose to the executive authorities. These subjects are examined in the fourth Chapter.
The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation is made up of 168 members comprising 19 commissions. The Chamber holds over 1,300 public undertakings on an annual basis, processes tens of thousands of petitions filed by the citizens, sends thousands of letters, hundreds of recommendations and proposals to the executive authorities and local government administrations. As the entire volume cannot be fully accommodated within the present Report, many issues are outlined very briefly in the text, without any detailed and profound exploration, whereas the details can be found at the Website of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation – oprf.ru.