Future national project "Family" was discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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The plenary session "Future Possibilities: Family" was held at the International RUSSIA EXPO on July 4. During the event, experts discussed the prerequisites for the formation, main goals and directions of the national project "Family".

On the eve of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, the Exposition hosted the Day of National Priorities "Family". The key event was the plenary session. The experts discussed one of the largest national projects in terms of the number of activities and the amount of financial investments — "Family", which will start on January 1, 2025. The agenda included the issues of development of the system of support measures, protection of motherhood and childhood, development of pro-family education of children and adolescents, and strengthening of family values by cultural tools.

As Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova noted, today our country is a world centre of support for traditional values and the development of families with children. And in order to preserve the current situation and ensure its further development, it is necessary to work in this direction.

"Our big country is also called a big family. Therefore, what we do for the family and for the country is inseparable. It is important that improving the demographic situation, supporting birth rate, many children, decent quality of life for Russian families become our national task. All our plans and initiatives in various spheres should be subordinated to this goal — both in social policy and healthcare, education and enlightenment, as well as in the economy, development of housing infrastructure, and improvement of cities and towns. This is a large range of issues and a wide range of interagency cooperation. The main activities of the national project "Family" are formed on the basis of expert studies of demographic institutions, surveys of public opinion of citizens, results of pilot projects conducted by the Government," said Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova.

Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Anton Kotyakov noted that the national project "Family" continues the development of the system of measures to support families with children, which has been consistently deployed over the past years on the instructions of President Vladimir Putin.

"In conditions when more and more young people are focused on building a career, the issue of combining professional prospects and family responsibilities is becoming more and more urgent. The 'Family' national project will focus on all generations. Parents of more than 10 million children will continue to receive monthly assistance from the state through a single allowance. Families with about 11 million children will be covered by the family payment, thanks to which the previously paid tax will be recalculated at the rate of 6%, and the difference will be returned to the family's needs. "Active Longevity" programs which already involve 3.5 million elderly citizens will be continued. By 2030, the coverage of long-term care services will increase to 500 thousand people on the instructions of the President," said Anton Kotyakov.

The healthcare system is also one of the key issues in demographic affairs. According to Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, today the healthcare system provides full coverage of all stages of a child's development.

"The protection of motherhood and childhood is the priority of the healthcare system. And today the system works in such a way that the health indicators of children are among the best in the world. This arises precisely from attention starting from the prenatal period to health formation, where the child already receives medical care while still in utero. Over the past years, we have achieved a historic low in mortality rates. It is lower than in the United States, Canada, China, and many other countries. Today, the country has truly effective infrastructure for shaping, preserving and strengthening child health. Already during pregnancy, we shape an approach to the child's health and preventive measures begin even before birth. These include screenings, and after birth, our country provides the maximum number of screening examinations for newborns, allowing timely diagnosis of various issues. Thousands of children who were diagnosed in a timely manner have received medical assistance, thereby avoiding disability," said Mikhail Murashko.

Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, spoke about the activities proposed by the Ministry of Culture for realization within the framework of the national project "Family". They are aimed at creating conditions for the development of active leisure and creative self-realization of people of various ages.

"It was important for us to support cultural institutions in the regions, their modernization and re-equipment, as well as to fill the renovated places with vibrant events   that are interesting for different generations and projects aimed at preserving and strengthening traditional family values," said Olga Lyubimova.

Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergei Kravtsov also noted the importance of developing the infrastructure of culture and education within the framework of the "Family" national project.

"A solid foundation for education and obtaining quality knowledge is laid right in kindergartens. Within the framework of the "Family" national project we will allocate funds for capital repairs and construction of preschool education organizations. We plan to renovate more than 2,700 institutions. I should also note that thanks to the decisions of the President, we have already built 1,680 kindergartens, and this is only at the expense of co-financing from the federal budget within the framework of the national project "Demography". In addition, we will pay special attention to the support of kindergarten teachers," Sergei Kravtsov outlined the plans.

Each of the experts spoke about the need to reach the approach "plus one child in every family", as well as to make having many children not just a social norm, but also an image of a happy family, which young people will strive for.

The plenary session was also attended by Alexander Avdeev, Governor of the Vladimir region, Pavel Moiseyev, Rector of the Derzhavin Tambov State University, Andrei Vishnevsky, CEO of Azot KAO, Gavriil Gordeev, General Producer of the online cinema Okko, President and ideologist of the All-Russian Festival of Children's, Family Cinema and Animation "Medvezhonok" (lit. "Bear Cub"). The plenary session featured a choir of mothers of many children - the children's and parents' vocal project "MumsChoir".

The International RUSSIA EXPO is the most important achievements of the country gathered in one place. Throughout the Exposition, cultural events, a rich business and educational program await the guests. The expositions of 89 Russian regions, leading federal agencies, corporations and public organizations are presented to the visitors. More than 18 million people have already visited the Exposition. The International RUSSIA EXPO takes place on the territory of VDNH in Moscow from November 4 to July 8.