Demographic challenges and measures to support birth rate in the country were discussed at the RUSSIA EXPO

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On July 4, as part of the IV All-Russian Forum of Large Families "Russia of Many Children", a thematic platform "Demography" was held at the Exposition. Experts discussed current measures to support the birth rate in the country, effective mechanisms for solving demographic issues, the search for new algorithms and measures to support large families, the role of socially responsible business in solving demographic issues, reproductive health of the population and other issues.

Igor Shchegolev, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation to the Central Federal District, sent greetings to the participants of the Forum and the thematic platform "Demography".

"The Forum is being held for the fourth time and is considered an authoritative discussion platform for addressing and developing solutions in the field of family policy. As the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin noted, a large family with many children should become a norm, a philosophy in the life of society, a reference point for the entire state strategy. I am confident that the Forum will help to develop the right approaches and solutions to promote large families with many children and realize effective measures to support families and family lifestyle at the federal, regional and local levels," Igor Shchegolev said in his address.

The discussion platform of the Forum gathered concerned representatives of the family and expert community, authorities to talk about what needs to be done to make everyone in the country make the only right decision - to give life.

"Today, amazing people have gathered here - these are people who are very busy, who hold the biggest government positions, and in addition to family issues they have a huge layer of work and responsibility on their shoulders - and yet they are here. And these are the best, dearest and closest people to us, because they always care for the quality of life of our families," said Natalia Karpovich, Chairperson of the Regional Public Organization "Association of Large Families of Moscow".

Deputy Chairperson of the Federation Council Inna Svyatenko noted that in order to implement the national project "Family", the Federation Council pays great attention to the issues of support for family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood, and positive results can be observed already.

"And, as Valentina Ivanovna Matvienko said at the meeting of the Council of Legislators, together we can reverse the situation with the birth rate, and our task is to make sure that we now have a 'demographic spring'. For this purpose, we must use all legal tools," Inna Svyatenko concluded.

Deputy Chairperson of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Daria Lantratova noted that a modern woman wants and is ready not only to take care of her family, but also to develop, work and be an active member of society, and she succeeds perfectly.

"The notion of "female leadership" has changed a lot over the last decades. Our women are ready to do something not only for their families, but also for their city, region and the whole country, and this is worthy of great respect. I think that the question "family or career", which was painful some time ago, is becoming a bit of a thing of the past, because a modern Russian woman manages to masterfully combine family affairs, self-realization, public projects and career. She really is a symbol of versatility and real strength, and we see that over the last ten years the share of women in leadership positions has increased by 15%, and in science by 20%. This is largely due to government support — for example, improving the availability of kindergartens, developing post-maternity professional development programs, and so on," Daria Lantratova emphasized.

The thematic session was also attended by Tatyana Butskaya, First Deputy Chairperson of the State Duma Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Family Protection and Issues of Fatherhood, Motherhood and Childhood; Vladislav Grib, Chairperson of the All-Russian Public Organization "Union of Families of Russia", Deputy Secretary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation; Sergei Rybalko, Director General of the ANO "Institute of Scientific and Public Expertise", Chairperson of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation Commission on Demography, Family Protection, Children and Traditional Family Values; and Father Fyodor Lukyanov, Chairperson of the Patriarchal Commission on Family Matters, Motherhood and Childhood Protection, among others.

The "Russia of Many Children" Forum is part of the main and most significant events for the Year of the Family in Russia. This initiative aims to strengthen the family institution and create a sustainable system for supporting family values in Russia. The primary goal of the Forum is to improve the lives of every large family with many children by developing effective strategies for state support. Over three years, NGOs and families from 85 regions have joined this mission. This year, the Forum is being held from July 4 to 5. It is organized by the Association of Large Families of Moscow and the Fund for Supporting Children in Difficult Life Situations.