Russian NGO Conference Moves to Build Thematic Alliances and Improve Government Relations to Influence Social Policy

As debate over the controversial Russian NGO law heated up in the Duma, USAID-sponsored Russian Civil Society Support Program (CSSP) hosted its first NGO conference, entitled “Public Dialogue in Social Policy Development,” in Moscow on December 5, 2005. The 132 participants from 45 cities across the Russian Federation included NGO experts, social policy researchers, representatives of the state and municipal authorities – all gathering to discuss the need of thematic NGO alliances to develop constructive dialogue with policymakers. The CSSP program is a four-year civil society program implemented by IREX and funded by USAID. The primary goal of CSSP is to strengthen the Russian third sector by assisting in NGO alliance formation, particularly in the Russian Far East.

Two Russian Federation State Duma deputies, Victor Pohmelkin and Sergey Popov, spoke of the role NGOs could play in social policy making and the potential for dialogue between the third sector and the government at the conference. “We, as government representatives, could use NGOs’ expertise on social issues in policymaking as long as NGOs approach government with specific proposals and developed strategies towards a concrete change,” said Mr. Pohmelkin during his presentation.

Elena Malitskaja, the President of the Siberian Center of Public Initiative Support, located in Novosibirsk, discussed the current status of thematic alliances within the NGO community. She stated that although the movement towards such alliances is slow, the potential for NGOs to come together and contribute to social policy exists. Malitskaja’s talk was complemented by research findings presented by the Open Society Institute coordinator Elena Kovalevskaya and Development Groups Project Manager Katherine Khrushcheva into successful NGO alliance formation. During the presentation, the researchers said that their results indicated NGOs alliances can become successful with strong leaders and precise logistical and strategic planning by the management.

Eight groups of NGO representatives, divided along thematic lines, developed a platform for a constructive relationship with the government. The approach seeks to strengthen thematic alliances among NGO groups working on child protection, education reform, women’s rights, small business development, public health, environmental issues, government affairs, and housing and communal services reforms. Group participants named professional skills development, fundraising and negotiation skills, and positive public opinion of the non-profit sector as key components for creating a relationship with policymakers.

In the future, the Civil Society Support Program will carry out several similar conferences concerning formation of thematic alliances and professional associations and will provide grants to groups with most promising strategies. The grants will assist participating NGOs in achieving goals set during the conference, leading to changes for a more effective third sector in Russia.