Expert opinion

	03.12.06 Victoria Panova G8 research group, University of Toronto, Director for Russia
	03.12.06 Mona Bricke German NGO Forum Environment and Development
	03.12.06 Nigel Martin Montreal International Rorum (FIM)
	02.12.06 John Kirton Head of G8 Research Group, University of Toronto
	02.12.06 Regina Gunter Head of the WWF Germany

News

Child Assistance Programs is the common concern of business and NGOs

The representatives of business and non-commercial organizations participated in the expert meeting “The practice of the development of child initiatives through business structures and NGOs” organized by the Association of Russian Managers.

The representatives of Chevron, Coca-Cola, Rusal and other companies informed the participants about initiatives and programs aimed at assistance to different groups of children.

Business has already rich experience in this sphere.

Some of the companies conduct one-time activities helping children invalids and scholars, other companies practice long term programs and initiatives.

The participants of the meeting – both businessmen and NGOs - expressed their readiness to cooperate. We witness already some examples of such cooperation.

Elena Topoleva, the Director of Social Information said that many innovations of the Third Sector put start to many programs of child assistance. She informed that the budget of child assistance organizations consists mostly of Russian business charity donations (63%). 36% of the budget consists of NGOs activities (selling services and goods). The share of the state in forming this budget is only 1%. The result is that without Russian companies support the child assistance programs couldn’t survive. .

The Russian CAF’ donor program Director Polina Filippova shared her organization experience of cooperation with business. She is certain the most of the child assistance programs should deal with orphanage, education problems and invalids. Russian business has actively joined the charity programs “They Need Your Help” and “Life Line”, which allow a business organization to choose precise organizations or person whom to help. At the same time we witness the increase of corporative voluntary and charity activities.

She also said it was important to support small organizations having unique experience and methodic but sometimes have no means for implementing their ideas. The Russian “Rosbank” program “New Day” is trying now to solve this program. The means provided serve sometimes as a start of small but perspective NGOs. “We are proud about the corporations activities, because we witness today that the business choose programs which are adequate to the society needs”, - she added.

Expert opinion

	02.12.06 Halter Marek Le College de France
	02.12.06 Olivier Giscard d’Estaing COPAM, France
	02.12.06 Mika Ohbayashi Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliсy
	02.12.06 Bill Pace World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
	01.12.06 Peter I. Hajnal Toronto University, G8 Research Group