Department Director Vitaly Kolbanov: "The area of social support of vulnerable groups is rapidly developing"
07 February 2013

On February 6-15 in New-York, USA the 51st session of the UN Committee on Social Development is taking place. Director of the Department on Complex Analysis and Forecasting of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Vitaly Kolbanov spoke at the session.

In his speech the Department Head stressed that “extension of social, economic, political and legal rights and opportunities for vulnerable groups, including disabled and elderly people is the priority task of the Russian Federation Government”. “The Russian Federation is consistently working to reconcile the law with the generally accepted international standards of vulnerable groups support”.

“Russia ratified the UN Convention “On Disabled Persons’ Rights in 2012”, - said Vitaly Kolbanov. – Now we started its fulfillment. A draft law on making amendments following from the Convention to the framework federal law on social protection of disabled persons, as well as to 25 other federal laws was developed. The law on transport, information, culture, consumers’ rights, security in emergency situations, election system will be brought into compliance with the Convention”.

Practical actions on the Convention implementation were included in the State Program “Affordable Environment” that is aimed at the creation of conditions for an unimpeded access to objects and services in the priority areas of vital activities of disabled persons, as well as improvement of the mechanism of services supply in the area of medical-social assessment and rehabilitation.

“Based on the experience with pilot regions in 2014–2015 all Russian Federation subjects will prepare their programs on creation of affordable environment for disabled persons, more complete integration of low mobile groups into the society”, - the Department Head stressed.

Vitaly Kolbanov also noted that the area of social support of vulnerable groups is actively developing. “Labor pensions and social allowances are prorated on the annual basis. The prorating rates as a rule exceed the inflation rate, - he explained. - Social support in payment for utility services, assistance at home in the form of rendering of social-personal and social-medical services is provided. About 4 thousand social institutions of different types for elderly and disabled people are operating in the country”.

A permanent complex monitoring of the economic conditions of elderly people was arranged, a method of individual evaluation of the people’s need in social services is applied, social passports of the territory covered by precinct social services were developed. Such passports list all institutions of the social area that provide assistance to vulnerable groups.

“At the end of the last year the State Program “Social Support of Citizens” aimed at ensuring accessibility, high quality and security of social services was adopted”, - noted the representative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation.

Vitaly Kolbanov said regional programs on the improvement of life quality of elderly people would be further developed. They will include events aimed at making senior citizens more involved in the social life. “About 1 trillion Rubles were allocated from the regional budgets for programs implementation in 2011-2013”, - he said.

The accumulated experience laid the basis for a new version of the Federal law “On fundamentals of social services to citizens of the Russian Federation”. Its aim is to provide adequate protection of the rights to social services of elderly people and families with children.

Also the Department Head stressed that practical steps are being taken to fully involve public and commercial structures in the solution of problems that vulnerable groups are facing with, to enhance the role played by the sector of non-state non-commercial organizations in the increase of the provided social services scope. Representatives of largest Russian associations of disabled people are part of operating coordination and public structures, including the Commission with the Russian Federation President on Disabled Persons and Veterans, councils on disabled persons with executives of the Russian Federation subjects.

The state provides substantial financial support to socially oriented non-commercial organizations rendering social services to the population. A federal program and rules of subsidies granting from the federal budget for implementation of regional programs to support socially oriented non-commercial organizations were approved. Public and non-commercial organizations for disabled people are provided with subsidies and grants, as well as in-kind benefits, including tax allowances.

Recently the State Program “Assistance in Employment of the Population until 2020” was approved. It provides for creation of conditions for extension of the labor activity period by encouraging employers to use elderly employees’ potential, creating conditions to integrate persons with limited physical abilities into the labor activities.

As to the employment of disabled people Vitaly Kolbanov said, ”The Government of Russia approved a range of measures aimed at improving efficiency of measures assisting in employment of disabled people and providing affordable professional education. More than 14 thousand workstations equipped specifically for disabled persons are planned to be created in 2013-2015”.