The meeting was attended by Presidential Aide, State Council Secretary Alexei Dyumin, Minister of Labour and Social Protection Anton Kotyakov, Head of the Russian Popular Front Executive Committee Mikhail Kuznetsov, and others.

In his opening remarks, Andrei Nikitin said that the Commission included 109 members, among them officials from federal executive bodies and organisations, as well as heads of the regions. The Commission is involved in the effort to develop the Family national project and participated in corresponding strategic sessions of the Government on that matter.

The Commission chairman reported that the bulk of the work to develop new national projects was nearing completion. As per the President’s decision, all national projects must include measures and benchmarks to encourage childbirth. Special focus should be placed on the regions affected by the “demographic winter,” in which birth rates are below the national average.

Alexei Dyumin noted that, in line with the President’s instruction, the primary goal of all national projects was to improve the living standards and quality of life for families with children. This includes several factors, such as availability of housing, decent jobs, preservation of maternal and child health, healthy nutrition, access to preschool and school education, and mass cultural events.

The State Council Secretary emphasised that proper care for future parents was crucial when it comes to boosting the birth rate. According to him, regional authorities have stepped up their efforts to identify and implement new approaches to preserve every life. Mr Dyumin stressed the importance of studying and learning from relevant regional experiences.

The State Council Secretary also highlighted the importance of supporting families of participants in the special military operation and its veterans. It is crucial to listen to the issues that servicemen and their families face locally and quickly step up and resolve them.

Speaking at the meeting, Anton Kotyakov discussed the activities planned for 2024, which was declared the Year of the Family in Russia, as well as efforts to improve support for families with children. The Minister also mentioned the development of a corporate demographic standard which incorporates best practices of responsible businesses in supporting employees with families, pregnant female employees, and promoting staff health.

Mikhail Kuznetsov presented the results of monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of measures to implement family policies in Russia.

The meeting participants approved a plan to prepare a State Council meeting on supporting families in the Russian Federation. Representatives from the State Duma, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Public Chamber took active part in the discussion.