Corporate volunteerism discussed in Moscow

The forum "Corporate Volunteering: Business and Society" was held in Moscow. It was organized by the National Council for Corporate Volunteerism (NSCV), the Association of Managers and the Public Chamber of the City of Moscow.

The focus of the plenary discussion was on human-centricity and a culture of partnership, in which the social needs of an employee become a key driver of change in companies and society.

"It is obvious that corporate volunteers have already become full—fledged partners of companies in the implementation of sustainable development policies, becoming involved in the development of local communities and solving social challenges in the territories where companies operate," said Irina Zhukova, Chairman of the NSKV.

According to her, more than 400,000 employees of NSKV companies took part in volunteer actions last year (this is 18.2% of the total number of their employees). The total contribution of corporate volunteerism to the country's GDP for the year exceeded 400 billion rubles, Zhukova added.

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy and head of the Dobro Association.Artyom Metelev positively assessed the cooperation with the National Council for Corporate Volunteerism. "Our strategic partnership is already yielding concrete results: from the translation of the Dobro platform.Russian Federation" into foreign languages until the release of a new version of the guidelines, which will become the basis for dialogue with businesses across the country," he said.

According to Mikhail Shvydkoi, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Public Chamber and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, corporate volunteerism in Russia is developing dynamically and offers solutions unique to world practice.

Vadim Kovalev, Chairman of the Moscow Public Chamber and Adviser to the General Director of Ural Steel Management Company, stressed that "the forum demonstrates the active role of business in the development of both its employees and the territories of its presence." "At a time of economic challenges, corporate volunteerism can be a serious help for NGOs and local communities, and a driver of business development for companies. At the same time, I would like to note that the phenomenon is scaling up: programs are being implemented in all regions of the country, and small and medium—sized businesses are actively involved in them," Kovalev stated.

NSKV started working in 2014, when representatives of socially responsible companies created a platform for interaction. The council's members are about 480 companies engaged in 30 sectors of the economy.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.