WARMSU opens regional days of the forum "Small Homeland - Strength of Russia"

The regional days of the II All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Homeland - the Power of Russia" begin in Murmansk on January 24. This is one of the most important events for all municipalities in the country.

The first forum, which was held in January 2024 with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, became, according to the participants, a new stage in the development of local self-government. At the same time, the trend to pay more attention to the municipal level was formed back in 2023. New projects for the municipal community have emerged - the WARMSU marathon "Municipal Dialogue" aimed at identifying the problem field at the local level and developing solutions at the regional and federal levels, the program for the development of the personnel management reserve "School of Mayors", the All-Russian Municipal Award "Service" was established, and a decision was made to hold a forum. Last year, the honorary title "Honored Worker of Local Self-Government" was established, and a number of legislative decisions were implemented to strengthen the financial foundations of LSG.

From January through April, 16 regional days leading up to the forum will be held in 16 regions of the country. Heads of municipalities in tandem with representatives of regional and federal authorities, the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, experts, participants and veterans of the LSG will discuss issues on the municipal agenda.

The goal is to improve the quality of life in towns and villages, to "fine-tune" the legal and regulatory framework so that at the local level of government - the closest to the people - all issues are solved efficiently and promptly.

On January 24, the first regional day dedicated to the theme "Ecomunicipality" will be hosted by the Murmansk Oblast. It is in this region that a number of successful municipal practices are being implemented: from the installation of bio-boiler houses to the development of eco-tourism. The participants will focus on issues related to ecology and environmental protection, waste recycling and disposal, prevention of forest fires, floods, water body clearing, and land use culture. The main task is to unite the efforts of municipalities and show that even small settlements play a big role in the development of the whole Russia.

"This year the forum "Small Homeland - the strength of Russia" will open its doors for the second time. And the regional days of the forum, which will be held in 16 regions, are certainly its peculiarity. This is an additional opportunity for representatives of municipalities to discuss issues related to a variety of topics and problems of concern to residents, to find ways to solve them. It is the municipal community that responds daily to the operational requests of our citizens, and such meetings within the forum contribute to the exchange of experience, successful practices, and the search for the most effective solutions," said Evgeny Grachev, Deputy Head of the Presidential Department for Domestic Policy.

"We give a start to a new stage of municipal dialog, the result of which will be the Presidential Council for the Development of Local Self-Government. The 16 regional agendas are based on the issues that were previously raised in the framework of the Municipal Dialogue project with the heads of municipalities and their teams. The environmental topic we are discussing is not only waste disposal and recycling, but also forest fires, ecosystems, and environmental education. It is important for us to consider this important topic for municipalities in detail and to work out options for solving the problems that citizens put before us, " said Irina Guseva, co-chair of WARMSU, a member of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for the Development of Local Self-Government.

The topics of discussions of the federal project teams within the framework of the regional days will be devoted to various spheres of municipal life: from comfortable housing and interaction with the population to economic issues. The choice of topics is conditioned by the problems and tasks identified in the framework of the project "Municipal Dialogue", which are solved by municipalities, relying on the opinion of residents. The President has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the voice of local self-government is directly heard in the decision-making process at all levels of government.

It is expected that about 8 thousand representatives of municipalities will take part in the regional days of the forum. The work in the regions will be broadcast on the forum website. During this time, 2.5 million employees of municipal administrations and municipal institutions will gain experience and knowledge in solving urgent problems. The resolutions and results developed during the business program, as well as the most promising management solutions will be presented as part of the II All-Russian Municipal Forum "Small Homeland - the Power of Russia" in Moscow.

The forum will also include a ceremony of awarding the All-Russian Municipal Award "Service", established by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The award is given to people whose concrete deeds and fates are an example of service to society and residents, those who are leaders of positive changes in their territories - cities, towns and villages. The award is organized by WARMSU with the support of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.

The support of the municipal community by the state, constant attention to local self-government clearly speaks about the increasing importance of this level of government, and all systemic decisions are aimed at strengthening its authority.