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Rockefellers to discuss new approaches to philanthropy at Russia House in Davos

Russia House, the official Russian residence in Davos, will soon open its doors to participants and guests of the World Economic Forum (23–26 January). The project will offer a meeting point at the Forum for members of official international delegations, respected Russian and international experts and big business executives. This year, Roscongress Foundation, the organizer of Russia House Davos, is focusing the attention of business programme participants not only on the economic agenda, but also the social and humanitarian aspects of human and societal development.

It is no coincidence that the economic portion of the business programme now includes a ‘non-economic’ theme: ‘New challenges in the social and economic sphere and best practices for meeting them’. These days, the transition to a digital economy is requiring a great deal of attention to be devoted to the social sphere. Investment in human capital plays an extremely important role in society as it impacts increasingly on living standards and quality of life.

As recently as ten years ago, Russian companies’ charitable activities were mostly sporadic and corporate executives were not even sure if they had to invest in them at all. Today, companies have set up divisions dedicated to charity work. Not only that, but many projects are also coordinated with regional and federal governments. “In recent years, companies have been increasingly involving their employees in volunteer projects. Roscongress has always supported the advance of socially important and charity initiatives. As we develop this new area, our Foundation has established a directorate charged with collaborating with charities and non-profits. As an organizer of major events, we devote a lot of attention to supporting the volunteer movement as part of them. For instance, young activists are the ‘face’ of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and the Russian Energy Week, as they provide versatile support to our participants and guests”, said Roscongress Foundation CEO Alexander Stuglev. He added that this helped create a team spirit and foster loyalty among employees and volunteers by encouraging them to suggest the best new ways for the company’s development and to acquire new skills, above all in project management.

The current technology paradigm shift is creating unprecedented challenges for the social sphere too. How can the potential of the digital economy be harnessed to resolve socially important issues in Russia and at a global level? Which new opportunities and communications channels will help us zero in on a target audience for non-profit programmes, raise funds, coordinate volunteers, exchange ideas and receive feedback? Which global best practices should be followed in tackling problems in the social sphere? Clearly, modern charity work requires an efficient digital technology. Russia House will host an engaging and exciting discussion on 25 January, driven by panelists Valerie Rockefeller, Chair of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Shamina Singh, President of MasterCard, opera singer Anna Netrebko, and a number of corporate and charity foundation executives.

Roscongress Foundation – a major organizer of congress and exhibition events

The Roscongress Foundation was founded in 2007 with the aim of facilitating the development of Russia’s economic potential and strengthening the country’s image by organizing conventions, exhibitions, and public events. The Foundation develops substantive content for such events, providing companies and organizations with advice, information, and expert guidance, and offering comprehensive evaluation, analysis, and coverage of the Russian and global economic agendas. It offers administrative services and promotional support for business projects and helps to attract investment, including in the form of public-private partnerships.

Today, its annual programme includes events held from Montevideo to Vladivostok, offering an opportunity to bring together global business leaders, experts, the media, and government officials in one place, creating favourable conditions for dialogue and the promotion of new ideas and projects, and assisting in the creation of social enterprise and charity projects.