MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a session of the State Council to sum up the results of the outgoing Year of the Family in Russia and discuss support measures for families.
According to the Kremlin press service, participants will address additional measures of federal support aimed at reversing demographic trends in the country. They will discuss measures and best practices taken in various Russian regions and ways of creating effective information campaigns to promote family values.
Reports will be delivered by Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov, Novgorod Region Governor and Chairman of the State Council’s commission for family affairs Andrey Nikitin and Head of the Executive Committee of the All-Russia People's Front Mikhail Kuznetsov.
Year 2024 was declared the Year of the Family in the Russian Federation by a presidential executive order. The tradition of thematic years was launched in Russia in 2007, and the first thematic year was devoted to family issues as well.
At his combined annual press conference and question-and-answer session on Thursday, Putin said that Russia’s birth rate is insufficient, although it reflects global trends. "You know, the number of women of child-bearing age has decreased by 30%. We need girls, young women. What are we doing to correct the situation? We have developed a whole program. We are addressing this matter all the time, improving relevant instruments," he said.
As an example, he cited government benefits paid to people who have children, which span from the period of a woman’s pregnancy until a child turns 18. More than ten million children and around 320,000 pregnant women are currently receiving these allowances, the president added.
About the State Council
The State Council is an advisory body to the president of Russia, which deals with issues of the highest importance to the state as a whole. Its goal is to ensure coordination among various branches of power, outline priority areas for domestic and foreign policies and matters of the country’s social and economic development. Matters at hand are handled by the State Council’s presidium, which gathers under the Russian president’s chairmanship a few times a year.