Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova chaired the final meeting of the Government Council on Guardianship in the Social Sphere for 2025. The agenda included the council's work this year and plans for 2026. The event was held at the Zurab Tsereteli Gallery of the Russian Academy of Arts. The meeting was attended by council members and experts, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Education.
Ahead of the meeting, Tatyana Golikova visited the "Defenders of the Fatherland" exhibition, organized by the Russian Academy of Arts and the M.B. Grekov Studio of War Artists. The exhibition featured paintings, drawings, and sculptures from the studio's collections, artist collections, and private collections. The theme of the exhibition was portraits of people from different eras who participated in the defense of the Motherland.
"The year 2025 is drawing to a close. President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has declared this year the Year of Defenders of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This honors the heroism of those who fought for our Motherland at various points in history. This very idea—connecting generations across years and eras, the image of the defender of the Fatherland from Ancient Rus' to today's heroes—participants in special military operations—is at the core of the project organized by the Grekov Studio of Military Artists and the Russian Academy of Arts. Artists are on the front lines alongside our young men. Thanks to them, we preserve the memory of historical events, soldiers and officers, priests, doctors and teachers, volunteers, ordinary citizens—everyone who helped and continues to help bring victory closer," noted Tatyana Golikova.
She added that among the council's members and experts, there are those who have been actively involved in this work from the very first day. The Deputy Prime Minister thanked Tatyana Samarskaya, head of Grekov's studio, and Vasily Tsereteli, president of the Russian Academy of Arts, for the idea and organization of the project, and Tatyana Kochemasova, vice president of the Russian Academy of Arts, for the tour.
Tatyana Golikova emphasized that, in the current climate, a large number of government decisions are focused on supporting participants in the special military operation: "Returning these young men to civilian life, restoring their health, obtaining an education, employing them, and reintegrating them into society is an absolute priority for our work, something President Vladimir Putin discussed in detail last week during his direct line. In November, the government approved a strategy for developing the rehabilitation industry. We will develop the production and maintenance of rehabilitation products, improve training for the industry, advance research and development, and expand international cooperation."
Summing up the year, Tatyana Golikova highlighted some significant achievements of the Government and the Council. Fifteen events (seven meetings, six roundtables) were held, and the results of the 3rd Asadov All-Russian Literary Competition for Visually Impaired Authors and the 1st "School Without Offense" competition were announced.
The first block of work is demography, support for families with children.
The Government has approved a Strategy for the implementation of family and demographic policies and support for large families.
Since this year, at the direction of the President, the principle of family centricity has been taken into account in all national projects.
"A simplified procedure for providing the unified benefit has been implemented. Nearly 5 million families, 9.6 million children, and more than 140,000 pregnant women have already seen the positive impact," said Tatyana Golikova. "Regional programs to increase the birth rate continue to be implemented. In 41 regions with low TFRs, more than 200,000 families have already benefited from the new support measures from the government-approved 'demographic menu.'" The pilot project 'Reproductive Health,' initiated by the council, contributed to the development of the menu.
"It's too early to talk about a reversal in birth rates—it's a slow process. But in November of this year, compared to the same period last year, 26 regions saw an increase in births. The leaders were Magadan Oblast, Sevastopol, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Mordovia, and the Leningrad and Kaliningrad Oblasts," the Deputy Prime Minister noted.
The next important area of work is the health of citizens.
In December, a Presidential decree approved the Healthcare Development Strategy. Among other provisions, it focuses on strengthening reproductive health, combating risk factors for non-communicable diseases, especially among young people, and the need to increase the proportion of citizens leading a healthy lifestyle.
Particular attention is being paid to disease prevention and detection. As of November 1, nearly 77 million citizens had undergone medical checkups.
Last year, the government introduced reproductive health screening. Nearly 13 million men and women have completed it. Of the women treated, 12,000 have become pregnant.
At the council's request, monitoring of the organization and implementation of preventive examinations and screenings for university and college students was launched in July of this year. More than 2.2 million students have been informed, 53% of whom have undergone medical examinations.
"At our meetings, we discussed the issue of excess body weight. At the council's request, a set of measures to combat obesity in children and adolescents has been developed and is being implemented. By March 2026, a set of measures to combat obesity in adults will be completed. I would like to emphasize that this comprehensive plan should be consistent with the comprehensive plan developed for children and adolescents," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
Another area of work is the quality of life of senior citizens and citizens with special health needs.
A government decision has enabled the provision of Russian Sign Language interpretation services using an electronic certificate; technical readiness has been ensured, and the issuance of a certificate confirming disability in electronic form, effective March 1, 2026, is now available on the government services portal.
At the request of the council, a comprehensive interdepartmental plan for the life of people with mental and behavioral disabilities has been updated.
With the participation of council members, the work of inpatient social service organizations for citizens with mental disorders is changing.
This year, with the participation of council members, a Strategy for Action for Senior Citizens until 2030 and an implementation plan were developed and approved by the Government in April.
"As part of the national project 'Family,' over 400 new social centers for senior citizens have been opened, primarily in small and medium-sized towns, hosting over 40,000 events. Cultural infrastructure is being updated. This year, 110 museums and 20 regional and municipal theaters received new equipment, nearly 250 municipal libraries were refurbished according to the standard model, 14 museums and seven cultural and leisure facilities were modernized, six philharmonic societies were renovated, and over 280 regional cultural organizations were provided with musical instruments and equipment," said Tatyana Golikova.
In conclusion, Tatyana Golikova noted that the council's proposed solutions support the work of the Government, ministries, and regions and form the basis for strategic documents and legislative decisions. She thanked everyone for their work in 2025.
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