- Elena Zakharova, Programme Co-ordinator, Moscow Regional Public Charitable Fund `Social Partnership'
Elena spoke about the history of Youth Service and Alternative Civilian Service (ACS) in Russia, and outlined the work of the Moscow Regional Public Charitable Fund `Social Partnership' in trying to strengthen ACS by helping to bring about the creation of the mechanisms needed for ACS to operate in the field of social security and welfare. Though the right to conscientious objection is guaranteed by the Constitution, as yet the mechanism is not in place for young people to perform ACS. In particular, both state social institutions and non-governmental organizations lack sufficient human resources to enable them to co-ordinate programmes; and there is also a lack of awareness on the part of local authorities, the population and some power structures, of the concept of ACS, the principles and mechanisms for putting it into practice in the social security and welfare sector (the social sphere), and the progressive world experience in this field. There is also no mechanism for sharing experience about ACS problems. All of these problems are compounded by the difficult financial and socio-economic situation in Russia and the complexity of re-distribution of resources for improving the situation in this field. Social Partnership believes that effective operation of ACS in the social sphere would be of great value to both the participants, regions and to Russia as a whole.
ACS in Russia has had a chequered history: in the 19th century members of several religious groups were given the right to conscientious objection, where they would perform some form of civilian service in the social sphere instead of military service. However, the 1939 Law on Universal Military Duty abolished ACS. 1993 saw the re-establishment of conscientious objection, and following a difficult time during the course of the 1990s, in January 1998 at the Council of the State Duma the draft of the Law `On Alternative Civilian Service' was entrusted to the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and Religious Confessions. Social Partnership is consulting with this Committee and other members of the Duma in regard to this alternative service legislation. Partners in Social Partnership's work include a range of federal and regional governmental and non-governmental organizations and committees, information agencies and foreign partners.
Social Partnership aims to: unite the efforts of the constructive forces in this field and to clarify the obligations of Russia in international agreements on ACS problems; help create a universal information network for independent, non-commercial and state organizations and citizens of Russia on ACS issues in a social sphere; assist in the co-ordination of common actions by federal authorities and citizens on the creation of mechanisms for operating ACS; assist in the preparation of mechanisms for operating ACS in the social sphere on the basis of NGOs and local administrations, with compulsory participation of youth organization representatives; help initiate the process of operating ACS projects in the social sphere; and co-ordinate the creation and operation of volunteer youth civil social services in the Russian regions.
To help achieve these aims, its objectives include: the creation and operation of an information service on ACS issues in the social sphere for co-ordinating experience-sharing, and methodological and informational support for regional partners on given themes; holding a Round Table on the subject `Sharing experience on the creation of mechanisms for passing ACS in the social sphere on a local level in the Russian regions', holding ten regional meetings for initiating the establishment of volunteer youth civil social services with voluntary participation of the citizens; holding a Round Table on the results of work of volunteer youth civil social services (models of operating ACS in the social sphere in Russia). On 19 December 1997 Social Partnership held a Round Table on ACS and the social sphere in the State Duma, with participation of representatives of the State and local executive and legislative branches of power, human rights and public organizations. An open appeal of the round table participants - with proposals for the creation of mechanisms for operating ACS in the social sphere in some Russian regions - was adopted. This is an important first step.
Social Partnership's work will include the following strands: assisting the young citizens directed to ACS by the courts to fulfil their Constitutional duty; solving, to some extent, the problem of the lack of workers in low paid jobs in the social sphere (social security and welfare sectors); taking into account the particular ACS requirements in the social sphere of the various Russian regions; giving an opportunity to the legislative and executive bodies to optimize and improve the operation of ACS (considering Social Partnership's project outcomes); assisting with the creation of a positive image of the issue among the parties participating and among the Russian population; considering observance of the historical traditions of Russia - ACS directed to the socio-economic sphere; ascertaining the socio-economic features of the various Russian regions - to help in the operation of ACS; helping establish social partnership between federal and regional state and non-governmental social services and employment services, and local administrations of cities and areas of Russia; involving the support of state and non-commercial organizations, and international organizations; and sharing the experience of other countries on the problems of ACS.
4th
Global conference on national youth service (1998) 
