Bashkatova
Tatiana
Irkutsk State University
World Globalization through
Humanitarianism
During
the last years Russian socio-economic reforms became the basis of increasing
philanthropy sector, humanization of state actions and realization of
innovative projects. This requires to re-mind humanism as methodological
principle of social- humanitarian organizations in Globalizing World .
Russia is a multi-national country, so,
socio-humanitarian organizations work in poly-cultural regions. That is why the
demands for them are strong. Telling about Siberian socio-humanitarian
organizations, we can say they work thinking about ethnic and religious
variety. Great changes of their work are based on influence of globalization,
international cooperation with foreign philanthropy organizations and it became
the most effective branch of their work (for some of them).
Place and role of socio-humanitarian
organizations in Russia, scale and specific character of their activity, poor
conceptual and functional identification of their social background are important
problems for future investigations.
Humanitarianism
as international global humanitarian movement and its social practice in Russia
must be the object of deep scientific analyses. So, theoretical and empirical
studying of social-humanitarian organizations activity in Global World is very
actually.
Sociological interpretation of humanism
as regulative principle of socio-humanitarian organizations in Russia is based
on modern models of analyze and explanation of humanism – V. Kuvakin, P. Kurtz,
J. Soros.
Nowadays humanitarianism is a powerful
force of the World Civilization. Its mission is to save millions of lives with
the help of different humanitarian organizations. Humanism is a regulative
principle of humanitarian organizations. The author comes to the conclusion
that preconditions of its development are seen ages ago. Historically based
humanism ideas are the basis of modern humanitarianism: good and virtue ideas,
moral ideas, freedom conception, ideas of a culturally wealthy man of the rich
inner world. Collection of social-idea potential at all ages of human
development transformed into Global Humanitarianism Conception by the end of XX
century.
Developing of humanism ideas, widening
meanings of its movement, lead to its further institualization and
socialization but at higher level. Regular conferences, international and
Russian humanistic communities, creation of manifests, declarations, acts, a
lot of scientific works and magazines which are devoted to the problems of
humanism are clear confirmation of it. Active development of humanism movement
requires to change definition and meaning of humanism but to review the work of
humanitarian organizations.
We analyzed the researches (according
to our theme) and arrived at a conclusion that the USA is the leader in
humanistic movement. Organizing the conferences, discussing the practical
problems, education, trainings, active consultations is acknowledgement of it. So
the term “humanitarianism” came from the USA, where it is widely known. If we
tell about Russia, we can see another situation. This term isn’t used by
scholars (and other people).
Russia has a great quantity of
philanthropic organizations, NGOs, but does not take part in humanitarianism
movement. According to the state data there are 65 000 NGOs work on the
territory of Russia, a quarter of them got financial support from the USA state
department. At the same time only 26 NGOs work on the territory of Russia and
not one of them gets financial support from Russia (1). Today to tell about
statistic it is very difficult, due to no correct information about this data.
It is only known that in 2015, 2700 NGOs in Russia have got financial support
from abroad (total sum is about 36 billion rubles) (2). Nowadays NGOs functions
are not only to inform or to help; they take part in working out of political
documents, agreement and declarations in different aspects of human life.
During the last decade of the XX
century the representatives of humanitarian missions came to the conclusion
about collaboration in emergency situations, it became the cause of their
politization. State role increases rapidly in military and diplomatic spheres.
So, humanitarian organizations were ready to work with the states, but they
lost their independence and neutrality in this process. At the same time
financial support increased from 2 till 6 billons $ (2005) (3). Specific
activity of humanitarian organizations shows that humanitarianism is up-to-date
politic branch in many states.
During the last 20 years it developed
and organized as professional area, with its own donors, volunteers, managers.
Humanitarianism’s
development in globalizing world became the basis of training specialists for
humanitarian organizations in such countries as Switzerland, Ireland, the USA.
Nowadays there is one more positive tendency that Nobel Prize is given to
humanitarian organizations.
Now in
Russia we can see small steps on the way to humanitarianism. 2006-year was
called a Philanthropy year in Russia. Philanthropy changes, big enterprises
transform donors and grants policy. We study forming endowment and foundrising.
Organizing of special courses for volunteers and NGO’s management is widely
spread. The investigation shows that big varieties of humanitarian
organizations are still in Europe and the USA. As for Russia, Russian NGO’s
work is local and un-noticeable. Personal correspondence with Professor Michael
Barnett
(Stassen Chair of International Affairs, Professor of Political Science, Humphrey
School of Public Affairs University of Minnesota) let us came to the
conclusion that foreign scholars know
nothing about socio-humanitarian organization activity in Russia. This fact
supports the point of view that Russia is closed for humanitarianism today. And
it is evident that Russia is not a full segment of humanitarianism process.
Another
situation is abroad. Humanitarianism is very popular among foreign scholars. It
is explained as a system, as a process, movement, and as ideology.
Investigation shows that humanitarianism – is a social movement which combines
humanitarian organizations all over the world in united system in Globalizing
condition. Among the main items of modern humanitarianism we detached human
rights, due to its realization is the level of life of civilized society.
The
author considers that socio-humanitarian organizations is a new phenomena for
Russia. It combined with Globalization, active development of international
activity and humanitarianism.
But in
general Russian NGO’s activity differs from such organizations abroad very
much. The main difference is that foreign humanitarian organizations are in the
system of humanitarianism. It helps them to work more effectively. For example:
International Federation of the Blue
Cross (Switzerland); International Federation of Humane Rights Leagues
(France), works in 86 countries; International Federation of Persons with
Physical Disability (Germany) in 27 countries; International Federation of
Social Workers (Switzerland) 77 countries;
International League for Human Rights (USA); International Social Security
Association (Switzerland) 150 countries;
International Social Service (Switzerland) 100 countries; Medecins sans
Fronteres (Belgium) 18 countries; Rotary International (USA) 16 countries, etc.
To tell
about Russia in this process is too early. Now Russia it is only at the
beginning on the way of institualization of social work. To make the situation
clearer we examined socio-humanitarian organizations in Siberian Region. The
analyses gave us the results that such organizations were not easy to communicate
with, they were rather “closed”, and were not ready to advertise themselves.
One of their branch is international cooperation, but grants applications
examine too long that is why the actuality of a project becomes less. Nowadays according to the “sunctions against
Russia”, “Magnitsky Act”, new law policy in the NGO’s sphere the quantity of
Russian socio-humanitarian organizations which worked with foreign
philanthropic foundations has become strictly less.
Expert-examine
showed that it is necessary to study the experience of other countries (to know
all ins and outs in this process), to change the law and tax policy about
NGO’s, to reduce the term for getting visas for international volunteers.
As for
Irkutsk region we have only one international humanitarian organization - Red
Cross. Its activity is connected with the regional problems. In Irkutsk it is
AIDS. The quantity of illness people is the highest in the country. In spite of
Red Cross Irkutsk is international organization it has its own problems –
external influence, human development index. But for Russia the presence of
such organizations is extremely important.
1. Äèðåêòîð ñëóæáû âíåøíåé ðàçâåäêè: «ÍÏÎ
– øèðìà äëÿ èíîñòðàííûõ ðàçâåäîê» [Ýëåêòðîííûé ðåñóðñ]. - Ðåæèì äîñòóïà: http://www.hro.org/editions/demos/2005/12/08.php#8/65, ñâîáîäíûé.
2. Íåêîììåð÷åñêèå îðãàíèçàöèè â Ðîññèè
[Ýëåêòðîííûé ðåñóðñ]. - Ðåæèì äîñòóïà: http://www.tass.ru, ñâîáîäíûé.
3. Îôèöèàëüíûé ñàéò Ïðåçèäåíòà ÐÔ
[Ýëåêòðîííûé ðåñóðñ]. - Ðåæèì äîñòóïà: http://www.kremlin.ru, ñâîáîäíûé.