Moscow Union of Public Associations — Societies of Friendship with Peoples of Foreign Countries

MSOD (Moscow Friendship Societies Union) is a Moscow-based non-government organization, which combines a wealth of international activity experience with highly professional staff opened for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The full name of the organization is Regional Public Organization ‘Moscow Union of Public Associations – Societies of Friendship with Peoples of Foreign Countries’. The official web-site is www.msod.ru.

MSOD was established and registered in 2005.

At the present moment there are 39 non-government organizations under the guidance of MSOD, including 5 international public associations, 3 all-Russian organizations, 2 interregional and 5 regional public organizations, as well as 5 non-profit-making voluntary organizations. Of the 39 member organizations of MSOD, 24 are friendship societies.

All friendship societies forming part of MSOD are also members of the Russian Association of International Cooperation (RAMS) and actively collaborate with the relevant government organization – Rossotrudnichestvo.

Primary objectives of MSOD:

• Implement public diplomacy principles in international relations;
• Contribute to expanding the international authority of Moscow as a metropolis that leverages unique scientific, production, intellectual and cultural opportunities;
• Assist in deploying Moscow's program to support fellow countrymen living abroad;
• Promote the achievements of Russian science, education, culture and the Russian language abroad;
• Strengthen the relations of Moscow-based organizations with foreign partners;
• Support Moscow’s international initiatives.

Key activities to implement the objectives of MSOD:

• Establish societies of friendship with Russia and Moscow abroad under the auspices of partner organizations;
• Assist the Government of Moscow in arranging various events to extend ties between the Russian capital and foreign capitals in social, political and cultural spheres, both at home and abroad;
• Participate in the implementation of Moscow’s city-level target programs, such as patriotic awareness programs for young people (international social events for children and youth, summer courses, culture and sports festivals, etc.), families and children support programs (Muscovites contributing to the international movement ‘Family to Family’, etc.);
• Support fellow countrymen living abroad. In particular, establish Russian language courses, libraries of Russian fiction and reference literature, cinema halls screening Russian movies, on the basis of foreign partner organizations and friendship societies; arrange trivia games and contests of Moscow and Russian history for the children of fellow nationals abroad; distribute books, magazines, newspapers, audio and video recordings giving coverage to various scenes of Moscow and Muscovites’ life.

The presidium of MSOD is comprised by politicians, public figures, diplomats, scientists and astronauts known both in this country and internationally.

The friendship societies – members of MSOD maintain solid partnership relations with non-government organizations from foreign countries (societies of friendship with Russia, associations of graduates from the former USSR/Russian universities, unions of compatriots, etc.). Leaders and activists of these foreign societies of friendship with Russia are for the most part well-known people of high social standing and influence in their countries (cabinet members, members of parliament, prominent figures of culture and science).