The forum comprised more than a thousand representatives of governments, parliaments, NGOs and religious communities from forty countries and five continents. The event included a festival of families with many children and a concert titled “It all begins with the family”. The forum took place at the State Duma of the Russian Federation, State Kremlin Palace and the Church of Christ the Saviour.

The gathering at the Kremlin was opened by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The guests were also greeted by Supreme Mufti of Russia Talgat Tajuddin and Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.

In his well-received speech, Aleksandar Cotric, who is also the Head of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, stressed, among other things, that the normative and legal system of the Republic of Serbia regulates population policy measures through the Labour Law, Law on Financial Support for Families with Children and the Health Insurance Law.

“In addition to being a right stemming from labour relations, the 365-day maternity leave is in its essence a population policy measure stipulated by the Labour Law”, said Cotric. He stressed that a third and every following child, according to the Law, allows for a two-year leave, which, as a population policy measure cannot be found in any other European legislation.

Cotric also pointed out that the Law on Financial Support for Families with Children contains the measure of parental allowance which the mother can receive for the first of four children by order of birth.

“The allowance is a lump-sum paid for the first child, and a sum paid in 24 instalments for the second, third and fourth child. The amounts range, depending on the order of birth, from 310 EUR for the first to about 3000 EUR for the fourth child”, said Aleksandar Cotric in his address.