[3] According to the Article 6 of the law the President appoints 42 members of the chamber who are supposed to have distinguished merit for the state and society.[2].
[5][1][6] According to the Federal Law ‘On the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation’ the purpose of the Civic Chamber is to help citizens interact with government officials and local authorities in order to take into account the needs and interests of citizens, to protect their rights and freedoms in the process of shaping and implementing state policies, and to exercise public control over the activities of executive authorities.
The most important issues concerning the development of civil society and the country at large are usually considered during plenary sessions, with all members of the Civic Chamber taking part in them.
In line with the Law the Civic Chamber coordinates the work on creation of public watchdog committees in the RF entities.
The Federal Law establishes the legal framework for organising and carrying out public oversight, its goals and objectives, principles and forms, as well as procedures and methods for determining and disclosing its results.
Over the past ten years the Civic Chamber examined more than 500 draft laws relating to various spheres – from state-building to family and childhood support.
In 2014 the Civic Chamber tried a new approach to expert examination - the so called ‘zero readings’ of draft normative legal acts as a part of improvement of lawmaking process.
To conclude, the examination activities of the Civic Chamber aim at accommodation of socially important interests of the RF citizens, NGOs, public and local authorities.
From March to November 2015, regional-level Community forums took place in the nine federal districts, where participants discussed development of the non-profit sector in the regions, the biggest issues and possible solutions, and support for the most effective civic activeness practices.
Forums were also attended by federal and regional experts and practitioners in a variety of fields: public oversight, society-business-government interaction, fundraising, volunteerism and charity, informal communities, citizens' engagement, etc.
Besides, in 2006 the Civic Chamber of Russia became member of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS).
It is a unique organisation incorporating civil society institutions of 74 countries spanning four continents – Asia, Africa, Europe and America.
In 2013 the Civic Chamber was elected President of the Association for a two-year term, which was recognition of maturity of Russian civil society.
Interaction of the Civic Chamber with civil society institutions of different countries is based on the following principles: In 2012 within the Civic Chamber there was established Russian Public Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy (hereinafter Council), an expert/consultative body on the Russian foreign policy composed of more than 40 prominent representatives of the non-profit sector and expert community taking active part in international programs and studies.
In the majority of cases, resolutions and recommendations reflecting the consolidated position of the leading civil society institutes on the subjects considered were adopted at the end of the meetings; those were later on sent to field-specific bodies of the state authorities.