SOCIAL PROJECTS

Our approach

FESCO's definition of “corporate social responsibility” is based on ISO 26000 Guidance on Social Responsibility: “Responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behaviour that:

• contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society
• takes into account the expectations of stakeholders
• is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour
• is integrated throughout the organisation and practised in its relationships."

Social responsibility as a part of FESCO’s everyday life

The social responsibility principle is embedded into FESCO's development strategy and day‑to‑day operations. Commitment to the principle manifests itself at all levels of the Company. The social responsibility principle also underpins the internal and external communication; the Company's employees develop competencies and motivations required to use it in the decision‑making process and operations.

FESCO seeks to continuously improve its social responsibility practices, keeps monitoring its impact on social, economic and environmental systems, and analyses the effects of its social, cultural and environmental initiatives. The Company analyses the potential social and environmental impacts of its decisions and integrates the social responsibility principle into its procurement, sales and investment practices.

The Group became a finalist in Our Contribution, Russia's first government award that recognises the contribution of businesses and non‑profit organisations to national goals and national projects, and gained the status of "Partner of National Projects".

In 2023, the Group earned the highest A+ status in the Leaders of Corporate Charity ranking. FESCO moved up two notches from the B+ status of 2022. The experts praised FESCO's active efforts to address social problems, develop and realise talents across its footprint. The ranking is put together by the Donors Forum (Association of Sponsoring Organisations) in partnership with National Priorities, Kommersant publishing house, and B1 Group.

In the Environment, Personnel, State (EPS) rating prepared by the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and the Mendeleyev Institute of Demographic Policy, FESCO received the highest grade – AAA – and was categorised by experts as one of the “Leaders".

Management of corporate social responsibility strategy

Their duties include approving the Company’s strategy in this area, monitoring its progress, and assessing performance. On an annual basis, the Board of Directors approves an Annual Report that contains exhaustive information about progress against programmes and projects run as part of the corporate social responsibility strategy.

Departments responsible for the development and implementation of the Company’s corporate social responsibility strategy annually submit a programme of charity initiatives and social projects to the Executive Board for it to approve this programme and associated expenditures. The relevant departments are responsible for implementing the programme within their remit, leveraging their own resources and engaging the employees of related business functions. Where necessary, cooperation is facilitated between federal government or local authorities and the Group’s business units, contractors and partners are involved to implement the activities under the agreed programme, while external experts assess the programme effectiveness. Publications in the media and social networks are monitored to assess the PR effect.

The annual programme is developed in line with FESCO’s corporate social responsibility strategy whereby the social responsibility principle is embedded into the Company's development strategy and day‑to‑day operations.

To have a better understanding of the impacts its programmes produce, the Company regularly collects every stakeholder feedback through surveys (covering both employees and local communities), focus groups and interviews.

Partner selection principle

A special role is played by professionals: social entrepreneurs, community‑focused non‑profit organisations, and charity experts.

The Company supports the following forms of external social programmes

FESCO takes consistent efforts to improve the quality of external social and charity projects in which it participates. The efforts include engagement of internal and external experts in programmes and projects, evaluation of results, and promotion of ideas, principles and best practices of corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and charity.

Our goals and objectives

Exceptional role of the Primorye Territory and Vladivostok

Since the history of FESCO establishment and evolution is closely linked to the exploration and development of the Russian Far East, the region as a whole and Vladivostok as its capital play an exceptional role in the Company's corporate social responsibility strategy. FESCO prioritises external social and charity projects and programmes implemented in the Primorye Territory.

In running external social and charity projects and programmes in the Russian Far East, FESCO keeps in mind the region's special geopolitical position, historical development, social and economic aspects.

The youth policy is a top priority for FESCO seeking to create an inviting environment for young talents, develop infrastructure to support the potential and aspirations of young people, and encourage the younger generation to preserve and study the region’s cultural and historical heritage.

Alongside that, the Group takes into account the importance of other regions of operation and carries out charitable projects there as well; some programmes are rolled out at the federal level.

Social, cultural and sports initiatives by FESCO in 2023

Sea of Opportunities, a contest of social projects

The Sea of Opportunities grant contest is a cornerstone of FESCO's local community support and development programme. In 2023, as part of this competition, FESCO Transportation Group continued to allocate grants to non‑profit organisations, government institutions and volunteers to address the most acute social problems of the Primorye Territory.

Grant contests as a tool of interaction with local communities are used throughout Russia, however, the Primorye Territory had not seen any such initiative until 2020. This was one of the main reasons for launching the programme. Another important goal of the programme is related to a global trend – a large‑scale evolution from targeted charity to consistent efforts to create a permanent and lasting framework for dealing with social problems.

Based on the results of the fourth annual contest in 2023, 55 applications were submitted by non‑profit, government and municipal organisations, as well as volunteer groups involving FESCO employees, from Vladivostok, as well as cities and towns of the region – Nakhodka, Artem, Ussuriysk, Partizansk, and more.

23 projects received grants under the core programme: 21 grants of up to RUB 300,000 and two more grants of up to RUB 500,000, successfully presented in person to the Contest's selection committee.

In addition, five projects were awarded grants in a special category by VMTP, which has been a partner of the competition since 2022. The port provides funding for projects aimed at the development of the Jägerskiöld neighbourhood.

In 2023, the grant fund totalled RUB 9.2 million. As the Sea of Opportunities winners managed to raise additional RUB 5 million on their own, the total social impact of the contest exceeded RUB 14 million. The projects covered over 6 thousand beneficiaries, with more than 500 people registering as volunteers to help implement the social initiatives.

The Company continues to place a heavy emphasis on networking, horizontal links between participants and other stakeholders, and training for applicants and winners to enable them to be successful in other grant contests going forward. The contest operator, Razvitiye Autonomous Non‑profit Organisation, a provider of advanced professional training and consulting services, acting as a resource centre for non‑profit organisations in the Primorye Territory, held a series of educational events for potential grant recipients, spring and autumn grant schools, and provided ongoing expert consulting support both at the stage of preparing applications for the contest and during project implementation.

An independent review of the Sea of Opportunities conducted by FESCO at the end of 2023 for the first time in the contest history found that 58% of the surveyed participants from previous years managed to expand the reach of their projects using the funds received and help even more people.

Official website of the contest

Supporting culture and arts

Opening a public space of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok

As part of the continuing strategic partnership between FESCO Transportation Group and the State Tretyakov Gallery, a public space of the State Tretyakov Gallery was opened in Vladivostok in July 2023. In addition to financing, FESCO provided the Tretyakov Gallery with premises for this project. The representative office of the Tretyakov Gallery is now located in the historical building of Far‑Eastern Shipping Company at 15 Aleutskaya Street, Vladivostok. The Tretyakov Gallery's public space works as a cultural and educational platform hosting exhibitions, workshops, lectures, film screenings and other events. Apart from that, visitors will be able to work and study here, as the Gallery’s representative office features a small library with books on painting and fine arts, several fully equipped workplaces, and a lounge area.

Visitors of the Tretyakov Gallery in Vladivostok can read art books, catalogues of the gallery's exhibitions in Moscow, meet like‑minded people and take part in cultural, scientific and educational events.

Exhibition projects

In 2023, FESCO acted as the general partner of the Age of Graphics exhibition at the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, where visitors could see new additions of works of graphics of the 20th and 21st centuries.

With the support of FESCO, the Primorsky State Picture Gallery in Vladivostok also hosted the exhibition dubbed “Energy of Colour. Archetypes of the Avant‑Garde". The project was implemented in partnership with the State Tretyakov Gallery and Far Eastern State Museum. The exhibition gathered more than 50 works that most vividly reflected the traditions of the Russian avant‑garde.

Master’s programme in museum studies

The cooperation between FESCO and the Tretyakov Gallery goes beyond cultural initiatives. FESCO contributed to launching the master's programme in museum studies in 2021 at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, and 2023 saw the first eleven Master's students defend their qualification works, with nine of them awarded diplomas with honours.

Since 2023, FESCO has been providing financial support for the implementation of a similar master's programme at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University.

As part of it, students develop skills for working in museums, while the State Tretyakov Gallery employees and the professors participate in classes on fundraising, exhibitions, hands‑on course on writing about arts, digital environment and museum PR.

The programme graduates will be able to join the talent pool of the Tretyakov Gallery branches in Vladivostok and Kaliningrad.

Education

FESCO’s main goals in rolling out educational projects are to achieve the national objectives of personnel training for the transport and logistics industry. A strong talent pool is impossible without early career guidance programmes for schoolchildren, which is why FESCO places great emphasis on such projects.

FESCO’s IT class

In late May 2023, FESCO opened a computer class for training in relevant IT professions at the Kvantorium children's technology park. The programme is designed for pupils in grades 7–11, including those left without parental care, from large or distressed families.

The training curriculum covers programming, 3D modelling, VR app development, and industrial design.

Culture Contour creative camp

The first Culture Contour, a creative camp for children, was organised in summer 2023 jointly with the New Teacher Charity Foundation, bringing together 140 teenagers aged 13 to 17, who worked for a fortnight to prepare their creative projects and then present them at a city festival. The camp was hosted by school No. 32, where the participants of the foundation’s Teacher for Russia programme are supported by the Primorye Territory's Ministry of Education and FESCO.

In November 2023, a three‑day training programme was held for teachers to upgrade their skills: more than 60 teachers from the Primorye Territory learnt the tools and technologies of informal pedagogy and project approach during the workshop Organising Activities at School and Beyond.

This is not the first instance of cooperation between FESCO Transportation Group and the New Teacher Charity Foundation, as previously FESCO supported the launch of the Teacher for Russia programme in the Primorye Territory.

Culture Contour

Ticket to the Future federal project

VMTP joined the Ticket to the Future federal project as part of the Education national project. The project introduces schoolchildren interested in professions related to vessels, ports, and logistics to the workplace conditions and nature of work. The relevant agreement was signed on 1 December 2023. As part of the initiative, schoolchildren from Vladivostok and the Primorye Territory visit the port on career guidance tours to solidify their knowledge.

In parallel with the Ticket to the Future activities, the tours are also offered to pupils in grades 7–11 left without parental care, from large or distressed families.

Ticket to the Future

FESCO for the Kids programme

These activities are implemented in the following areas:

• project to support children’s and family reading by reprinting Soviet children's books and publishing new ones, donating them to educational and health facilities and conducting educational programmes
• partnership with charities to support severely ill children
• volunteering: visiting organisations for orphans and children left temporarily without parental care, organising events for parents and patients of children's healthcare facilities
• support for projects aimed at developing and unlocking the potential of children and young people as part of the Sea of Opportunities grant contest

Programme objectives

Main beneficiaries of the FESCO for the Kids programme:

• children of different ages: providing educational and recreational opportunities for children of different age groups in line with their needs and interests
• children with disabilities: helping severely ill children by supporting their health and providing access to education and cultural events
• families and parents: supporting family reading, fostering stronger ties between children and their parents, creating shared time for learning and development
• local educational and healthcare facilities: providing reprinted children's books to cultural (libraries), educational (schools, kindergartens) and healthcare institutions, thus enhancing their educational content
• local communities: supporting the development of the region's cultural and educational environment, which strengthens local communities and social ties

Project to support children’s and family reading

For more than three years, FESCO has been implementing a programme to support children's and family reading as part of FESCO for the Kids programme: it reprints popular Soviet books for children and teenagers, implements its own publishing projects and engages in awareness‑raising and educational activities.

2023 saw FESCO introduce the programme to support children's and family reading in the cities where the Company operates – at the Arts and Reading Festival in Tomsk, the Museums to Children festival in St Petersburg, and Russia Expo at VDNH.

Support for severely ill children of Primorye

Since 2020, FESCO Transportation Group together with Rusfond, Russia's largest charity foundation, has been providing assistance to seriously ill children from the Primorye Territory. The goal is to create a system of swift and effective targeted assistance to severely ill children that for various reasons are unable to get treatment for their conditions under mandatory health insurance. In 2023, high‑tech medical care under the programme was provided to 16 children.

The Group also supports the development of the bone marrow donor register in the Far East.

Sports initiatives

In 2023, more than 15 different projects were accomplished, with more than 5 thousand people involved. The Group is actively engaged in organising and holding competitions and tournaments at various levels, as well as supporting projects promoting sports and healthy lifestyles.

FESCO supported a number of important events, including those involving Olympic champions and world‑class athletes – Children of Primorye International Games, IPFC 7 international tournament, Lilia Akhaimova gymnastics tournament, and more.

FESCO sponsored more than ten tournaments in full‑contact karate, triathlon, wrestling, sambo, and other martial arts, held a FESCO children's basketball tournament, jointly with Lev Yashin Football Academy of Dynamo organised Far East FESCO Cup – an international football tournament, held competitions in intellectual sports, weiqi and go. All tournaments are organised in close cooperation with regional governments and sports federations.

FESCO's significant contribution to the development of regional sports is the support of HC Admiral from Primorye. The hockey club celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2023, and FESCO has been its reliable partner since day one.

One of the goals of FESCO's social policy is to provide opportunities even to the most vulnerable people. In 2023, the Company and Adaptivnoe Sambo non‑profit organisation held several events for children with disabilities: the first FESCO Inclusive Games, Special Olympics and Inclusive Spartakiad.

Development of social and public infrastructure

Creating a comfortable urban environment is one of the top priorities in the Group's corporate social responsibility strategy. The following key initiatives were implemented in 2023:

• signing an agreement with the Vladivostok administration to improve one of the city's main centres of attraction – Tokarevsky Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Vladivostok. It is planned to renovate the territory near the lighthouse, create a lit promenade area with resting places and hardscaping
• repair and restoration of Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University
• repairs in schools, leisure centres. and sponsored institutions
• repair and equipment of sports facilities
• FESCO Assistance – multifunctional automotive systems for solving problems on the roads and integration of the LizaAlert facial recognition system to help in the search for missing people
• opening of playgrounds in Vladivostok

Corporate volunteering

On 14 November 2023, at the 12th Corporate Volunteering International Forum in Moscow, FESCO Transportation Group headed the Regional Representative Office of the National Corporate Volunteering Council in the Primorye Territory.

Since 2023, FESCO has been actively promoting corporate volunteering. In addition to strengthening corporate culture, team building, and invaluable contribution to external social projects, corporate volunteering makes a significant contribution to the achievement of the national development goals by involving the most active part of the nation – professionals who really care – in socially impactful activities. Moreover, volunteer programmes help to expand the network of contacts and forge partnerships for further mutually beneficial cooperation.

In its corporate volunteering programme, FESCO follows the principles set out in the Group's corporate social responsibility strategy, coordinating the efforts of volunteers towards implementing the strategy and increasing the efficiency of social investments in the development of local communities.

In 2023, the FESCO volunteer team won in the Corporate Volunteer Organisation of the Primorye Territory nomination at the Volunteer of the Year 2023, a regional contest for recognition, support and rewarding of the best volunteers. The competition is held to popularise and develop volunteering in the Primorye Territory and implement the Social Activity federal project as part of the Education national project.