Historical transformations proceeding in the last decade in Russia alongside with reforms in social and economic and political fields have radically changed the system of mutual relationship of the person, the society and the state.

The State is strong and its management - effective, if its social base is built upon the citizens' trust and their interest and participation in solving of the actual problems. Such a system is formed basically by independent citizens associations, a set of which is traditionally called «the third sector».

The federal law from 1/12/1996 № 7-FL «About the noncommercial organizations» defines the basic forms in which the noncommercial organizations - the organizations which do not have profit-making as the prime purpose of their activity and do not share the received profit between participants - can be created.

The noncommercial organizations serve as the intermediary between the state and the population, conducting a public dialogue on key-issues of the Ulyanovsk oblast and the State development, expanding the self-management, developing civil activity and strengthening the responsibility of people for their own destiny and destiny of Russia as a whole.

The most frequent form of noncommercial organizations are the public associations which, in their turn, consist of public organizations, social movements, public funds, public institutions, bodies of public amateur performance and political parties.

Today's public sector condition in the Ulyanovsk oblast may be defined as a dynamically developing system, possessing stability and positive tendency for the civil society institutes to step up their influence on the processes of social and economic development of the region. Public and other noncommercial organizations of the Oblast strive for strengthening of their material base, increasing of their qualification, competitiveness in the market of social services, and for participation in the realization of the regional target programs. There is a gradual process of forming the consolidated communities of public associations with a view of more active influence on social and economic policy formation and realization in the Ulyanovsk oblast.

According to the federal executive authorities, which register the noncommercial organizations, there are about 1500 noncommercial organizations registered on the territory of the Ulyanovsk oblast , and many of those actively cooperate with the bodies of the government.

The governor and the Government of the Ulyanovsk oblast pay much attention to cooperation with the noncommercial organizations. This cooperation is focused on achievement of long-term aims in the field of social and economic policy and social development of our region.

The main aims are: to guarantee the steady increase of the living standards in the region; to expand and increase the efficiency of public participation in processes of decision-making in federal and local bodies; to guarantee the right of noncommercial organizations to the state support of their activity and creation of conditions to reveal their potential in carrying out socially useful programs.