The GRE promotes democratisation in Russia, by supporting non-profit organisations, which work in such areas as social work, youth work, aid to the elderly, rehabilitation of former drug addicts, help for street children, help for the homeless, environmental protection, women's organisations, help for the disabled and mentally ill, culture, education, human rights, aid to refugees. The consultations, seminars, etc. have continued. Now the Centre regularly seeks new contacts with foreign organisations, as partners for Russian non-profit organisations, for joint projects, information exchange, and exchanges of visits. Then the main objective was to make it possible for non-profit organisations, especially in the field of social work, environmental protection, and human rights, to obtain information about social work, human rights work, environmental protection, etc., in the West. They wanted to collect such information in a library, organise it, and make it available to the public.
Social work is a new profession in Russia.
It came into existence practically simultaneously with the social problems at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1989 the Faculty for Sociology opened at the University of St. Petersburg and in 1990 the first students began the study of social work. In 1992 the first systematic support for the self-help initiatives in the field of social work. GRE was also actively involved. The library seeks to acquire the latest literature, periodicals, law texts, documents, newspaper cuttings, brochures, etc., to classify them, and make them accessible.