Tuymazy participated in the WHO Global Age-friendly Cities Project in 2006. In 2011 the President of Bashkortostan approved of our initiative, and other 20 municipalities of the Republic joined the project. The Regional Steering Committee was formed in 2012, comprised of government officials, NGO representatives, older persons, and researchers.

The implementation of the project largely relies on the volunteer efforts of staff from the municipalities, Ministry of Labour, and Organization of Retired Persons, “Wisdom Ripening. An Advisory Board has been elected in our municipality as well. Members of the Organization of Retired Persons “Wisdom Ripening” are included into the working groups together with the heads of the municipal departments. The development of a city-wide action plan is based on the assessment findings in the eight areas of city living, namely: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, and community and health services.

The action plan aims to improve the lives of older people and people with disabilities. It is important to monitor our progress. We hold quarterly meetings with the NGOs and local authorities to discuss the results of our joint work. We are developing a city-wide public awareness campaign and will continue to build an age-friendly atmosphere, not only in our city but in the whole republic. We are also developing further partnerships with schools, colleges and other institutions to organize more programmes for older adults and try to involve more older adults in volunteer work. Our national projects, such as “Family Support “, “Accessible Environment”, “Camerton – Coaching”, “Service Centre for the elderly”, “Grannies for Grandchildren” “Pavements”,” Universities of the Third Age”, “Social Tourism”, “TV Studio “50+” and others, help us in making our city more age-friendly. Age-friendliness has become a core responsibility for all municipal departments. Our end goal is for all citizens to benefit from our participation in the Age-friendly Cities project.