The Republic of Belarus is a social state. Its activities are aimed at creating conditions that ensure a decent life and free development for the population. Citizens are guaranteed the rights to work, health care, education, state support for families with children and others in need of support, etc.“Belarus has built the model of national development that best meets the needs of the Belarusian people, has effectively functioning institutions, an optimal economic system and a strong level of social protection of the population. We are proud of the achieved results,” Alexander Lukashenko, The President of the Republic of Belarus, said.The state policy is based on the principle of social justice, which is manifested in:• recognition of human, his rights and freedoms as the highest value, equality of all people before the law;• ensuring fundamental conditions for the vital activity of citizens;• remuneration for work in accordance with its quantity, quality and available economic opportunities;• social protection of children, the elderly, the disabled, the poor.In the Republic of Belarus social protection expenditures are the highest among the CIS countries, but it is less than in the EU countries. In 2015 expenditures on social benefits （pensions, allowances, scholarships） in our country amounted to 13.7% of GDP, while in Russia – 11.8%, Moldova – 13.2%, Kazakhstan – 4.1%, Armenia – 7.3%, Ukraine – 8.9%. In the EU, the expenses on social protection is much higher. In 2011, in neighboring Poland, this indicator was 19.2%, Lithuania – 17%, Latvia – 15.1%. The highest rate among the EU countries in 2011 was in France – 33.6%, the Netherlands– 32.3%, Germany– 29.4% （http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/）.The key vector of the policy of our state is traditionally provision of the availability of education, health care, housing and other socially important services. With the aim of practical implementation of the guarantees established by law in the field of social services, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of May 30, 2003, No. 724 “about measures of implementing a system of the state social standards for servicing the population of the Republic” was adopted. Its implementation is under constant state control.A number of state programs are being implemented on a regular basis to ensure the complexity in solving the problems of accessibility of socially significant services and providing support to citizens in Belarus: “Health of the people and demographic security of the Republic of Belarus” for 2016-2020, “Comfortable housing and a favorable environment” and “Housing Construction” for 2016-2020, “Education and youth policy” for 2016-2020, the state program for the development of physical culture and sports in the Republic of Belarus for 2016-2020, “Environmental protection and sustainable use of natural resources” for 2016-2020, the state program to overcome the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster for 2011-2015 and for the period up to 2020, etc.In our country priority is given to the development of the education system. There are more than 8,000 educational institutions in Belarus, which educate about 2 million children, pupils and students. About 5 percent of GDP is annually allocated to this sector. It is comparable to the same indicator of developed countries.Belarus is a leader in the coverage of preschool education among the CIS countries. Coverage of preschool education institutions for children aged 1 to 6 years is 75% （2015 – 73.5 percent）, from 3 to 6 years – 93.9%. Coverage of children in preschool age in preparation for school is 100%. The provision of places for children in pre-school institutions reached 97.6 %.The fee for keeping a child in a kindergarten （nursery） includes only the cost of meals for children. At the same time, there is a 30% discount for families with two children attending pre – school institutions, and 50%–with three or more children under 18 years, for families living on the territory of radioactive contamination. As well as for guardians, adoptive parents, parents-educators of family-type children’s homes, children’s villages （towns）. Parents of children with disabilities, children suffering from oncological diseases, tuberculosis patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus are fully exempt from paying.Free meals at the expense of the national or local budgets are also provided to pupils, students of secondary special education institutions from low-income families, families with three or more children under the age of 18, families in which one of the parents is a disabled person of group I or II, who are in a socially dangerous situation, etc. For certain categories free use of textbooks is also provided. For students from large families payment for use of books is reduced by 50%.There are 42 state institutions of higher education in the Republic. Well-performing students are paid a scholarship.A budgetary health care system has maintained in The Republic of Belarus. It ensures the availability of all types of medical care to the population. The size of public spending on health in the country is 4.5% of GDP （in Russia – less than 4%, in Kazakhstan – a little more than 2%）, taking into account additional sources – more than 5% of GDP. On average, the state allocates about 400 rubles per one Belarusian per year for the health care system.The state health care system is represented by 7 republican scientific and practical centers, 13 regional hospitals, 120 central （district） hospitals, 129 dispensaries, 619 polyclinics, 2 260 medical assistants and midwifery stations.The territorial program of the state guarantees of rendering free medical care to citizens which determine the obligations of the state according to the types, structure, terms and conditions providing free medical care to all categories of citizens and medical assistance children, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and veterans are implemented.All women in the country have access to prenatal and postnatal health care, and 98.9%of women have access to qualified obstetric aid. According to the maternity index, which is compiled annually by the international organization Save the Children, Belarus is among 25 countries （out of 179） favorable for the birth of the child. Belarus is a confident leader among the CIS member states.A significant direction of Belarusian social policy is subsidization of housing and communal services provided to the population. Despite the increase in their cost in recent years, the fee for these services for citizens remains available. In 2016 housing and communal payments accounted for 7% of all family expenses. For comparison, the share of housing and communal services in total household expenditure in Russia was 11%, Lithuania and Ukraine – about 20%, Poland – 22%. Currently, residents of the Republic reimburse a little more than 60% of the costs associated with the provision of housing services.In order to provide state assistance to socially vulnerable citizens, cashless housing subsidies have been introduced in Belarus since October 1, 2016 to pay for part of housing and communal payments （provided that the amount of payment exceeds 20% of the total income of the urban family and 15% – rural）.