Country Overview
Country Facts
Overview of U.S. Government Assistance
In FY 2005, the USG allocated an estimated $1,006.33 million in assistance to Russia (including $1.28 million in FY 2004 FREEDOM Support Act funds), including:
In FY 2005, a total of 4,304 Russians traveled to the United States on USG-funded exchange programs.
FY 2005 Assistance Overview
Russia, as it continues its long and complicated post-Soviet evolution, will matter enormously for U.S. interests for years to come. However, the circumstances in which we manage our relationship with Russia are changing. It has become the world's largest energy producer and experienced seven straight years of seven percent economic growth. Russia is still the only nuclear power comparable to the United States and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. For all our near-term concerns, from rising corruption, to over-centralization of power, to Russian assertiveness in nearby countries, the United States retains a deep stake in reinforcing positive medium-term trends, particularly the gradual emergence of a middle class, Russia's integration into global economic institutions, and its cooperation against terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. While at the same time, the United States has an interest in countering more immediate negative trends, including democratic backsliding. How Russia copes with its own demographic crisis, declining life expectancies, a growing threat from infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, avian influenza and TB, will also have implications for U.S. interests.
The current challenge facing the U.S. Government (USG) is how to move from the early post-Cold War relationship of Russian dependency into a new relationship that contains some elements of a mutually beneficial partnership, even as we learn to manage differences and deal forthrightly with them in other areas. The slowly growing NATO-Russia relationship, Russian acceptance of the USG's post-war Iraq strategy, and cooperation in addressing the non-proliferation challenges posed by Iran and North Korea have bolstered ties, but Russia has also become increasingly assertive about protecting its perceived interests, especially in Eurasia. Domestically, concerns about Russia's commitment to democratic values have increased, particularly in light of passage of a restrictive new NGO law. The erosion of accountable governance undercuts Russia's efforts to confront the challenges it faces. If not addressed, the failure to build the rule of law and respect freedom of association and the independent media, combined with corruption, could eventually undermine sustained economic growth. At the same time, nationalistic and xenophobic tendencies are on the rise.
Cooperation with the West offers Russia its best hope for a stable geo-strategic environment for economic growth and Russia's fundamental national interests lie in fuller integration into the West. The United States has a direct interest in expanding cooperation with Russian on foreign policy issues and in supporting and encouraging Russia's transformation into a modern market-based democracy governed by the rule of law. The time frame for that transition will extend for many years.
KEY ISSUES
Despite Russia's misgivings, the enlargement of NATO and the European Union has brought increased stability to Russia's western borders. Cooperation between the United States and Russia on international issues has grown steadily, but remains difficult in Eurasia. Russia is trying to develop healthy relations with historical rivals China and Japan. The most acute external threats arise from instability from the south in the form of terrorism, narcotics, and radical Islamist ideologies. Separatist movements in the Caucasus states provide another source of instability, as does the continuing war in Chechnya. A rapidly escalating HIV/AIDS epidemic, the threat of Avian flu, and an ongoing demographic crisis also pose serious threats to Russia's long-term stability and economic development.
President Vladimir Putin was re-elected in March 2004 by an overwhelming margin, but the elections did not meet international standards in a number of respects. Given the success of the pro-Putin United Russia party in the December 2003 legislative elections, which also failed to satisfy a number of international criteria for democratic elections, President Putin faces few checks on his exercise of executive power. Citing dangers posed to Russia by terrorist acts, Putin further centralized authority over Russia's 89 regions in 2004 by securing the power to appoint regional governors rather than by election. His approach to "managed democracy" has increasingly stunted the growth of civil society. In December 2005, the parliament approved a law, signed by Putin in January 2006, which increases government control over NGOs and that threatens to further limit the development of civil society in Russia. This trend has the potential to limit the degree to which Russia can enjoy a full partnership with the United States.
President Putin continued in 2005 to voice support for economic reform, but progress was limited. Although implementation was deeply flawed and engendered public protests, the monetization of many in-kind benefits did proceed and should yield positive long-term efficiency benefits. However, the public opposition that monetization incited seemed to blunt the Kremlin's appetite for further planned reforms of the education, housing, and health care sectors. Natural monopolies reform was very slow, with electricity reform continuing to move ahead carefully but with railroad and energy company Gazprom reform at a virtual standstill. The Kremlin has taken an increasingly interventionist, statist approach in the natural resources sector. Fueled by a booming oil sector and high world oil prices, Russia's economy posted a sixth year of strong GDP growth (roughly six percent in 2005). Foreign currency reserves reached an all-time high at over $150 billion. Russia continued its efforts to integrate its economy more closely into international markets and norms, and made progress with many countries (including the EU) towards WTO accession. It also made legislative progress on intellectual property issues, although much greater enforcement efforts are needed. Rampant official corruption, a weak banking sector, and opaque business and legal environments hamper Russia's economic prospects. Administrative reorganization has done little to transform an inefficient bureaucracy. U.S. trade with Russia and investment in Russia are modest, but both are growing in response to Russia's continuing economic expansion and growing middle class.
COUNTRY PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Russian Democratic Reform
The "radar" or "spider web" graphs below illustrate Russia's democratic performance during 2004. Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 representing the greatest advancement. These charts provide a disaggregated look at each of the indices and are reported to Congress on a regular basis. The gray shaded area represents 2004 performance levels, while the two dark lines indicate how each country compares in its progress vis-�-vis two standards: (1) the average of Romania's and Bulgaria's performance in each indicator as of 2002 (2002 was the year that Romania and Bulgaria - the "threshold countries" - were invited to join NATO and received favorable indications of future EU membership); and, (2) where the country stood in each indicator in 1999. Together, these charts provide a broad picture of where remaining gaps are in a country's performance, and to what extent these gaps are being filled. For more information, including a detailed explanation of each indicator shown in the graph, see USAID/E&E/PO, "Monitoring Country Progress in Central and Eastern Europe & Eurasia," No. 9 (April 2005). Found online: www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/country_progress/.
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*Actual 2005 not yet available.
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*Actual 2005 scores not yet available.
Russian Economic ReformThe "radar" or "spider web" graphs below illustrate Russia's economic performance during 2004. Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 representing the greatest advancement. These charts provide a disaggregated look at each of the indices and are reported to Congress on a regular basis. The gray shaded area represents 2004 performance levels, while the two dark line indicates how each country compares in its progress vis-�-vis two standards: (1) the average of Romania's and Bulgaria's performance in each indicator as of 2002 (2002 was the year that Romania and Bulgaria - the "threshold countries" - were invited to join NATO and received favorable indications of future EU membership); and (2) where the country stood in each indicator in 1999. Together, these charts provide a broad picture of where remaining gaps are in a country's performance, and to what extent these gaps are being filled. For more information, including a detailed explanation of each indicator shown in the graph, see USAID/E&E/PO, "Monitoring Country Progress in Central and Eastern Europe & Eurasia," No. 9 (April 2005). Found online: www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/country progress/.
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*Actual 2005 scores not yet available.
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*Actual 2005 scores not yet available.
FY 2005 Country Program Performance
Democratic ReformDemocratic reform suffered worrying setbacks in 2005. On the positive side, grassroots activism and popular will to participate in key decisions affecting day-to-day life were on vivid display in the strong show of popular pressure in January that succeeded in significantly softening the Putin Administration's aggressive cutbacks to entitlement programs. Regional media continued to grow, despite political pressures, but national media were increasingly centralized. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) spoke out boldly in defense of their sector's interests. President Putin explicitly acknowledged the importance of civil society and the valuable role NGOs could play. Governors in regions all over Russia began to carve out pilot grant-making programs to enable NGOs to share in providing essential educational, health, and other social services—a significant step forward in consolidating a constructive partnership between regional government and civil society.
Yet at the same time, the high-profile imprisonment of the head of the Yukos petroleum company Mikhail Khodorkovskiy, the harassment of the Yukos attorneys, accusations of illegal property transactions launched against a former prime minister after he announced interest in running for president, and increased harassment of NGOs all raised concern about the manipulability of the legal system, which is generally still subject to political pressure and corruption. In addition, the state continued to ratchet up its control of the national broadcast media and both the lower (State Duma) and upper (Federation Council) legislative houses approved legislation that has the potential to control and hamstring the activities of many NGOs. The legislature enacted a law creating the "Public Chamber," an official body hand-picked by President Putin and designated to speak on behalf of Russia's NGOs and civil society, advise the President on all draft laws affecting civil society, and call journalists to account for "excessive or inappropriate media reporting." The Public Chamber is expected to begin to function officially in January 2006, so its real character has yet to take shape. This year also brought new laws that made political party registration more difficult and abolished gubernatorial elections in Russia's 89 regions, replacing elections with presidential appointment. Jury acquittals were increasingly overruled on appeal, and human rights advocates struggled with repeated accusations—often attributed by the media to Federal Security Service officials—of being foreign-funded agents working against Russia.
U.S. ASSISTANCE PRIORITIES
In democratic reform, the priorities in 2005 for USG-funded assistance programs were to encourage the positive trend in social service delivery partnerships between regional governors and NGOs; strengthen the independence of the judiciary and increase lawyers' and NGOs effectiveness in protecting the rights of disadvantaged citizens; protecting the independence of public debate and media coverage of social and political issues; and supporting efforts to monitor elections. Much of this was accomplished through the strengthening of NGOs capacity and deepening civic action movements.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE
Regional USG-funded NGO networks in Siberia, the Russian Far East (RFE), Southern Russia, and the Volga Region all established new competitive grant-making programs jointly with various regional governors in their respective sections of the country. In Siberia's 11 regions alone, USG partner organizations launched over 20 grant competitions with regional government funding. Krasnoyarsk, for example, programmed over $500,000 in public funds through NGOs in 2005. Policy research institutes ("think tanks") supported by USG grants prepared more than 90 analyses that were incorporated into legislation and government policy initiatives. Twelve USG-supported coalitions of business associations now unite more than 150 associations nationwide, and these groups won at least five legislative changes in various Russian regions in 2005 alone. USG grantees working with independent Russian television, newspaper, and radio outlets continued strong professional training efforts (not only in journalistic techniques but also in business management) and promoted significantly improved news, social, and documentary programming. USG partner organizations also helped to create the conditions in which Russia's media lawyers formed Russia's first media lawyers' association to help protect news outlets from selective law enforcement or other forms of external pressure on editorial freedom. Finally, in the rule of law area, the USG facilitated a delegation of senior Russian judges' trip to Washington in March at Chief Justice Rehnquist's request. The judges met with him and seven of the other U.S. Supreme Court Justices during the visit. Other long-term assistance to the judicial sector, such as USG-funded pilot courts, continued to improve customer service, efficiency and transparency of court operations.
Over 61,000 Russians have visited or studied in the United States on professional and educational exchanges since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Through these short- and long-term programs, the USG continues to broaden the horizons of the next generation of Russian leaders by giving them a first-hand introduction to democratic ideals. In addition, U.S. and Russian social, human rights and business groups have formed dozens of lasting partnerships with the help of USG-funded small grants. Russian counterparts have been key players in supporting democratization in Russia, whether by establishing jury trials on a nationwide basis, passing legislation to stop trafficking in persons, creating and supporting a nationwide network of financially strong and relatively independent local and regional media outlets, or working with local governments and Russian research policy institutes to put in place an updated division of responsibilities between the local and central governments. Exchange programs will continue to support the range of USG priorities, though changes in funding structure and level two years ago have decreased opportunities for both short- and long-term exchanges. USG assistance for democratic reforms in Russia is scheduled to phase out in 2012.
MEASURES OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
In order to determine how U.S. Government assistance affects a country, U.S. embassies set targets for improvement called "performance indicators." Data for these indicators are collected by research institutes, embassies and international organizations. By examining data over time, U.S. policymakers better understand whether specific assistance programs are making their intended impact and, if necessary, how to adjust these programs to improve the impact.
Please find below two important indicators in the area of Democratic Reform. In the charts, the "Baseline" refers to a starting point from which to measure progress or regression over time. The embassy and its partner organizations then agree on a "Target" figure that they hope to achieve as a result of USG assistance programs. The "Rank" figure is the resulting measurement. "CY" stands for "calendar year," or January 1 to December 31, while "FY" stands for "fiscal year," the period of the U.S. budget that runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.
Performance Indicator: NGO Sustainability Index. Seven different dimensions of the NGO sector are analyzed each year in the NGO Sustainability Index: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, NGO infrastructure and public image. The NGO Sustainability Index uses a seven-point scale, to facilitate comparisons to the Freedom House indices, with 7 indicating a low or poor level of development and 1 indicating a very advanced NGO sector. Source: USAID. The 2004 rank is based on 2003 data. Found online: www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/dem_gov/ngoindex/2004/.
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CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2003 Rank |
CY 2004 Rank |
|
4.0 |
4.4 |
4.2 |
The 2005 NGO index scores are likely to remain relatively constant, despite several setbacks in Russia's political environment over the last year. Legislation passed at year's end could seriously undermine the ability of many NGOs to operate in Russia and criticism and negative rhetoric from the highest levels of the state undercut the public image and effectiveness of NGOs. At the same time, the NGO community has developed new methods to serve the public, provide services and reach disadvantaged groups, and advocate for needed social policies, notably at the regional and local levels.
USG programs support NGOs, centers, advocacy and watchdog groups, policy think tanks, business associations and labor unions. NGO partners promoted volunteerism and community service, and advocated for citizens' rights and against corruption. NGO activism at the regional level often remains more promising and successful than national-level efforts. A civic "kindness" campaign launched by regional organizations supported by the USG inspired more than 400,000 people to volunteer their time and effort to address critical needs of their communities. School-based community service learning engaged thousands of young people to devise and implement projects to improve their communities. During the past year, more government entities introduced competitive grant procedures for NGOs, thanks to the efforts of a USG-supported regional resource center. Another USG grant-making program enabled the best independent Russian think tanks in 17 regions to develop timely and relevant policy recommendations on key social reform topics, such as local self-governance, economic development and social policy. A consortium of American and Russian NGOs dedicated to improvements in the legislative environment regulating NGOs made modest progress on legal proposals concerning endowments, taxation and public funding of NGOs. Consortium members also provided essential analysis and expert opinion when the lower legislative house (Duma) introduced its restrictive amendments concerning NGOs in late 2005.
Performance Indicator: Independent Media Rating. This indicator was drawn from Freedom House, Nations in Transit 2004 as adapted by "Monitoring Country Progress in Eastern Europe and Eurasia" USAID/E&E/PO, No. 9 (January 2005 and April 2005). The Freedom House rating addresses the current state of press freedom, including libel laws, harassment of journalists, editorial independence, the emergency of a financially viable private press, and Internet access for private citizens. 1=lowest, 5=highest; 2004 ranking based on 2003 data. Found online: www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/country_progress/index.html.
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CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2003 Rank |
CY 2004 Rank |
|
2.00 |
2.00 |
1.83 |
USG programs supported a range of media support organizations that assist independent media outlets. The recently-created Association of Independent Regional Publishers (AIRP) has expanded its core membership base and furthered efforts to protect the interests of small publishers, and individual training and consultancies aimed at increasing socially valuable content in regional newspapers led to increased coverage in targeted publications of social and environmental issues. In 2005, for the first time, over 300 small and mid-sized regional TV stations participated in the "Time to Act" competition, the first professional television competition that encourages socially responsible journalism, organized by a USG-funded NGO. Additionally, more than 2,600 broadcast journalists participated in USG-financed training, conferences and competitions on professional standards, socially responsible journalism, production best practices and media business development.
Economic Reform
Russian economic growth in 2005 has been influenced by three primary factors: a continuing rapid expansion of domestic incomes and demand, improvements in the expectations of investors, and growing competitive pressures from the real appreciation of the ruble. In this context, Russian economic growth remains strong, although the slowdown in many sectors since the second half of 2004 continues as does over-reliance on the oil and gas sector. Recent data provides more evidence of growing competitive pressures from a stronger ruble. Higher oil prices have brought even greater windfall revenues to the federal budget. Core consumer price inflation remains roughly at the same level as in 2003 and 2004. President Putin and the government have taken a number of steps to reassure private investors of a political commitment to improving the investment climate even though actions, such as the Yukos-related prosecutions and some apparent efforts at re-nationalization have raised questions. The government has continued the implementation of previously launched reforms, but appears to have postponed any new major initiatives until after the elections in 2008. Nevertheless, many regions plan to launch the very ambitious and far-reaching reform of local self-government scheduled in 2006. The Government of Russia has placed a political priority on increasing the activity of the state in the economy in partnership with private investors through Public-Private Partnerships, special economic zones, and concession agreements.
U.S. ASSISTANCE PRIORITIES
USG assistance priorities for economic reform in FY 2005 focused on expansion of the micro-finance sector, expansion of the credit cooperatives system to the North Caucasus, banking sector reform, and access to credit for small businesses through credit guarantees. In the RFE, the USG also supported better management of Russia's important forest resources.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE
The USG has supported the development of a national-level resource center for the entire microfinance industry in Russia. The center provides training, consulting, and dissemination of microfinance best practices and standards, legal support, and improvement of legal environment. In the RFE, the USG continued institutional development of two Russian Microfinance Institutions (MFI) on Sakhalin Island. Thanks to Global Development Alliances, these USG-supported institutions receive funds from Exxon Neftegas Limited and Sakhalin Energy to increase access to finance for small business entrepreneurs on the island.
The USG has helped over 350 MFIs through its partners. USG-supported annual national microfinance forums and conferences, which attracted over 400 participants representing the microfinance community, the banking community, the GOR, and other donors. The USG's partner organizations have been instrumental in focusing the Government's attention on the potential of micro-finance in Russia and building a constructive reform agenda to ensure the continued development and expansion of this sector. Moreover, the USG has been instrumental in focusing attention of commercial banks on the economic potential of this market.
USG-funded technical assistance led to active SME lending operations throughout Sakhalin Island and was leveraged with $750,000 in private capital contributions from Exxon Neftegas Limited and Sakhalin Energy. With a current active loan portfolio of $2.1 million, and a four-year history of more than $17.9 million in loans, this USG-supported lending operation has not experienced a single default.
USG-supported banking sector reform through work with the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) on upgrading supervision, implementation of the deposit insurance system which the USG's earlier efforts helped introduce, introduction of credit bureaus, anti-money laundering and fighting terrorist finance. The USG helped the banking sector to meet the financial needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Currently, the USGuses Loan Portfolio Guarantees (LPG) that provide a 50 percent guarantee on net loss on loans made to SMEs. Through this program, the USG encouraged commercials banks to extend loans to SMEs which might not otherwise be able to access credit in the formal financial markets due to the perceived risks of small business lending.
In FY 2005, the USG's banking reform program was instrumental in supporting the roll-out of Russia's new Deposit Insurance System following up on the USG's earlier work which was vital to the system's original adoption. In addition, through training of CBR examiners, the USG has had a substantive effect on the adoption by the CBR of effective risk-based supervision methodologies, promoted formation of long-term professional contacts between Russian and American financial sector regulators, and furthered joint efforts in anti-money laundering and fighting terrorism financing in Russia.
Since 2000, the USG has signed LPG agreements with four Russian commercial banks under the Credit Guarantee Program. These banks are BIN-Bank and Russian Banker's House, SDM Bank in Moscow, and Center Invest Bank in Rostov-on-Don. To-date, these banks have made over 660 loans amounting to approximately $22 million in 15 Russian regions. Thus, each dollar of the USG's investment in this guarantee program has generated approximately $20 in loans to small businesses and micro-enterprises in Russia. All loans placed under guarantee by these four banks were repaid with only one exception (repayment rate of 99.84 percent).
In the RFE, the USG supported better management of Russia's important forest resources. USG partner organizations trained local officials in sustainable management, supported environmental NGOs, implemented public information campaigns to stimulate citizen involvement in resource management issues, and supported the development of small businesses based upon sustainable use of non-timber forest resources. The USG supported the dissemination of environmental and energy efficiency best practices by partnering NGOs across Russia and mobilizing communities to work in public-private partnership to solve problems.
More than 30,000 residents of the Russian Far East participated in the USG's sustainable forest management and resource protection public information campaigns. In addition, 165 representatives of NGOs and regional and municipal agencies were trained in sustainable forest management. Twenty-six logging companies, 22 NGOs, and 27 administration officials received training related to illegal logging and timber certification. The fire prevention public information campaign is now institutionalized nationally by the Ministry of Natural Resources, as is the pest monitoring methodology, which will be applied nation-wide. USG-supported NGO partnerships in 21 regions, focused on the RFE and Siberia. The quality of communal services was improved in 32 communities through the introduction of energy-efficiency technologies.
USG assistance in agriculture provides exchange opportunities for Russian managers, officials and educators to experience firsthand American agricultural markets, practices and structures—public and private— and establishes relationships with American counterparts. This enables Russia to develop the knowledge and expertise in agribusiness, marketing and agrarian law necessary to meet the food needs of the domestic population, and to strengthen trade linkages with the U.S. USG assistance for economic reform in Russia is scheduled to largely phase out in 2006.
MEASURES OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
In order to determine how U.S. Government assistance affects a country, U.S. embassies set targets for improvement called "performance indicators." Data for these indicators are collected by research institutes, embassies and international organizations. By examining data over time, U.S. policymakers better understand whether specific assistance programs are making their intended impact and, if necessary, how to adjust these programs to improve the impact.
Please find below two important indicators in the area of Economic Reform. In the charts, the "Baseline" refers to a starting point from which to measure progress or regression over time. The embassy and its partner organizations then agree on a "Target" figure that they hope to achieve as a result of USG assistance programs. The "Rank" or "Percentage" figure is the resulting measurement. "CY" stands for "calendar year," or January 1 to December 31, while "FY" stands for "fiscal year," the period of the U.S. budget that runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.
Performance Indicator: World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession. Source: EBRD.
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FY 2002 Baseline |
FY 2004 Actual |
FY 2005 Target |
FY 2005 Actual |
|
Draft working party report issued |
Version 3 of working party report issued. Continued progress in passing necessary legislation and some progress on implementation |
Progress on the draft Working Party Report and movement toward conclusion of a U.S.-Russia bilateral protocol on accession. |
Progress was made on the Working Party Report. By year-end, the U.S.-Russia bilateral protocol was near conclusion, with only a few well-defined issues remaining. |
Russian progress toward WTO accession picked up momentum in 2004-2005. Russia continues to seek special deals and conditions, but significant progress was nevertheless made, particularly in goods and services market access negotiations. Almost all legislation necessary to bring Russian law into conformity with WTO requirements has been passed, though a number of key laws remain to be drafted. U.S.-Russia negotiations have moved significantly closer to conclusion, with a few well-defined issues remaining, including: intellectual property rights, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, aircraft, financial services, and energy services.
The USG has funded consultancy work to help the Russian Government understand what must be done in terms of legislative and administrative changes. In addition, the USG funded a WTO information website and office in Moscow to inform the private sector of developments in bilateral negotiations and in the WTO as a whole.
Performance Indicator: Share Of Total Employment From Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Including individual entrepreneurs, farm enterprises, and both registered and non-registered SMEs. Source: World Bank.
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CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2004 Rank |
|
45 percent |
51 percent |
Social Reform and Humanitarian Assistance
Russia faces a demographic implosion. With present trends, the total population will fall by 30 percent by mid-century and the proportion of people over 45 will increase to 30 percent by 2016. In the approximately 15 years since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, life expectancy for males has dropped each year, decreasing from 70 to 59. Russia has one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world, as well as multi- and extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). 2005 also saw outbreaks of dangerous strains of avian flu in swans, ducks, and other wild fowl. Russia continues to experience unrest in the North Caucasus, increasing the threat of terrorism elsewhere in the country. Terrorist incidents have been frequent both in Moscow and in the regions, resulting in hundreds of fatalities.
In the past year, political leaders have increased political and financial commitments to battling HIV/AIDS. On September 27, President Putin stated that HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Russia and that national government spending to fight HIV/AIDS will increase twenty-fold. Concurrently, Presidents Bush and Putin agreed on a joint collaborative effort to address HIV/AIDS through the Bratislava Initiative—an initiative which entails laboratory capacity building; expanding HIV/AIDS knowledge; developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine; and continuing post-graduate medical education. The Ministry of Health and Social Development (MOHSD) has begun work on a national HIV/AIDS program for 2007-2011. The Russian Orthodox Church in recent months has made public statements endorsing assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS and unveiled its plan to provide help. The Ministry of Defense is increasingly dealing with HIV/AIDS in the military, and has conducted two joint Ministry of Defense/USG conferences to open a dialogue on increasing and improving HIV prevention efforts.
The fall of the Soviet Union has brought increased migration and mobility, rising unemployment, an increase in prostitution and trafficking in persons, as well as a breakdown in Soviet health structures; all of these factors contribute to the transmission of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Increases in risky behaviors have led to rapid growth in the number of Intravenous Drug Users (IDU), currently estimated at 68 percent of the HIV cases, as well as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) rates in the general population. Recent trend data suggest a shift to sexual routes of transmission with a greater proportion (38 percent of all new cases) of women being infected.
U.S. ASSISTANCE PRIORITIES
In FY 2005, the USG's main assistance goals in the social services sector were to launch a comprehensive Embassy-wide approach to battle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia with an emphasis on building Russian political, business, religious, and scientific leadership. Additional goals include: strengthening Russia's nationwide response to tuberculosis and other infectious diseases including Hepatitis B and C, and the efficient delivery by local and municipal governments of a broad range of social services related to child welfare the environment, and economic planning. At the end of the fiscal year, the Embassy turned its attention to an Embassy dialogue with the Government of Russia on the avian flu epidemic in migratory birds.
There is a long history of U.S.-Russia partnerships in the social sector. For nearly a decade, the USG has worked collaboratively with Russian federal-level counterparts to strengthen primary health care systems, focusing on maternal and child health and family planning services through public-sector and non-governmental facilities, and on biomedical research, disease surveillance, and diagnosis and treatment of infectious and chronic diseases. The USG has also worked with local governments to streamline social service administration, improve the targeting of benefits, and shift more service provision into the NGO community through competitive grants and contracting mechanisms. In addition, USG collaboration with ecological and health authorities in the regions has concentrated on improving the environment. In education, USG-funded partners' efforts focused on primary and secondary education, and more specifically, on the rights of disabled children to equal access, and on consolidating civics and volunteerism training.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE
Due in part to USG-funded assistance programs, targeted areas in Russia have seen a falling rate of abortion, improved success rates in treating tuberculosis, improved primary care standards, greater municipal funding for health care on HIV/AIDS and TB, decreases in the number of abandoned and vulnerable children, an increased commitment to foster care, and greater Russian Government attention to AIDS prevention and to the treatment, care, and support of people affected with HIV/AIDS. USG-funded programs have also helped Russian scientists pursue civilian research in important areas such as HIV/AIDS and TB, including diagnostics and laboratory capacity building.
The USG's maternal and child health program successfully integrated internationally recognized practices on reproductive health and family planning in 14 regions reaching 9.5 percent of the population. Preliminary data from the project's monitoring system demonstrated significant changes in the key project indicators, such as a 14 percent decline in abortion rates compared with the baseline in 2002; increased family support during labor and delivery at maternity hospitals (from zero to 35 percent); increased exclusive breastfeeding up to six months (from 17 percent to 47 percent); increased use of evidence-based practices (from zero to 60 percent) and decreased use of ineffective or harmful practices (82 percent to 22 percent).
While HIV infection rates continue to be extremely high in Russia, USG assistance programs enjoyed significant success in 2005, particularly in preparing high prevalence regions to scale up treatment services for AIDS patients, promoting public awareness, and involvement for the business community, and building high-level political leadership on this issue. In 2004, the USG launched a treatment and care program in four high HIV/AIDS prevalence regions which partners Russian cities with U.S. partners in twinning arrangements. Samara, Saratov, Orenburg, and St. Petersburg—the four USG-supported sites—have served as models for the newly launched Global Fund treatment sites (ten in all). Registration for antenatal care before 12 weeks of gestation increased 33 percent from FY 2003 (baseline). Significant progress was also made in Togliatti where availability of HIV tests before delivery increased by 18 percent and family planning and counseling increased by 48 percent compared to FY 2003.
The USG's support for communications, advocacy, and research helped launch activities in four regions. Representatives from the four regions were trained in using an international model to analyze regional budgetary needs to develop an effective response to HIV/AIDS. Manuals and communication materials were developed for training peer educators and, following pilot testing, reached 1,695 youth. The USG also supported the development of an HIV/AIDS school-based curriculum for ages 15-18. The Ministry of Education approved the curriculum and it has been implemented in 25 schools. The program is now expanding to a total of 92 schools, to reach 8,000 students. An HIV/AIDS counseling manual, video, and materials were approved by the MOHSD for use throughout Russia, and the USG funded training of trainers to establish a cadre of specialists to train others in counseling techniques.
In an HIV/AIDS epidemic such as Russia's, prevention activities must focus on high-risk populations. With USG funding, approximately 20 regional NGOs were involved in HIV/AIDS prevention activities targeting core HIV transmitters. In FY 2005, approximately 36,000 prostitutes and IDUs were reached in project sites through linkages with medical or social services as well as through provision of educational materials on HIV prevention. Youth peer education programs were expanded in Samara, Saratov, and St Petersburg to reach an estimated audience of 6,000. The programs consisted of training of trainers for peers on abstinence, safe sex, and HIV/AIDS. New materials promoting Abstinence, Be Faithful, and Condoms (ABC) were developed and distributed to more than 100,000 young people. Two popular youth-oriented websites in Russia (one focusing on personal risk perception and the ABC promotion; and one on drug demand reduction) reached approximately 500,000 individual users in FY 2005.
HIV/AIDS Policy Advocacy and Business Against HIV/AIDS programs have been implemented on the federal and regional levels in FY 2005. The Russian Parliamentary Working Group established in 2004 consists of 16 members. A key accomplishment was a national Security Council discussion on HIV/AIDS in November 2005. The "Business Against AIDS" network, which aims to build awareness and commitment among senior business and labor leaders in the fight against AIDS, was launched. At the March 2005 summit, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov and Minister of Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov called on business leaders to expand workplace programs to fight HIV/AIDS and protect workers' rights. Employer programs were conducted for Alfa-Bank, Ingosstrakh, General Motors, Nestle Foods, Wimm-Bill-Dann, PepsiCo International, Shell, TNK-BP, Transaero Airlines, and for all the members of the "Business Against AIDS" network which represents a 50 percent expansion of businesses involved in the fight against AIDS.
With the rapid increase in the HIV epidemic in Russia over the last five years and the increasing proportion of women infected, the overall incidence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV has increased dramatically. The MOHSD estimates that 25,000 babies will be born to HIV-infected mothers in Russia in 2006. Over the last three years, prevention services of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) have been rapidly scaled up. As a member of a national PMTCT committee, USG technical assistance programs contributed to the development of national guidelines on PMTCT that follow Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) standards and recommended approaches. USG-supported pilot programs on rapid HIV testing for women of unknown status presenting in labor; the "rapid test" method is now incorporated in the national guidelines. With financial support from the USG, a WHO-CDC generic PMTCT training curriculum has been adapted to Russia and is currently being rolled out in 16 regions of the country.
The TB control program was active in eight Russian regions for both civilian and prison populations. The program financially assisted regional governments to respond to epidemics through the adaptation and implementation of the internationally recognized WHO approach to TB diagnosis and treatment. The modern TB control systems implemented in these eight regions resulted in increased treatment success rates up to 75-80 percent, the development of replicable models in TB treatment and care, and the improvement of laboratory performance and infection control. The main achievements included: 1) the multi-drug resistant tuberculosis treatment program was operational in two regions, with approximately 240 patients enrolled and treatment success rate exceeding 70 percent; 2) more than 4,500 health professionals were trained in TB-related issues; 3) 12 microbiological laboratories were fully equipped; 4) as a result of the efforts invested, the MOHSD issued new executive orders on TB diagnosis and treatment, recording and reporting systems and prevention and treatment of HIV-associated TB; 5) guidelines and training materials on the provision of TB care to people living with HIV/AIDS were developed; 6) infection control was improved in four TB central oblast laboratories; and, 7) an agreement was signed between the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and the Russian Health Care Foundation for the implementation of the first two years of a comprehensive TB-control program in Russia. This five-year TB control program, expected to reach $91 million of funding, was designed in cooperation with the USG.
While the problem of drug resistant, multi drug-resistant, and extremely drug-resistant TB continues to be extremely important in Russia, the pilot multi-drug resistant TB treatment program illustrated the effectiveness of the USG's related protocol, which now is used nationwide in the penitentiary system. The MOHSD benefited from USG experience through the introduction of modern TB diagnosis, treatment, recording, and reporting protocols.
A USG-supported disabled children's education advocacy NGO won a significant court case on behalf of several clients whose children sought to be "mainstreamed," and also participated in a legislature-sponsored effort, which successfully amended the law on education of children with disabilities. Meanwhile, for the second successful year, USG-supported NGOs significantly expanded their successful nationwide campaign to encourage and reward high school student social volunteer teams who identify and execute concrete community improvement projects.
In FY 2005, the USG provided $5.1 million in assistance to those displaced by the fighting in Chechnya. These funds were distributed to the UN agencies and three NGOs that provided life-sustaining assistance in shelter, medical care, primary education, water and sanitation. Specifically, USG assistance provided to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provided physical and legal protection for internally displaced persons in Chechnya and Ingushetiya, while support provided to the UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) facilitated the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the security of humanitarian aid workers. UNICEF used USG-provided aid to continue health and education programs for children as well as mine awareness education. Outside of the North Caucasus, a small humanitarian assistance project operates to help orphans in an eastern European Russian city that hosts a USG-supported WMD threat reduction facility. USG assistance for social reform in Russia is scheduled to phase out in 2010.
MEASURES OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
In order to determine how U.S. Government assistance affects a country, U.S. embassies set targets for improvement called "performance indicators." Data for these indicators are collected by research institutes, embassies and international organizations. By examining data over time, U.S. policymakers better understand whether specific assistance programs are making their intended impact and, if necessary, how to adjust these programs to improve the impact.
Please find below two important indicators in the area of Social Reform and Humanitarian Assistance. In the charts, the "Baseline" refers to a starting point from which to measure progress or regression over time. The embassy and its partner organizations then agree on a "Target" figure that they hope to achieve as a result of USG assistance programs. The "Number" figure is the resulting measurement. "CY" stands for "calendar year," or January 1 to December 31, while "FY" stands for "fiscal year," the period of the U.S. budget that runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.
Performance Indicator: Number of HIV Cases, Cumulative. Source: Ministry of Health and Social Development, used for WHO and State Department Global AIDS Coordinator reporting.
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FY 2002 Baseline |
FY 2003 Number |
FY 2004 Target |
FY 2004 Number |
|
220,000 |
250,000 |
250,000 |
300,000 |
While HIV and TB infection rates continue to be extremely high in Russia, USG assistance programs enjoyed significant success in 2005, particularly in attracting high-level attention to the issue and garnering other external support through the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). The USG has provided substantial assistance to several leading Russian civil society organizations in this field, which combat the stigma associated with being HIV-positive. To reduce the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, the USG programs have become models which the government and the GFATM are adopting to prevent HIV and TB transmission and treat the growing number of patients living with AIDS and TB. With USG-supported technical assistance to prevent the spread of HIV through mother to children transmission (MTCT), guidelines were developed and disseminated nationwide laying the groundwork for effective programs. Beginning in 2004, MTCT programs were rolled out by the GOR nationwide and 100 percent of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (about 80 percent of all pregnant women) are tested for HIV. With USG support, HIV rapid testing for high-risk pregnant women was successfully piloted in St. Petersburg and has been included in national guidelines. That said, there has still been a dramatic increase in the number of children born to HIV positive mothers from 13,000 in April 2005 to 20,000 in December 2005. The GOR estimates that this number could reach as high as 25,000 children by 2007. This fact and the attention it has drawn to the HIV/AIDS issue has led to a GOR-issued tender for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and mother-to-child transmission for municipal governments and Russian NGOs in January 2006.
Performance Indicator: Number of Tuberculosis/HIV co-infection cases, cumulative. Source: Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, used for WHO and S/GAC reporting.
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CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2003 Number |
CY 2004 Target |
CY 2004 Number |
|
2,354 |
7,678 |
8,000 |
8,665 |
The fight against TB is integral to the fight against HIV/AIDS as these co-epidemics are fueling each other. In 2004 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), TB constituted only 3 percent of all infectious disease cases reported in Russia, but contributed 98 percent of all deaths from infectious diseases. While the absolute number of people dying from TB declined from 31,197 in 2003 to 26,518 in 2004, the number of complicated cases of TB such as HIV/TB co-infected patients went up from 7,678 cases in 2003 to 8,665 cases in 2004. The cost to the Government of Russia for treating TB patients therefore is going up. Even more alarming is the appearance of extreme drug resistant (XDR) TB in Russia. A 2005 USG study found that 35 percent of Russian TB cases analyzed out of a sample of 405 were multi-drug resistant and 13.5 percent of the Russian multi-drug resistant patients had developed extreme drug resistance, thus rendering the second line drugs ineffective. Since no third line drugs are used now in Russia's TB program, it is assumed that these XDR TB patients will have a nearly 100 percent mortality rate. There are, however, two causes for optimism on the TB front. First, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of cases reported in the penitentiary system from 70,100 in 2003 to 50,915 in 2004. In 2005, the Eastern Siberian region of Harkassia penitentiary system, where both CDC and the International Federation of the Red Cross have worked with USG funds, brought their mortality down to zero. The second cause for optimism is that directly observed on-site treatment for TB using WHO treatment regimens is 100 percent available in Russia. Official directives issued in 2004 have led to a nationwide acceptance of more effective TB diagnosis, treatment, recording and reporting. The Russian federal budget for TB has remained at the $70 million level of 2004, but is expected to go up in 2006 to $90 million in accordance with agreements made with the GFATM.
Security, Regional Stability and Law Enforcement
As one of the world's largest nuclear powers, Russia has numerous weapons production and storage facilities, civilian and military nuclear reactors, research institutes and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities, as well as large quantities of nuclear materials. USG nonproliferation cooperation with Russia—to enhance the security of these facilities and materials, to dispose of excess nuclear materials, and to engage scientists with expertise in these areas in non-military activities—demonstrated progress in addressing challenges in a number of areas. One, the disagreement over liability protection for U.S. workers in Russia under the plutonium disposition program, appeared to be close to resolution as of the end of CY 2005. In another area, USG cooperation with the GOR in nuclear security has improved and is moving forward, due in part to the high-level attention given to this issue under the Bratislava Summit Initiatives framework begun in February 2005. Russian press reports that U.S.-Russia nonproliferation cooperation was allowing the United States to "take over" Russia's nuclear installations were countered by USG officials, emphasizing that nuclear security cooperation is a partnership and that the United States has no intentions of becoming "inspectors" of Russian nuclear sites or "stewards" of their nuclear weapons and fissile materials.
Both narcotics and trafficking in persons continue to create serious challenges to Russian law enforcement due to the enormity of the problem—bumper crops of opium in 2005 in Afghanistan have meant an increase in narcotics trafficking through Russia. Continued economic hardships in neighboring countries make Russia a magnet for labor traffickers, while Russian women continue to seek employment in foreign countries, sometime resulting in their falling victim to the sex trade. Russia has continued, however, to implement criminal procedure reform and is addressing such issues as professional liability insurance and revisions to the code of ethics for defense attornies. Russia has made some progress in fighting IPR violations this year.
U.S. ASSISTANCE PRIORITIES
The USG provides a variety of assistance to promote security, stability and law enforcement in Russia, including efforts to safeguard and/or destroy weapons of mass destruction (WMD) - the leading Mission Performance Plan goal; programs to secure and safeguard nuclear facilities and materials; and assistance designed to combat terrorism and terrorist financing, trafficking in persons, narcotics, intellectual property crimes, money-laundering, and cyber-crime. The USG also works to encourage commercial applications for the technologies developed in Russian scientific institutes, formerly devoted to WMD research, as a way to contribute to global security, create sustainable employment in closed nuclear cities, and promote U.S. investment in the Russian high-tech sector.
In law enforcement, USG goals are to assist the Russian legal system to operate independently as a fair and effective arbiter of criminal prosecutions and civil disputes, and to assist Russia in becoming a responsible and reliable partner to U.S. law enforcement agencies on transnational legal issues such as counter-terrorism, narcotics interdiction and the suppression of human trafficking, and acts effectively to combat transnational organized crime and terrorism.
PROGRAM PERFORMANCE
USG programs that consolidate, secure, or destroy/dismantle WMDs—the leading Mission Performance Plan goal—accounted for the lion's share of USG assistance to Russia in 2005. The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program is the largest USG-funded effort of cooperative activities in Russia. In cooperation with Russian civilian and military agencies, the USG assisted with the destruction of nuclear missiles, launchers (silo-based, mobile and submarine) and related equipment and infrastructure; the construction of a facility for the safe destruction of chemical weapons; the safeguarding of nuclear facilities and material; and the disposal of nuclear materials. In FY 2005, nuclear security upgrades were carried out at over 70 sites in Russia, work continued toward shutting down the three remaining weapons-grade plutonium production reactors in Russia, approximately 23 kilograms of highly enriched uranium (HEU) were returned to Russia from other countries, and approximately 39 metric tons of HEU from Russian nuclear weapons were blended down into low enriched uranium for civilian nuclear fuel. Since the beginning of this program, over 250 metric tons of HEU, out of a target figure of 500 metric tons, have been down-blended.
In 2005, the USG continued funding the redirection of Russian former-WMD scientists towards peaceful scientific research and technology development through collaboration with prominent U.S. counterpart individuals and institutes. The USG is focused on helping these scientists and related institutes make the transition to commercially useful research, and production facilities, equipment, and pathogenic strains are being reorganized for peaceful, commercial uses. In conjunction with the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture, Russian researchers in 2005 worked to develop a line of miniature devices and identified and developed feed additives that can protect chickens from pathogenic bacteria, respectively. The knowledge of these former weapons scientists is also being used to help develop drugs and vaccines for combating highly infectious pathogen outbreaks (HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis), including the category of weapons-agent countermeasures were terrorists or others try to make use of pathogens. In addition, scientists from the nuclear and chemical fields are engaged in projects in the fields of environmental contamination, detoxification and bioremediation.
To improve interoperability with coalition or NATO forces and demonstrate how a military functions in a democracy, other USG efforts provided International Military Exchanges and Training (IMET) English language instruction, professional military education, and military legal and peacekeeping training for Russian military and civilian officials of the Ministry of Defense.
In the area of law enforcement, the USG continued to work with the GOR to implement the 2002 Letter Of Agreement on Law Enforcement Cooperation and Counter Narcotics and provided almost $1 million worth of equipment to the Federal Service for Counter Narcotics and Russian Customs. USG-funded technical assistance supported trial advocacy programs and defense bar development in support of the implementation of the Criminal Procedure Code, which fundamentally changes Russia's criminal justice system by supporting the establishment of the adversarial system, better judicial independence, stronger defense rights, and provides a right to jury trial in serious criminal cases. USG-funded rule of law programs encouraged the Russian judiciary to strengthen its ethics codes and achieve independence from the executive branch. USG assistance also supported the adoption of modern anti-crime techniques in combating terrorism and terrorist financing, narcotics smuggling, money laundering, intellectual property rights violations, cyber-crime, trafficking in persons, and child pornography. Other USG efforts focused on the development of American-Russian legal cooperation under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, the adoption of community-based policing in the Russian Far East, and support for research into crime and corruption issues in Russia. The USG worked with the Russian government to implement the new anti-trafficking amendments to the criminal code made in December 2003 and the new witness protection legislation passed in 2004. The USG also helped train law enforcement officers in trafficking investigation and prosecution, and encouraged closer cooperation between police and non-governmental organizations on identification and protection of trafficking victims. In addition, USG efforts went toward training a Russian financial intelligence unit, police and prosecutors on money laundering and terrorism financing issues. The USG also established, in conjunction with private industry, a series of regional training programs in intellectual property rights violations that are aimed at Russian judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials. USG assistance for law enforcement in Russia is scheduled to phase out in 2010.
MEASURES OF PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS
In order to determine how U.S. Government assistance affects a country, U.S. embassies set targets for improvement called "performance indicators." Data for these indicators are collected by research institutes, embassies and international organizations. By examining data over time, U.S. policymakers better understand whether specific assistance programs are making their intended impact and, if necessary, how to adjust these programs to improve the impact.
Please find below two important indicators in the area of Security, Regional Stability and Law Enforcement. In the charts, the "Baseline" refers to a starting point from which to measure progress or regression over time. The embassy and its partner organizations then agree on a "Target" figure that they hope to achieve as a result of USG assistance programs. The "Rank" figure is the resulting measurement. "CY" stands for "calendar year," or January 1 to December 31, while "FY" stands for "fiscal year," the period of the U.S. budget that runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year.
Performance Indicator: Rule of Law - Constitutional, Legislative, and Judicial Framework Rating. This indicator was drawn from Freedom House, Nations in Transit 2004 as adapted by "Monitoring Country Progress (MCP) in Eastern Europe and Eurasia" USAID/E&E/PO, No. 9 (April 2005). The Rule of Law rating highlights constitutional reform, human rights protections, criminal code reform, judicial independence, the status of ethnic minority rights, guarantees of equality before the law, treatment of suspects and prisoners, and compliance with judicial decisions. (1 = lowest, 5 = highest) The 2004 ranking is based on 2003 data. Found online: www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/country_progress/index.html.
|
CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2003 Rank |
CY 2004 Rank |
|
2.50 |
2.67 |
2.50 |
Despite the overall decline of support for democratic development at the highest levels of the government, Russia has made some progress in the area of rule of law and legal reform. The criminal procedure code, the primary vehicle for legal reform, was enacted and implemented with USG assistance. USG support was instrumental in the successful use of the legal system by civil society organizations, with the overall number of cases filed on behalf of constituencies such as workers, forced migrants, and the disabled growing yearly. In 2005, the judiciary has used ideas showcased by the USG, such as the introduction of specialized court employees to professionalize its operations. The Supreme Court is considering innovations in two pilot courts, which have improved transparency, efficiency, and customer service, for inclusion in its national instructions. Russian-American law partnerships worked with the judiciaries and legal communities of nine Russian regions on subjects such as the publication of court decisions, jury trial procedure, and handling of domestic violence cases. The increased adversarial nature of the legal system is upgrading its overall quality, and demand for better-trained lawyers continues to grow. In 2005, progress continued to be made in enhancing lawyers' skills in representing clients concerning human rights and advocacy, and in strengthening clinical legal education, particularly in regard to the rights of trade unions, individual workers, internally displaced persons, the disabled and juveniles. The issue of tolerance was addressed through support for the creation of five regional tolerance councils, bringing together representatives of the public, civil society organizations, law enforcement, and local authorities. In St. Petersburg and Ryazan, tolerance courses were introduced in curriculum for Interior Ministry employees, and in Kazan, Tatarstan, a tolerance course is being introduced in schools.
Performance Indicator: Global Trafficking In Persons Report Country Rankings. Tier 1 countries are those whose governments fully comply with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Tier 2 countries are those whose governments do not fully comply with the Act's minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards. Tier 3 countries are those countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so. The 2005 ranking is based on 2004 data. Source: U.S. State Department Global Trafficking in Persons Annual Report. Found online: www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/.
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CY 2002 Baseline |
CY 2004 Rank |
CY 2005 Target |
CY 2005 Rank |
|
Tier 3 |
Tier 2 Watchlist |
Tier 2 Watchlist |
Tier 2 Watchlist |
In 2005, the Presidential Administration and the Ministry of the Interior were in the process of drafting implementing regulations for a witness protection law passed in 2004 that created a statutory basis for the protection of trafficking victims and their families. Additional legislation is being considered to provide for protection of trafficking victims and mandate public awareness campaigns to prevent potential victims from falling prey to traffickers. Russian law enforcement is employing this new anti-trafficking legislation as well as traditional criminal statutes to prosecute trafficking cases, both nationally and internationally. In addition, the Russian police are developing anti-trafficking manuals and courses to train a cadre of law enforcement officers capable of investigating such cases.
USG-funded technical assistance played a key support role, providing experts in legislative drafting, trafficking in persons, public awareness campaigns, and criminal procedure to work with Russian counterparts. FY 2005 assistance activities included the development of an Anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Bilateral Law Enforcement Task Force that met in Washington in June 2005 (and will meet again in March 2006), development of an anti-TIP referral mechanism in the RFE, and a significant conference and continuing technical assistance on the issue of child pornography and child trafficking in Russia. USG assistance continues to help expand cooperation between Russian law enforcement and law enforcement of other countries, and between Russian law enforcement and anti-trafficking civil society organizations, and raised awareness of the extent and dangers of human trafficking, both among government officials and the general public. With USG support, NGOs continue to conduct trafficking prevention through economic empowerment activities for at-risk groups and self-esteem and leadership skills building among youth, families and teachers.
Click for FY 2005 Funds Budgeted for U.S. Government Assistance to Russia [PDF format]
