The Gleneagles commitment to increase development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa to $25 billion a year by 2010 did not include a Russian contribution. Although it is a chief donor to the republics of the former Soviet Union, Russia is not a member of the OECD or the Development Assistance Committee. As a result, throughout this report, DATA does not hold Russia to account for the financing targets set by the G8 in 2005. However, because Russia is playing an increasingly important role in setting policies that impact the G8's overall commitment to sub-Saharan Africa, its individual commitments are important to note.
Because Russia did not make a commitment on ODA to Africa at Gleneagles, this chapter does not hold it accountable for ODA levels to the continent. Although Russia has not made a pledge at the G8 to increase aid, in 2007 it passed a law that committed it to raising ODA levels to $400-500 million per year in the short term, with a longer-term goal of scaling up development assistance to reach 0.7% of its gross national income. Although the law does not specify a timeframe for this increase, Deputy Finance Minister Sergey Storchak said that he expects to reach the short-term target in the next four to five years. Once Russia joins the OECD (which is expected to happen by 2011), progress against this commitment will be measurable.
In 2007, total Russian ODA was $210 million, an amount equal to 0.02% of its GNI. This level reflected an increase from $100 million in 2006. DATA is unable to determine what share of total ODA was directed towards sub-Saharan Africa.