Russia made the following commitments on debt relief at Gleneagles in 2005:
‘Russia has cancelled and committed to cancel $11.3 billion worth of debts owed by African countries, including $2.2 billion of debt relief to the HIPC Initiative. On top of this, Russia is considering writing off the entire stock of HIPC countries’ debts on non-ODA loans. This will add $750 million to those countries’ debt relief.’
This commitment was updated at the 2006 St. Petersburg Summit:
‘Russia and the World Bank agreed to collaborate in developing a debt-for-development swap for channeling $250 million freed up from debt service to high-priority development actions in sub-Saharan Africa.’
In the annex to the St. Petersburg Update on Africa, Russia also made the following specific commitments to Africa:
- ‘Russia will join forces with the World Bank in the fight against malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, and will support the World Bank-led Booster Programme for Malaria Control, which aims to achieve tangible results by 2010.’
- ‘Russia has doubled its pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to $40 million. It also intends to reimburse the Global Fund, up to 2010, nearly $270 million which was distributed to fund projects in the Russian Federation.’
- ‘Russia has committed to contribute $18 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.’
No new commitments were made at the 2007, 2008 or 2009 G8 Summits.
Looking ahead
Russia is emerging as an international donor, as well as a growing partner within multilateral institutions, like the United Nations, and with the world’s developing countries. For instance, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrey Denisov met with UNDP officials in December 2009 to discuss Russia’s move from a country that receives technical assistance to one that assists others. Last year, President Dmitry Medvedev stated, ‘In the 1990s, we gave less attention to faraway continents such as Africa and Latin America, but now, it is our obligation to do so. These nations are kindred spirits, and we have indeed provided them with aid.’ President Medvedev has signalled growing interest in creating business links and opportunities with the African continent, rather than relying solely upon traditional aid flows.
Importantly, Russia is beginning to take some of the steps necessary to ensure that its development aid is tracked, coordinated and managed well. The World Bank has noted Russia’s growing support of the poorest countries, and is currently providing it with assistance in the design and implementation of its global development aid agenda. Additionally, a recently established Russian government agency, the Russian Federal Agency for CIS Affairs and International Humanitarian Cooperation (RosCooperation), has been working with USAID implementing partners to share best practices in development assistance.
