The Russian Federation’s International Development Assistance Programme: A State of the Debate Report

Russia is unique among emerging donors for being a ‘re-emerging’ donor: the Soviet Union was one of the largest donor countries in the world, and Russia’s period as an aid recipient was relatively brief. Russian development cooperation is driven by key security and economic priorities, as well as resulting from commitments made to multilateral organisations. Russian official development assistance, according to official government sources, increased fivefold in the period 2004–11. Given a series of Russian presidencies in major international institutions, starting with the G20 in 2013, Russia is both interested in and well positioned to take new international initiatives through which it can promote its national priorities in the global agenda. This report discusses Russia’s growing role as a ‘re-emerging’ development cooperation partner, its increasing leadership in multilateral initiatives and the changing domestic policy landscape in Russia. It is unlikely that the global development cooperation agenda can be defined without strong participation by Russia, both as an individual actor and as a member of the G8, G20 and BRICS. It is therefore crucial for established donor countries to develop a clear understanding of Russian priorities.