Cooperation Programs
The Regional Initiative
The U.S. government has a long-term interest in helping the Russian Federation further develop free markets and democratic reform. For over a decade, the U.S. has supported technical assistance and cooperation programs designed to support this goal. Starting in 1997, the U.S. began to concentrate many projects in select, pro-reform regions through a program known as the Regional Initiative (RI). The RI facilitates linkages between programs, regional governments, and Washington and Moscow-based agencies. It currently operates in the Russian Far East (Sakhalin Oblast and Khabarovsk and Primorskiy Kray). The RI efforts in other regions were successfully completed as follows: Novgorod-2000, Volga Federal District-2004, and Tomsk-2005. Programs in these regions have become models of reform, and the aim is to disseminate project successes to other regions.
A number of U.S. federal agencies fund and implement training, exchange and other programs. The U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, Agriculture, Justice and Energy, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) participate in the Regional Initiative. These agencies work closely with local Russian organizations to develop the areas of civil society, improved business climate, small and medium-sized businesses, cost-effective social services, non-governmental organizations and the independent media.
The RI began under the auspices of the U.S.-Russia Bi-National Commission, and is funded through the Freedom Support Act (FSA). Programs support networking and training through exchange and training programs for young managers, students and government administrators. Programs also have set up partnerships with U.S. cities, states, universities and non-governmental organizations; access to resources for micro, medium and small businesses; and new models of administration and management for public services.
For more information about the RI in the Russian Far East, contact:
Svetlana Vasina
Tel/Fax: +7 (4242) 72-71-24/25
E-mail: svetlana_vasina@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.ri.sakhalin.ru/