Russia’s Approach to Official Development Assistance and Its Contribution to the SDGs

Abstract

The chapter looks at the current developments in Russia’s official development assistance (ODA). In spite of its international isolation, the Russian government has expanded its ODA allocations since 2015, which total to about $1 billion annually. The chapter describes the sectoral and channel distribution of Russian aid. Moreover, it identifies the key challenges of the Russian government in the framework of its ODA activities, such as monitoring and evaluation (M&E), achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and its engagement with the business sector. Under consideration of the government’s undertakings in its striving to address these issues, the author reflects in conclusion on the prospects of establishing a national ODA M&E system, and options to contribute towards the achievement of the SDGs by 2030.