PRESS RELEASE*

The following issues are scheduled for discussion at the May 17, 2011 meeting of the Presidium of the Government of the Russian Federation

1. Implementing measures of state support of scientific research and innovative infrastructure at institutions of higher education

Materials on the issue have been submitted by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

The materials note that the modernization and innovative development of the Russian economy calls for a series of measures aimed at integrating science, education and production. The gaps in scientific-production chains between education, science and business remain significant in spite of the increased funding for science coming from the federal budget.

A series of measures are being implemented to expand the research competence of higher education institutions, to involve the teachers and students in modern research and innovative projects and attract top company workers and international researchers to higher education institutions. A system of competence centres in spearhead areas of science and technology is being created at higher education institutions.

The following are the main instruments of support of the development of research and innovative activities at Russian higher education institutions:

- programmes of the development of higher education institutions;

- support of comprehensive projects to create hi-tech production implemented by industrial companies in cooperation with higher education institutions;

- support of programmes for the development of innovative infrastructure at higher education institutions;

- attracting leading foreign scientists to higher education institutions;

- stimulating the participation of higher education institutions in designing and implementing programmes of innovative development of companies with state participation;

- involvement of higher education institutions in the implementation of technological platforms.

Thus during the work to form the nucleus of higher education institutions oriented towards research and innovative activities, considerable additional resources to finance the development programmes were made available to a group of leading higher education institutions including the Lomonosov Moscow State University, St Petersburg State University, 8 federal and 29 national research universities. The state supports the said group of higher education institutions in 2010-2012 in the amount of 48 billion roubles (16 billion roubles, annually).

As part of implementing Resolution No.218 of the Government of the Russian Federation of April 9, 2010, the state is supporting the development of cooperation between Russian higher education institutions and production enterprises, the development of scientific and educational activities at Russian higher education institutions, the use by production enterprises of the potential of Russian higher education institutions to develop science-intensive production and stimulate innovative activities in the Russian economy.

Such support is aimed at ensuring long-term cooperation of higher education institutions with organisations in the real sector of the economy in developing modern competitive technologies and products as well as at developing the research and technological base of higher education institutions by expanding innovative and application activities of organisations and, moreover, using that as the basis for upgrading the quality of specialist training.

A subsidy is allocated by tender to organisations in the real sector of the economy in an amount not exceeding 100 million roubles a year, for a term of 1-3 years to finance scientific research, R&D and technological services they commission to Russian higher education institutions.

The total amount of federal budget money earmarked for these activities in 2010-2012 is 19 billion roubles, including 6 billion roubles in 2010, 6 billion in 2011 and 7 billion roubles in 2012.

In 2010, 803 bids have been entered. At present, 101 contracts have been concluded between the Ministry of Education and Science and the winning bidders in the amount of 16,310,497,000 roubles for a period of three years, with the winning bidders to provide co-financing in the amount of 18,382,000,000 roubles, i.e. 13% more than the amount of the subsidy.

In the first three months since the launching of these measures at the initial stage of the projects, 2,798 scientists and teachers, 1,229 young scientists (specialists), 505 postgraduate students and 1,197 undergraduate students have been involved in these activities.

Pursuant to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Russian Federation on the issue of regulatory acts that envisage, beginning from 2013, measures of state support to develop cooperation between the Russian higher professional education institutions and organisations that implement comprehensive projects to create high technology production, the Ministry of Science and Education has prepared a corresponding draft resolution for the Government of the Russian Federation. After the adoption of the said resolution, another tender is to be announced to select organisations eligible for subsidies for the implementation of comprehensive projects aimed at creating hi-tech production.

Implementation of Government Resolution No.219 of April 9, 2010. For the purpose of creating an innovative environment, promoting interaction between education institutions and industrial enterprises and supporting the creation of small innovative enterprises a tender has been held among higher education institutions for state support of the development of innovative infrastructure, including support of small innovative enterprises. There were 199 bidders, and 56 higher education institutions were the winners.

The Federal Budget envisages the allocation of 8 billion roubles for the development of the innovative infrastructure of higher education institutions, including: 3 billion roubles in 2010, 2 billion roubles in 2011 and 3 billion roubles in 2012.

The programme of the development of innovative infrastructure at each of the winning higher education institutions will be financed out of the budget in the amount of up to 50 million roubles a year over a period of up to 3 years.

On the whole, it is deemed practicable to implement similar programmes in another 20-25 higher education institutions to create an effective network of innovative centres at higher education institutions throughout the Russian Federation. 

On the strength of the above, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science has prepared a draft resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation On Increasing the Funding of these activities by 1 billion roubles in 2011 within the limits of budget allocations approved for the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

After such a resolution is adopted, an additional tender to select innovative infrastructure development programmes is to be held.

Pursuant to the Russian Government’s Resolution No.220 of April 9, 2010 On Measures to Attract Leading Scientists to Russian Higher Professional Education Institutions the state is rendering support for scientific research supervised by leading scientists at Russian higher education institutions by providing grants of the Government of the Russian Federation. After a review, 40 winners of the tender have been selected.

The Ministry of Education and Science, seeking to attract leading world scientists to Russian higher education institutions announced a second tender for grants on April 15, 2011 whose results are to be reviewed before October 1, 2011.

On the design of programmes of innovative development of companies with state participation. Pursuant to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation based on the results of the work of the Presidential Commission On Modernization and Technological Development of the Russian Economy the companies are currently designing programmes of innovative development aimed at developing and introducing new technologies, innovative products and services that meet world standards and at innovative development of key industries in the Russian Federation.

On August 3, 2010 the Government Commission on High Technologies and Innovation approved Recommendations for the development of programmes of innovative development of joint stock companies with state participation, state corporations and federal state unitary enterprises.

The total amount of funding of science at higher education institutions under the approved programmes of innovative development of nine companies has increased from 2.2 billion roubles in 2010 to 8.3 billion roubles in 2011, with the prospect of further growth (11.5 billion roubles in 2012 and 13.5 billion roubles in 2013).

The formation of technological platforms.  So-called technological platforms are being developed to increase the scale and develop the instruments of stimulating the interaction between scientific organisations and business, develop the mechanisms of business contribution to determining the areas of research and development to enhance the economic effectiveness of such research. Technological platforms are designed to determine the criteria of the relevance of the results of higher education institutions’ projects to the economy, to shore up demand for work with higher education institutions among companies, and to provide a programme for diverse participants in the market to move together towards a new economic system.

As of today a list of 27 technological programmes exists which involve more than 150 higher education institutions.

An important element in implementing measures of state support is Federal Law No.217-FZ of August 2, 2009. The law grants public sector scientific institutions (including those created by the state national academies of sciences) as well as budget-supported higher education institutions the right, without the consent of the owner of the property, to be founders (or cofounders with other legal entities) of business companies whose activities consist in practical application (introduction) of the results of intellectual activities to which such institutions have exclusive copyright.

From the results of the monitoring carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science, there are at present 917 business companies of which 889 have been created in 176 higher education institutions and 28 at 23 research institutions. They employ more than 5000 personnel.

To support the activities of newly created small innovative enterprises Federal Law No.310-FZ On Introducing Amendments to Article 346.12, Part 2 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation was adopted on November 27, 2010, which lifted the restrictions on the use of a simplified taxation system by business associations created under the law.

2. Programmes of social adaptation and support of graduates of children’s homes.

The materials on the issue have been submitted by the Ministry of Education and Science.

In 2010, children’s homes and boarding schools graduated 12,500 orphans, of whom about 60% entered primary professional education, 24% specialized secondary education, 5% higher education, and about  5% of whom have gone into employment.

Under the laws of the Russian Federation the issues of social support of orphans are within the competence of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Coordination of the work to develop and implement the programmes of social adaptation and support of the graduates of children’s homes and methodological assistance for such work is the responsibility of the Government of the Russian Federation.

To implement the tasks set, the Ministry of Education and Science jointly with the federal executive bodies concerned and the executive bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation are implementing a range of measures aimed at fulfilling this assignment.

The Ministry of Education and Science has conducted a review of the main problems of the adaptation of graduates of state institutions for orphans and measures taken by the government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and the local self-government bodies to address the above problems. Proceeding from the analysis, recommendations have been designed and sent to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation on the development and implementation of regional programmes of social adaptation and support of the graduates of above mention ed instsitutions as well as a model statute on the centre of social adaptation of the graduates of children’s homes and boarding schools and children left without parental care.

The recommendations list the main areas of the implementation of regional programmes of social adaptation of the graduates of the said institutions.

These areas include: improvement of regional legislation, including additional guarantees of social support of the graduates of the said institutions, forms of work with the said category of people, lists and standards of the quality of services rendered to them by state (municipal) authorities, the procedure of organizing the activities and interaction of the bodies and institutions of various departmental affiliations in organizing this work, the development of infrastructure of post-orphanage adaptation as well as the creation of a management system for the process of social adaptation of graduates of the said institutions, including the registration of this category of people, creating conditions for their education, provision of housing and legal advice as well as their employment.

For the purpose of assisting the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in providing orphans with housing the federal law On the Federal Budget for 2011 and the Planning Period 2012 and 2013 envisages outlays from the federal budget in the shape of subsidies to the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in the amount of 6.2 billion roubles every year, i.e. 5.6 times more than in 2010.

At present, 1095 organisation at the regional and municipal levels are rendering various forms of support for that category of individuals. These forms cover 22169 graduates of orphanages, of whom 28% are under the age of 18 and 72% are 18 years of age and older.

3. Using the resource potential of the fisheries sector and measures to enhance its performance.

4. Progress made by power industry and housing and utilities enterprises during the autumn-winter period of 2010-2011 and the tasks for the coming autumn-winter period of 2011-2012

The materials on the issue have been submitted by the Ministry of Energy jointly with the Ministry of Regional Development and Rostekhnadzor.

Power facilities

The materials submitted note that the past autumn and winter period (AWP) was marked by a recovery of demand for electricity and power and resumed growth of their consumption.

On the whole during the six AWP months electricity consumption exceeded last year’s level by 1.6%.

Preparation for the 2010-2011 AWP proceeded during a period of anomalously high temperatures and wildfires, which was why the deadlines for carrying out many repair programmes of power facilities were postponed until September-November of 2010.

In spite of the difficult conditions in which preparations for the AWP proceeded, repair work was accomplished without substantial deviations from the targeted volumes.

During the period of anomalous high temperatures and widespread fires in the summer all the necessary measures were taken to ensure sustained work of the Unified Energy System. In the face of anomalous weather the power industry has managed to avoid serious systemic accidents.

The ice rain that swept the central regions of Russia, especially the Moscow Region, led to power outages for nearly 470,000 persons in more than 5,584 communities. The duration of the ice rain in the Moscow Region in December 2010 exceeded the average monthly norm for the worst climatic conditions by 4-7 times. The scale of the accidents caused by the rain (falling of trees on power transmission lines) was multiples of what the emergency services of companies could handle.

During the period from December 25, 2010 through January 12, 2011 there were widespread outages or damage to the power grids with the nominal voltage of between 6 and 220 kW caused by unfavourable natural conditions (ice rain), which led to power cuts for more than 200,000 consumers in the Moscow Region.

The main causes of the accident:

1. Failure to take adequate measures to the maintenance of forest cuttings

2. Failure to take measures to liquidate the causes that trigger and develop the accident.

3. Insufficiently effective operational and technological control during the liquidation of the accident.

4. Mistaken actions in determining priorities in planning rescue and restoration work at the initial stage of the emergency operation.

5. Failure to comply with the requirements of the documents pertaining to the liquidation of accidents.

6. Failure to take measures to obtain timely authentic information on weather conditions.

7. Failure to take measures to obtain authentic information on deenergised energy facilities and the nature and amount of damaged equipment.

8. Failure to take measures to meet the current safety rules in rescue and restoration work.

9. Unsatisfactory quality of production instructions or job descriptions and other internal documents of organisations.

10. The parameters of the impact of natural phenomena exceed the design parameters.

To prevent prolonged massive outages in the future the Government has taken measures to:

- widen the forest cuttings for elevated 35-220 kW power transmission lines;

- strengthen standby energy supply, provide airports and other socially significant facilities (water off-take, sewage pumps, hospitals, etc.) with autonomous power sources;

- make power transmission lines more resistant to ice and wind;

- create a mobile reserve of rescue and restoration specialized equipment.

Fuel supplies in 2010 increased from 2009: gas by 7.8%, coal by 10.6% and fuel oil by 1.8%, due to the growth of power consumption and increased load on thermal power plants.

The actual stocks of coal and fuel oil significantly exceed the quotas approved by the Ministry of Energy (coal by 197.4% and fuel oil by 158.4% in April of 2011).

Housing and utilities enterprises

The performance of the housing and utilities enterprises in the Russian Federation during the autumn and winter period of 2010-2011 was as follows.

The housing stock

The total residential stock in the Russian Federation is 2.76 billion square meters. Of the 2.214 billion square meters that were to be prepared for the AWP, actually 2.21 billion square meters had been prepared (99.8%).

Boiler rooms

There are 78,629 communal boiler rooms in the Russian Federation. Of the 77,642 boiler rooms to be prepared under the plan, 77,635 have actually been prepared (99.9%).

Heating networks

There is a total of 161,500 km of central heating networks. 156,090 km were scheduled to be prepared and 156,090 km were prepared (100%).

The total length of old and accident-prone heating networks is 43,700 km. Of the 11,480 km scheduled to be replaced, 11,630 km (101.3%) have been replaced.

Water supply networks

The total length of water supply networks is 491,500 km. Of the 431,800 km that were to be prepared for AWP, 431,630 km (99.98%) have actually been prepared.

The total length of old and accident-prone water supply networks is 174,000 km. Of the 33,950 km scheduled for replacement, 34,130 km have actually been replaced (100.5%).

Fuel stocks

Coal supply target was 5.54 million tonnes, in reality 6.67 million tonnes (120.5% of the target) have been delivered.

Fuel oil: target is 1.94 million tonnes, in fact 2.12 million tonnes (109.4%) have been delivered.

Financing of pre-winter preparation

The budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation have earmarked 171.5 billion roubles, of which 154.7 billion roubles (90.2%) have actually been disbursed.

Safety control by Rostekhnadzor

As of April this year, inspections have been carried out at 135 power plants, 5,920 heating and 1,228 heating-and-production boiler rooms and 121 power grid organisations.

During the inspections about 27,000 violations of safety rules for the operation of power equipment and networks have been revealed, and 1,723 individuals and 495 legal entities have been penalized.

5. Draft Federal Law On the State Information System of the Fuel and Energy Complex

The draft law has been submitted by the Ministry of Energy.

The document envisages the development of legal and organisational principles of the submission of information for the creation and use of state information resources of the fuel and energy complex and the creation and special features of the operation of the state information system of the fuel and energy complex.

The need to adopt the law is prompted by the fact that in accordance with the Federal Law On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection, the occurrences and conditions of mandatory disclosure of information as well as the lists of types of information submitted on a mandatory basis or the procedure of determining such lists can be established only under federal laws.

The draft federal law is a follow-up to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation and of the Government of the Russian Federation on creating a state system of accounting and monitoring the production and movement of oil and petroleum products (Neftekontrol system), which is to become a segment of the system of the state information system of the fuel and energy complex.

Shortage of prompt information on the state of the fuel and energy complex also impedes the performance of the functions of the systemic operator in accordance with the Federal Law On Electrical Energy, above all the function of ensuring compliance with the parameters of reliable functioning of the Unified Energy System of Russia and the quality of power.

The lack of a structured system of compiling and analyzing information may affect the monitoring of the creation of stocks of fuel in preparing power plants and boiler rooms of all varieties for the autumn and winter period.

6. Draft Federal Law On Introducing an Amendment to Article 342, Part 2 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation.

7. Draft Federal Law On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in Connection with Measures to Support Russian Shipbuilding and Shipping.

The draft federal law has been submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation by the Ministry of Transport.

The aim of the draft law is to create legal and economic conditions that would stimulate the development and competitiveness of domestic shipbuilding enterprises and the shipbuilding sector as a whole.

The main tasks set under the draft law:

Concerning shipbuilding:

● a) introducing amendments to the Federal law No.116-FZ dated July 22, 2005 On Special Economic Zones in the Russian Federation aimed at lifting restrictions on the legal status of the plots of land forming the area of the special economic zone, their ownership and territorial position and allowing the location of industrial-production special economic zones (IPSEZ) on the territory of several municipal entities and inclusion within the IPSEZ of privately owned plots of land.

● b) exemption from customs duties and VAT of the products of the processing of foreign goods released into the free market or when such goods are transferred to persons that are not residents of IPSEZ;

● c) exemption from VAT of the products of the processing of Russian commodities when they are exported from the IPSEZ to the rest of the customs territory or are transferred to persons that are not residents of the IPSEZ;

● d) exemption from land tax and property tax for ten years instead of the current 5 years;

● e) vesting Vneshekonombank with the authority to provide guarantee support for shipbuilding organisations which have the status of an IPSEZ resident by introducing corresponding amendments to Part 3, Article 3 of Federal Law No. 82-FZ dated May 17, 2007 On the Development Bank.

Concerning navigation:

● a) expanding the sphere of application of the Russian international register of vessels (RIRV) to all types of vessels built by Russian shipbuilding organisations after January 1, 2010;

● b) exemption from profit tax for transactions with respect to the sale of vessels entered in the RIRV as well as incomes from coastal carriage of cargoes by vessels built after January 1, 2010 at Russian shipyards and entered in the RIRV;

● c) dropping the requirement of the ship being necessarily registered with the RIRV for ten years;

● d) exemption from VAT when exporting goods placed under the customs procedure of re-export with respect to the vessels previously brought into the Customs Union customs territory and entered in the RIRV;

● e) introducing the zero rate of VAT with respect to freight received when leasing vessels for a certain period (time charter) in the event one of the ports of departure or ports of destination is on the territory of the Russian Federation;

● f) exemption for a period of 15 years from the payment of insurance premiums to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation, the Federal Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund and the Territorial Funds of the Mandatory Medical Insurance of shipping companies that pay remuneration to the crews of vessels registered with the RIRV.

● g) establishing the regime of income taxation of the members of the crews of the vessels flying the flag of the Russian Federation at the rate of 13% of the tax on the income of individuals regardless of the actual duration of stay in the Russian Federation;

● h) allowing the signing of term employment contracts with the members of the crews of vessels registered with the RIRV;

● i) granting a military call-up deferment to citizens studying at federal education institutions under higher and secondary professional education programmes designed to train members of the crews of seagoing and inland waterway vessels for the period of study irrespective of age.

8. Draft Federal Law On Introducing Amendments to the Code of the Russian Federation On Administrative Offenses to Establish Liability for Violating the Procedure of Connection to Utilities Infrastructure Networks

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development.

The adoption of the law will provide better protection of the interests for consumers of services of connecting the facilities to the system of communal infrastructure or power grids, which is particularly important for consumers that are individuals and small or medium-sized businesses.

The draft law introduces three new types of administrative offenses for which both organisations and officials are liable: the draft agreement (specifications) on technological connection to power grids or the system of communal infrastructure do not comply with the law, the utilities organisations or network organisations violate the deadlines for submitting the draft agreement, and unreasonable refusal to sign an agreement.

9. Draft Federal Law On Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning the Use of Evaluation Standards

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development.

Under Article 18 of the Federal Law On Evaluation Activities in the Russian Federation (as updated by Federal Law No.431-FZ dated December 28, 2010) the authority to develop and approve evaluation standards previously belonging to the Government of the Russian Federation have been redistributed between the Ministry of Economic Development, the National Evaluation Council and self-regulating organisations of evaluators. Under the Law, the requirements to the procedure of evaluation and evaluation activities are determined by the standards of evaluation activities that include federal evaluation standards (developed by the National Evaluation Council and approved by the Ministry of Economic Development) and the standards and rules of evaluation activities that may not contradict the federal standards of evaluation (developed and approved by self-regulation organisations of evaluators).

The draft law is aimed at bringing the provisions of some laws in line with Article 18 of the Federal Law On Evaluation Activities in the Russian Federation.

The draft law envisages amendments to the law of the Russian Federation On the Social Protection of Citizens Exposed to Radiation as a result of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Disaster concerning the evaluation of the cost of the said structures and property taking into account the degree of their radioactive contamination in accordance with the federal evaluation standards approved by the Ministry of Economic Development (the federal executive body that performs the functions of legal regulation of evaluation activities). The issues of establishing the procedure of the payment of compensation for material damage due to the loss of property remain within the competence of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The draft law also envisages the introduction of amendments to the federal law On Special Features of the Management and Disposal of the Property and Shares of Organisations in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy and on Introducing Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation whereby the federal evaluation standards approved by the Ministry of Economic Development are to be applied in effecting structural transformations in the nuclear energy complex (for the evaluation of the federal property whose book value has not been determined if such property is contributed to the authorized capital of the main joint stock company, including as payment by the state for the additional shares issued by the main joint stock company) as well as when determining the size of compensation of damage to the citizens exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl disaster.

10. Submitting to the President of the Russian Federation for subsequent introduction for ratification the Treaty on the Appeal to the Court of the Eurasian Economic Community by Business Entities Over Disputes Within the Customs Union and the Specific Features of Processing the Same

The draft federal law has been submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development.

The Treaty was signed in Moscow on December 9, 2010 at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Community Interstate Council (at the level of heads of state). The parties to the Treaty are the member states of the Eurasian Economic Community.

The Treaty spells out the procedural features of the processing by the EurAsEC Court of cases arising from the appeals to the Court by economic entities challenging the acts, actions (inaction) of the Customs Union Commission as well as the procedure of appealing against the rulings of the EurAsEC Court Collegium.

The Treaty envisages a mechanism of the protection by economic entities of their rights and legitimate interests in the sphere of entrepreneurial and other economic activities violated by the acts, actions (inaction) of the Customs Union Commission.

11. Submitting to the President of the Russian Federation for subsequent ratification a Protocol on Introducing Amendments and Additions to the Treaty on the Customs Union Commission dated October 6, 2007

12. Draft Federal Law On Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway on Simplifying the Procedure of Mutual Trips by Inhabitants of the Border Territories of the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Norway

13. Draft Fderal Law On Introducing Amendments to the Federal Law On Physical Culture and Sports in the Russian Federation and the Federal Law On Higher and Post-Graduate Professional Education

14. Introducing an amendment to the Statute On the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation

The draft has been submitted by the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy pursuant to the federal law On Non-Profit Organisations.

The document confirms the powers of the the Ministry of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy to render support to socially oriented non-profit organisations in the field of physical culture and sports as well as the authority to form and maintain a federal register of recipients of such support.

15. Introducing amendments to certain acts of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The Ministry of Transport has submitted the draft resolution to the Government. The draft would increase the powers of Roszheldor to render state services in ensuring transport safety in the metro and of Rosavtodor in rendering state services in ensuring transport safety on ground electrically driven transport.

The draft resolution would also establish the powers of Rostransnadzor to supervise transport safety in the metro. Similar additions are to be introduced to the Statute on the Powers of State Transport Inspectors who are officials of the Federal Service for Transport Supervision and its territorial bodies that exercise supervisory functions.

16. Introducing amendments to certain acts of the Government of the Russian Federation in connection with the adoption of Federal Law No.356-FZ dated December 10, 2010 On Introducing Amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation On Veterinary Service

17. Making federal budget allocations in 2011 towards a voluntary targeted contribution to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Fund to finance the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition

The draft executive order of the Government on the issue has been submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

The draft executive order has been prepared to reaffirm the commitment of the Russian Federation to fulfilling international obligations with respect to ensuring global food security, including as part of the implementation of the G8 L'Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI), and of involving Russian scientists in the work of specialized divisions of the High Level Panel of Experts on themes of practical interest to the Russian Federation.

The voluntary contribution of the Russian Federation to the UNFAO Fund for financing the High Level Panel of Experts for 2011 has been determined in accordance with the number of Russian representatives at the High Level Panel of Experts and the expert groups.

The participation of the Russian Federation in the funding of the High Level Panel of Experts meets the national interests and priorities in international cooperation to form a global partnership in the field of agriculture, food security and nutrition. The contribution of the Russian Federation to the UNFAO Fund to finance the High Level Panel of Experts is deemed to be a contribution to the donor efforts of the world community to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 as part of the fight against hunger.

18. Allocating to the Government of the Republic of Dagestan money from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergency Situations and the Aftermath of Natural Disasters and the issue of the state housing certificate to compensate the damage caused during the counterterrorist operation carried out in the village of Gunib (Gunibsky District, Republic of Dagestan) on August 21, 2010.

19. Allocataing to the Government of the Republic of Dagestan money from the Reserve Fund of the Government of the Russian Federation for the Prevention and Liquidation of Emergency Situations and the Aftermath of Natural Disasters and the issue of the state housing certificate to compensate the damage caused during the counterterrorist operation carried out in the village of Komsomolskoye (Kyzil-Yurt District, Republic of Dagestan) on September 12-13, 2010.

Moscow, May 16, 2011

* Press releases by the Department of Press Service and Information are based on the materials submitted by the executive federal bodies for discussion by the Government  Presidium