Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Seventy-eighth session

Geneva, 8 September–3 October 2025

Consideration of reports: reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant

Replies of the Russian Federation to the list of issues in relation to its seventh periodic report *

[Date received: 25 October 2024]

A.General information

1.The Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation is guided by the Constitution, Federal Constitutional Act No. 1-FKZ of 26 February 1997 on the Commissioner for Human Rights, federal laws, the principles and norms of international law and the international treaties of the Russian Federation.

2.The process of creating a federal State information system of human rights commissioners is under way. It envisages the creation of a unified communications interface based on the single window principle; online consultations and assistance for system users; automation of the registration, storage, analysis and record-keeping of citizens’ complaints and documentation; automation of the information exchange among commissioners and between them and State bodies and other organizations on issues related to the protection of rights and freedoms; automation of the monitoring of the media, social media and social networks; and automation of the exchange of information between commissioners and other organizations on issues related to the protection of rights and freedoms.

3.The federal budget provides funding for the activities of the Commissioner for Human Rights and for the Commissioner’s staff. The Commissioner and the staff are provided with vehicles; there is a premises for the Commissioner for Human Rights: the Human Rights House. A situation room there makes it possible to organize multilateral videoconferences enabling residents of remote regions of the country and citizens living abroad to communicate with the federal Commissioner, members of his Office, regional commissioners and representatives of the authorities at all levels.

4.Reception rooms are equipped with an electronic queuing system, access to legal reference systems and children’s play corners. They are accessible to persons with disabilities.

5.The Office of the Commissioner is adequately staffed, with 250 employees. At present, 99 per cent of the staff and employees have higher education, including 3 who hold doctor of science degrees (higher doctoral degrees) and 25 who hold candidate of science degrees (first-level doctorates). The majority of officers and employees have 10 or more years of service.

6.In order to improve the environmental situation in the country, a federal project entitled “Clean Air” has been implemented since 2019. It is aimed at creating favourable regulatory, financial and organizational conditions for enterprises to modernize their production facilities and processes on the basis of the best available technologies in order to meet environmental regulatory requirements and to ensure the implementation of measures to improve air quality and reduce hazardous emissions. During the project implementation it has been possible to reduce pollutant emissions in 12 Russian cities.

7.In all of the country’s population centres, prosecutors carry out activities to monitor implementation by the authorities and by organizations of the legislation on the protection of the air. This has contributed to the improvement of infrastructure facilities, resulting in the building of 138 treatment facilities, with 48 currently under construction.

8.In order to improve natural disaster preparedness and reduce the risk of such disasters, the implementation of legislation is continuously monitored when activities are carried out for the prevention of floods and inundations and for the elimination of their consequences. Procurators’ respond to situations by forcing the respective authorities to carry out flood control measures, improve hydrological monitoring and forecasting and increase the effective transmission of hydrological observation data. To establish a special regime for the use of areas exposed to water damage that lack protective infrastructure and/or engineered protection, flooding and waterlogging zones have been established. Their boundaries are entered into the Unified State Real Property Register and displayed in the rural planning and urban zoning documents, in accordance with the legislation on town planning.

9.Climate change adaptation plans have been drawn up and are being implemented at the federal, sectoral and regional levels. A National Action Plan for the second phase of adaptation to climate change, covering the period up to 2025, was approved by Government Order No. 559-r, dated 11 March 2023.

10.This plan envisages updating the sectoral and regional adaptation plans, building on the results of the first stage. It provides for the improvement of the insurance mechanism, taking into account the risks of natural disasters, the creation and introduction of new technological solutions aimed at studying the climate, the formation of a list of best Russian and international practices for adapting sectors of the economy to climate change and annual monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of existing adaptation measures. It envisages the development of university, professional retraining and advanced training programmes in climate risks and economic sector adaptation to climate change.

11.As part of the implementation of the National Action Plan, the Ministry of Health approved a sectoral climate change adaptation plan for 2022–2030. It includes a list of priority adaptation measures, such as: strengthening of the infectious disease service, taking into account epidemiological forecasts; improving energy reliability and the energy efficiency of medical facilities’ buildings and premises; repairing and renovating buildings and equipping them with modern ventilation and air conditioning systems; and developing and implementing a communication campaign targeting information for citizens on the health impact of climate risk factors.

12.In accordance with the Climate Doctrine approved by Presidential Decree No. 812 of 26 October 2023, the development and implementation of both immediate and long-term adaptation measures are among the main objectives of climate policy.

13.Government Order No. 3240-r of 29 October 2022 approved a most important innovative project of national importance: the Unified National System for Monitoring Climate Modifiers. Its purpose is to monitor substances that alter the climate, through scientific, regulatory and infrastructure support for the collection, processing, analysis, storage and use of reliable, internationally recognized observed and calculated data for the objective assessment of anthropogenic and natural trends in climate modifiers in the country. It will monitor their atmospheric concentration and their impact on the global and regional climate, and it will develop a methodological basis for later use in implementing the environmental (low-carbon) transformation of sectors of the Russian economy, for adapting the country’s economy and population to climate change and for protecting Russian incomes in the international arena.

B.Issues relating to the general provisions of the Covenant (arts. 1–5)

14.The poverty rate indicator for 2023 stood at 8.5 per cent, or 0.5 percentage points lower than in 2022. The number of citizens with low incomes was 12.4 million, or 900,000 less than in 2022. Since 2017, 6.8 million people were lifted out of poverty, resulting in a 4.5 per cent decrease in the poverty rate in that period.

15.Between 2014 and 2023, 3.9 million people were lifted out of poverty. The number of poor citizens was 16.3 million in 2014 and 12.4 million in 2023. The poverty rate in 2014 was 11.3 per cent and in in 2023 it stood at 8.5 per cent; the poverty rate declined by 2.8 per cent.

16.Information on trends in the indicator for level of public debt in proportion to GDP for the last 10 years can be found in the annex.

17.The general corporate tax revenue rate (the corporate tax) in force for the last 10 years has been 20 per cent.

18.Social benefits for unemployed citizens include inter alia unemployment benefit payments. The amounts listed below have been designated for payments for approximately 500,000 unemployed persons annually, on an average annual basis. Act No. 540-FZ of 27 November 2023, on the federal budget for 2024 and the 2025 and 2026 planning period, provides:

•For 2024: 45,646,773,400 roubles;

•For 2025: 48,125,509,300 roubles;

•For 2026: 50,822,850,000 roubles.

19.Government Decision No. 346 of 27 March 2020 on the minimum and maximum unemployment benefit amounts for 2020 changed the amounts for the period from April to October 2020. The minimum unemployment benefit was increased from 1,500 roubles to 4,500 roubles, the maximum amount for certain categories of citizens was increased from 8,000 roubles to 12,130 roubles, and payments of 3,000 roubles were introduced for unemployed persons with minor children.

20.As at 31 December 2020, 40,500 people were taking part in the organization of temporary employment for 26,100 workers at risk of dismissal, and 63,800 people were participating in the organization of public works for 54,600 citizens looking for work and applying through employment agencies, along with 63,800 persons without employment (28,400 people looking for work and applying through employment agencies and 35,400 people from among the unemployed).

21.Funds for the implementation of these measures were allocated from the Government’s reserve fund.

22.Federal Act No. 102-FZ of 1 April 2020 on amendments to parts 1 and 2 of the Tax Code and certain other legislative acts amended Federal Act No. 125-FZ of 24 July 1998 on compulsory social insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases. The Government was granted the right to issue regulatory legal acts providing for the following during the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020, inclusive: the extension of the deadlines for payment of insurance contributions for mandatory social insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases established under the Act; additional grounds for granting deferrals (instalment plans) in 2020 for the payment of insurance contributions, penalties, and fines; and other conditions for easing the financial burden on insurers related to the payment of insurance contributions, penalties, and fines.

23.Government Decision No. 409 of 2 April 2020 on measures to ensure sustainable economic development approved a list of organizations and individual entrepreneurs. To be included on the list, they had to be registered on 1 March 2020, in accordance with Federal Act No. 209-FZ of 24 July 2007 on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, in the Unified Register of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (the SME register), and engaged in the areas of activity most affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Such organizations and entrepreneurs were granted an extension for the payment of insurance contributions for mandatory social insurance against industrial accidents and occupational diseases, as follows: for the period March–May 2020, the deadline was extended by six months; for the period June–July 2020, the deadline was extended by 4 months; and for individual entrepreneurs, on incomes exceeding 300,000 roubles in 2019, by 4 months.

24.Government Decision No. 409 extended the deadlines for the payment of insurance contributions by organizations included in the following registers: the register of socially oriented non-profit organizations, in accordance with the Government Decision No. 906 of 23 June 2020 establishing that register; and the register of non-profit organizations most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, in accordance with Government Decision No. 847 of 11 June 2020, establishing that register.

25.Federal Act No. 172-FZ of 8 June 2020 amending part 2 of the Tax Code reduced the amounts of insurance contributions payable for the 2020 calculation period for individual entrepreneurs in the affected industries, from 32,448 roubles to 20,318 roubles (i.e., by one minimum wage, which amounted to 12,130 roubles).

26.The Act also provides for tax exemption and an exemption from the payment of insurance contributions for individual entrepreneurs and non-profit and religious organizations, as well as for organizations included in the unified SME register operating in the sectors of the economy most affected by COVID-19.

27.Automated software has been developed that makes it possible, without the involvement of a federal tax inspector, to verify compliance of submitted applications with the conditions for granting subsidies and to transfer the generated registers to the Federal Treasury.

28.Under Government Decision No. 576 of 24 April 2020, payments were to be calculated as a product of the minimum wage amount, of 12,130 roubles, multiplied by the number of employees.

29.Government Decision No. 976 of 2 July 2020 approved the rules for granting subsidies for the prevention of COVID-19. The amount of payments included initial expenses in a set amount of 15,000 roubles and current expenses calculated as 6,500 roubles, multiplied by the number of employees.

30.Organizations and individual entrepreneurs were granted the right to claim as expenses the costs of acquiring property used for the prevention and containment of the spread of COVID-19 and for its diagnosis and treatment. This applies to property that was donated free of charge to medical organizations, State authorities and/or local self‑government bodies and State and municipal institutions and unitary enterprises. The amounts of full or partial forgiveness of debts on loans issued in 2020 to support employment, and interest accrued on it, were not included as income.

31.Federal Act No. 273-FZ of 25 December 2009, the Anti-Corruption Act, provides for a system of anti-corruption measures.

32.Presidential Decree No. 460 of 13 April 2010 approved the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, a constantly improved system of organizational, economic, legal, informational and personnel measures aimed at eliminating the root causes of corruption in society.

33.Section 14 of the National Anti-Corruption Plan for 2021–2024, approved by Presidential Decree No. 478 of 16 August 2021, provides for increasing the effectiveness of international cooperation by the Russian Federation in combating corruption and strengthening the international standing of our country.

34.In order to promote principled Russian approaches and relevant initiatives to counter criminal activity, representatives of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation participate on a regular basis in bilateral and multilateral international events on countering corruption that are held in various forums by the competent authorities of foreign States and international organizations.

35.The grounds and procedures for units of State bodies and other organizations to verify compliance by State and municipal officials and employees, as well as other individuals, with established restrictions, prohibitions and obligations are defined by the following laws: Federal Act No. 273-FZ; Federal Act No. 230-FZ of 3 December 2012 on the monitoring of the correspondence between the expenses and incomes of State officials and other persons; and Federal Act No. 79-FZ of 7 May 2013 prohibiting certain categories of persons from opening and holding accounts or deposits or storing cash and valuables in foreign banks located outside the Russian Federation and from owing or using foreign financial instruments.

36.Federal Act No. 44-FZ of 5 April 2013 on the contract system in the procurement of goods, works and services for State and municipal needs is designed to promote a unified, transparent cycle for the formulation and placement of State orders and the execution of State contracts. It regulates relations in meeting State and municipal needs in the planning of the procurement of goods, works and services; the selection of suppliers (contractors or executors of works); the conclusion of contracts for goods, works and services; and specific aspects of the execution of contracts, procurement monitoring, auditing and control in procurements.

37.To support the contract system with information resources, the creation of a unified information system is envisioned. This system will make it possible to compare and check the information contained in procurement documentation in order to ensure transparency and predictability in procurement activities through the placement of procurement plans and schedules.

38.According to statistics from the legal system, the number of crimes of corruption registered in the Russian Federation remained stable in 2022 and 2023.

39.The share of crimes of corruption as a share of all crimes registered in the country increased slightly from 2022, to 1.9 per cent.

40.Among all persons convicted of corruption offences, more than 63.6 per cent are persons who commit offences directly related to bribery in the public or private sector.

41.The main types of punishment imposed for corruption are fines (45.1 per cent), suspended sentences (30.5 per cent) and imprisonment (19.4 per cent).

42.In 2023, the most frequently imposed additional punishment was deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities (2,307 persons were thus sentenced) and a fine (1,751 persons). In some cases, the perpetrators were deprived of their official ranks or special titles or were sentenced to restricted liberty.

43.In 2020, sweeping changes were made to federal legislation in order to improve the legal mechanisms for keeping records of persons belonging to the numerically small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East. Federal Act No. 403 of 20 October 2022 has entered into force. It amends the federal law that sets out the general principles for the organization of the numerically small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, which addresses in detail the establishment and activities of their communities.

44.Issues related to traditional fishing were discussed at a meeting of the working group for the implementation of legislation aimed at suppressing illegal extraction and trafficking of aquatic biological resources. The meeting was held on 31 May 2023 at the Office of the Procurator General. Based on the results of the meeting, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Federal Fisheries Agency elaborated a “no-objection” principle for the preferential rights of Indigenous Peoples to have access to fishing resources. The principle was reflected in draft Federal Act No. 309477-8 (adopted on first reading, on 13 February 2024).

45.Work has been suspended on the amendment of Federal Act No. 49-FZ of 7 May 2001 on Territories of Traditional Resource Use by the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, including at the initiative of the Association of Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East.

46.The task of improving procedures for the establishment, protection, use and abolition of territories of traditional subsoil use has lost its relevance. The current procedure for the establishment and use of such territories provided for by Federal Act No. 49-FZ allows for the establishment of such territories. About 600 such territories of regional and local importance have been established in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

47.Regarding the steps taken to prohibit discrimination on all grounds, we would like to inform you that upon written request of a person who has been denied an employment contract, the employer is obliged to provide the reason for the refusal in writing within seven working days. A refusal to conclude an employment contract may be appealed in court.

48.Under article 5.62 of the Code of Administrative Offences, discrimination incurs administrative liability in the form of a fine of 1,000 to 3,000 roubles for individuals and 50,000 to 100,000 roubles for legal entities.

49.Under article 136 of the Criminal Code, discrimination incurs criminal liability in the form of a fine of 100,000 to 300,000 roubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of 1 to 2 years, or deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or engage in certain activities for up to 5 years, or community service for up to 480 hours, or correctional labour for up to 2 years, or punitive labour for up to 5 years, or deprivation of liberty for the same period.

50.Article 144.1 of the Criminal Code establishes that the unjustified refusal to hire people on the grounds that they are approaching retirement age, as well as the unjustified dismissal of such a person on the same grounds, is punishable by a fine of up to 200,000 roubles, or in the amount of the wages or other income of the convicted person for a period of up to 18 months, or community service of up to 360 hours.

51.The Federal Labour and Employment Service (Rostrud) has been implementing vocational training and further training measures for certain categories of citizens since 2021 as part of a federal project entitled “Promotion of Employment”, within the national demography project.

52.Government Decision No. 1545 of 2 September 2022 added a new category of participants to the project: “citizens of Ukraine, citizens of the Donetsk People’s Republic, citizens of the Luhansk People’s Republic and stateless persons permanently residing in the territories of Ukraine, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, who have received refugee status or a certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation”. A Government Decision of 5 December 2022 changed the category to “citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in Ukraine who have received a refugee certificate or a certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation”.

53.In 2022, 113 people from this category of citizens received the relevant training, and in 2023 18 people did.

54.State support is provided to employers in order to stimulate the employment of certain categories of citizens. Employers are provided with partial reimbursement of the costs of wages for hired workers under Government Decision No. 362 of 13 March 2021. It calls for State support to stimulate the employment of certain categories of citizens in 2024 to be provided for legal entities, including non-profit organizations, and for individual entrepreneurs. In 2024, recipients of such support included citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in Ukraine who have arrived in the Russian Federation in an emergency large-scale movement and who have received a refugee certificate or a certificate of temporary asylum in the Russian Federation.

55.A citizen’s constitutional duty and obligation to defend the fatherland is carried out through the performance of military duty and military service, in accordance with Federal Act No. 53-FZ of 28 March 1998 on military duty and military service.

56.Federal Act No. 113-FZ of 25 July 2002, the Alternative Civil Service Act, stipulates that citizens have the right to substitute alternative civil service for conscription in cases where military service is contrary to their beliefs or religion, or, if they belong to a numerically small Indigenous People, if they lead a traditional lifestyle, carry out traditional economic activities or engage in traditional crafts of the numerically small Indigenous People. Citizens’ military service during conscription and mobilization do not involve a violation of their rights and freedoms and are in keeping with the Constitution; the service is sufficiently regulated by the country’s legislation.

57.During the period of partial mobilization applied in the Russian Federation in accordance with Presidential Decree No. 647 of 21 September 2022, our adversaries, engaging expert groups under their control and using a biased media, actively carried out an information campaign to discredit the activities of the country’s armed forces during the special military operation, including by spreading information about “forced mobilization”.

58.The share of women holding civil service positions in the central apparatuses of federal government bodies has increased by 2 per cent over the past six years, to reach 58 per cent in 2022. Among State civil servants of the executive branches of the constituent entities it increased by 4.5 per cent, to 74 per cent in 2022. The share of women managers in the central apparatuses of federal government agencies increased by 5.3 per cent, to almost 40 per cent of the total number of managers, with 1,200 women in 2022; among State civil servants of the executive branches of the constituent entities, it increased by 2 per cent, to 61 per cent in 2022 (or 25,300 women).

59.In six years, the number of women in positions in the judicial and procuratorial bodies increased by 3.6 per cent, reaching 81.1 per cent at the end of 2022.

60.In 2024, the share of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly who were women amounted to 16.4 per cent, and among senators in the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, 19.7 per cent were women.

61.The following posts are held by women: Chair and Deputy Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, Deputy Chairs of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly, Chair and Deputy Chairs of the Supreme Court, judges of the Constitutional Court, Chair of the Central Bank of Russia, Chair of the Central Electoral Commission, heads of the Federal Service for Supervision of Healthcare, the Federal Service for the Supervision of Natural Resources and the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights.

62.There are three women in the Government: the Deputy Prime Minister; the Minister of Agriculture; and the Minister of Culture.

63.The gender pay gap is caused by various factors, one of which is the traditional division of labour within families, whereby women dedicate themselves to family and children. In such cases, women prefer working schedules and taking on workloads (receiving the corresponding remuneration) that allow them to devote more time to raising children and fulfilling family responsibilities. The difference in pay between men and women is not due to gender, but to the complexity of the work and to working conditions.

64.Various programmes are being introduced to build women’s professional skills and leadership.

65.When the National Strategy for Women for 2017–2022, approved by Government Order No. 410-r of 8 March 2017, drew to a close, the National Strategy for Women for 2023–2030 was prepared and approved by the Government Order No. 4356-r of 29 December 2022.

66.The goals of the National Strategy for 2023–2030 are achieved along the following five lines: Strengthening women’s positions in the country’s social and political life and creating conditions for the development of their civic engagement; enhancing the role of women in the social and economic development of society and improving their quality of life; expanding women’s participation in priority areas of the country’s social and economic development, including the establishment of new areas of economic growth; preserving the health of women of all ages, and creating conditions for enhancing women’s role in forming a healthy society; and preventing social disadvantages for women.

67.The Government has a Coordination Council for the implementation of the National Strategy for 2023–2030. It was established to manage interaction between federal State bodies, the regional authorities, local self-government bodies and public, scientific, and other organizations to improve policies to enhance the status of women and to prepare proposals for determining priority areas and measures of State policy in the interests of women.

68.The register of non-profit organizations contains information on 847 non-profit organizations engaged in activities to protect women’s rights and to represent their interests. One such organization is the Women’s Union of Russia, an all-Russian public State organization.

C.Issues relating to the specific provisions of the Covenant (arts. 6–15)

69.Federal Act No. 565-FZ, the Employment Act, adopted on 12 December 2023, defines the legal, economic and organizational bases of State policy in the sphere of employment and the State’s monitoring of compliance with the relevant legislation.

70.Given the relevance of the employment problems of persons with disabilities, Federal Act No. 565-FZ singles out the promotion of their employment in a special chapter (chapter 7, in force since 1 September 2024). It governs special measures to promote their employment, establishing quotas for hiring them, procedures for equipping special workplaces for their employment and a procedure for assisting them when promoting employment.

71.Government Order No. 2401-r of 2 September 2024 approved the Framework for Increasing the Employment of Persons with Disabilities up to 2030 and the action plan for its implementation. The main provisions of the Framework are in line with the obligations undertaken for implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. They aim both to overcome external factors affecting the accessibility and quality of employment and work for persons with disabilities and to provide them with the support and targeted assistance they require, taking into account their individual needs and available potential for work.

72.Under the programme of State support for legal entities, including non-profit organizations, and individual entrepreneurs approved by Government Decision No. 362 of 13 March 2021, in order to stimulate the employment of certain categories of citizens, employers are provided with partial compensation for the wages paid to the employees in question. Employers may receive State support for the employment of citizens registered with employment centres. The organization receives the first payment one month after an unemployed person is employed; it receives the second payment after three months and the third after six months.

73.When employers who are individual entrepreneurs or founders with disabilities, and/or national organizations of persons with disabilities, employ persons with disabilities who are registered at employment centres, a subsidy is provided. It is calculated as the product of the payment amount stipulated for one employed citizen, multiplied by the actual number of employed citizens, after the first, third, and sixth months from the starting date of their employment.

74.In compliance with an instruction of the President of the Russian Federation, the Interdepartmental Working Group on Labour Market Recovery focused on regions with the most challenging labour market situations and developed appropriate support measures for them. An analysis of regional labour markets and an assessment of the employment potential of the population in October 2023 identified the 10 constituent entities of the Russian Federation with the highest unemployment rates according to the methodology of the International Labour Organization (ILO). These included six constituent entities in the North Caucasus Federal District: the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania; the Republic of Dagestan; the Republic of Ingushetia; the Karachay-Cherkess Republic; the Kabardino‑Balkarian Republic; and the Republic of Chechnya.

75.Road maps have been drawn up. They are implemented by federal executive bodies within the budgetary allocations provided by the budget law for the current fiscal year and for the planning period, and allocations from the authorities of the constituent entities paid from their budgets without involving additional budgetary allocations from the federal budget. The road maps have been approved by regulatory legal acts in the six constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are part of the North Caucasian Federal District.

76.Each road map establishes specific targets for: trends in the registered unemployment rate and in the unemployment rate calculated according to the ILO methodology; the number of unemployed citizens registered with employment service agencies; the employment rate of graduates from secondary vocational and higher education institutions; the number of jobs created; the number of identified and legalized citizens in shadow employment; the proportion of unemployed citizens removed from unemployment rolls because they have found employment, relative to the overall number of unemployed citizens removed from the rolls; and the share of employed graduates from educational organizations implementing secondary vocational education programmes, within the framework of the federal project entitled “Professionalitet”.

77.As a result of the implementation of the road maps, it is foreseen that by 2030 the quality of education will improve and targeted training will be tailored to the needs of employers; the relationship between vocational schools and enterprises or employers will be strengthened. At the same time, the employment rate of graduates of secondary vocational and higher education schools will increase on average by 1.5 times by 2030, and the registered unemployment rate in the constituent entities will decrease by an average of 1.5 times. By 2030, it is envisaged to create at least 251,700 jobs in the constituent entities that are part of the North Caucasian Federal District. Jobs will be created by investment projects, including in “breakthrough” sectors (agriculture, tourism) and in industry, including manufacturing.

78.Given the objective need to attract legal migrant workers, as part of the coordination of the fight against crime, the procurators’ offices are directing law enforcement agencies to protect the labour rights, healthcare and medical assistance of foreigners and stateless persons, to prevent ethnic conflicts and promote the social adaptation of migrants.

79.In 2023, 415,404 violations of citizens’ labour rights were detected, of which 170,805 were violations related to remuneration. By May 2024, 188,536 violations of citizens’ labour rights had been identified, of which 71,375 were related to remuneration. Appropriate response measures were taken by procurators to eliminate the identified violations.

80.The emergency transfer of employees to remote work during the health and epidemiological crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic) served as the basis for amending the Labour Code with provisions on remote work and the temporary transfer, in exceptional cases, of employees to remote work at the employer’s initiative, regardless of the employee’s gender and family status.

81.In order to improve flexible forms of employment and the use of information and communication technologies in labour relations, Federal Act No. 407-FZ of 8 December 2020 amended chapter 49.1 of the Labour Code in respect of the regulation of remote work and teleworking and the temporary transfer, in exceptional cases, of employees to remote work at the employer’s initiative (effective 1 January 2021). This law expanded the possibilities for organizing remote work on a permanent or temporary basis (continuously for up to six months, or periodically, where remote work alternates with on-site work, including in exceptional cases when introduced by the employer). For many enterprises, the use of new forms of work can be an important element of a production strategy that makes it possible to reduce unemployment among people who find it difficult to compete on an equal footing in the labour market, including women with young children.

82.In order to raise employees’ awareness of labour rights, the State labour inspectorates of the constituent entities carry out information and consulting activities to explain the norms of the labour law, including provisions to prevent discrimination in employment, forced labour and other forms of coercion, and to raise public awareness of labour rights and of the protection of such rights.

83.Temporary agency work is prohibited (art. 56.1 of the Labour Code). The peculiarities of regulating the labour of employees sent temporarily by an employer to other individuals or legal entities under an agreement on the provision of their labour are established by chapter 53.1 of the Labour Code.

84.In order to prevent the commission of offences related to trafficking in persons, including women, annual investigative and preventive measures and operations have continued. Within the framework of the Intergovernmental Programme of Joint Measures to Combat Crime for 2019–2023, coordinated measures have been taken to counter such criminal activity. To foster a zero-tolerance attitude towards the sexual exploitation of women and human trafficking, the Ministry of Internal Affairs ensures coverage of the relevant activities in the media.

85.At present, 47 national trade unions are active in the Russian Federation, with about 21 million people in their ranks. Collective bargaining agreements cover 48 per cent of employees.

86.Articles 401–408 of the Labour Code establish norms aimed at settling collective labour disputes. Article 409 establishes that workers have the right to strike as a way of resolving such disputes. If conciliation procedures fail to resolve a collective labour dispute (Code, art. 406), or if the employer or employers (or representatives thereof) do not comply with agreements reached by the parties in resolving the dispute (Code, art. 408) or with a labour arbitration decision, the employees or their representatives have the right to begin organizing a strike, except where such strikes are prohibited under article 413 (1) and (2) of the Code.

87.Participation in strikes is voluntary. No one may be compelled to participate or to refuse to participate in a strike. Anyone who compels workers to participate or to refuse to participate in a strike is subject to disciplinary, administrative and criminal liability, as established by the Labour Code and other federal laws. An employer’s representative may not organize or participate in a strike.

88.Insurance contributions to the Pension and Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation are paid only by the insurance policyholders (employers and other contract holders) under civil employment contracts. The insurance premiums are paid under unified rules that set them in accordance with a scale of rates differentiated by class of occupational risk. The class is related to the type of economic activity performed by the insured persons.

89.Government Decision No. 713 of 1 December 2005 approved rules for assigning types of economic activities to classes of occupational risk. The assignment is currently carried out on the basis of the comprehensive indicator of occupational risk, which takes into account the occupational injury and occupational illness morbidity rates and the cost of insurance coverage for the various types of economic activity.

90.The payment of insurance coverage to insured persons is financed from the budget of the Pension and Social Insurance Fund. The funding comes from the insurance premiums paid from the earnings of employees or insured persons by the insurance policyholders (employers and other contract holders), at established rates. Persons working under labour contracts and performing work under civil employment contracts do not pay insurance contributions for compulsory social insurance covering temporary incapacity or maternity.

91.Insurance premium rates are determined based on the volume of liability for the payment of benefits to insured persons, in amounts established by law.

92.In 2024, persons working under civil employment contracts will be entitled to benefits under the compulsory social insurance for temporary incapacity or maternity if in 2023 their insurance contributions totalled at least 5,652.20 roubles (the 16,242 rouble minimum monthly wage in 2023 × 2.9 per cent × 12).

93.Compulsory social insurance for temporary incapacity and maternity covers 100 per cent of working citizens.

94.Foreign citizens and stateless persons temporarily residing in the Russian Federation (except for highly qualified specialists, in accordance with Federal Act No. 115-FZ) are entitled to insurance coverage in the form of temporary incapacity benefits, provided that insurance contributions have been paid for them by their employer-insurers for at least six months preceding the month when the insured event occurs.

95.People who have certificates of temporary asylum have the status of foreign citizens or stateless persons temporarily residing in the country and are entitled to temporary incapacity benefits if their insurance contributions are paid.

96.The Russian Federation has a network of social service organizations providing social services to citizens (families with children, women and minors), including victims of domestic violence or mistreatment. In the constituent entities there are crisis centres or units for women and children who have suffered from domestic violence or psychological or physical abuse. Social services may be provided in inpatient form at the crisis centres or units. The social service system includes facilities for temporary accommodation (social service hotels and shelters, etc.).

97.Under Federal Act No. 442-FZ of 28 December 2013 on the Principles of Social Services for Citizens of the Russian Federation, family conflict, including with persons addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling or persons suffering from mental disorders, and domestic violence may serve as a basis for recognizing that a citizen is in need.

98.According to statistical reporting form No. 6, entitled “Information on day-service organizations and organizations providing social services in the form of social services at home”, as at 1 January 2023, the number of crisis centres and women’s aid units providing services in day-service form was 66, of which 62 were State-run and 4 were not. The number of recipients of the services of these organizations in 2022 amounted to 23,989 people. They received 496,489 services.

99.The main reasons women and children seek assistance at crisis centres and units are psychological and physical violence in the family, forced relocation from their permanent places of residence, family conflicts or divorce, loss of loved ones and pregnancy in a difficult life situation (including pregnant minors and single women at risk of abandonment of their newborn children).

100.The main areas of activity of the crisis centres and assistance units are the following: support for women in mobilizing their own capabilities and internal resources to overcome a crisis; casework for women in need of social assistance, rehabilitation and support; temporary accommodation; improvement of stress resilience and psychological competence, especially in interpersonal, family and parental relations; assistance for women to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect in the family, a favourable microclimate and to find ways to overcome conflicts and other disruptions of marital and family relations; social and psychological assistance for women in adapting to changing socioeconomic living conditions; and instruction for women in how to behave in crisis situations.

101.All persons benefiting from social services at the crisis centres and departments are provided with every day, medical, psychological, pedagogical, labour and legal services, as well as emergency social services (free hot meals or food packages, clothing, footwear and other essential items, and assistance in obtaining temporary housing or in finding a bed for an overnight stay). They receive assistance in obtaining legal aid to protect their rights and legitimate interests, assistance in obtaining emergency psychological help involving psychologists and the clergy, social and psychological counselling, including on issues of family relations, and anonymous psychological counselling (including through the use of helplines and counselling on issues of social-pedagogical intervention and on the rights of citizens to benefit from social services).

102.Work with families in crisis actively employs the following techniques: interdisciplinary interaction; systemic approach methods; comprehensive approach methods; social and environmental approaches, such as through the use of family clubs or family team‑building; and social-psychological techniques such as short-term family therapy, individual counselling, family crisis counselling, group training activities and the use of artistic techniques. Rehabilitation is based on comprehensive programmes developed at each institution.

103.Each family seeking help is assigned a specialist who helps to draw up an individual programme of social services that addresses the family’s issues from the moment the problem arises to its full and comprehensive resolution. If necessary, specialists of the relevant specialized bodies and organizations are involved, in an organized interdepartmental interaction.

104.The crisis centres provide safe, temporary shelter in inpatient units for victims of violence. The main focus of the rehabilitation process is to bring the women and their children out of the stress or crisis that they have endured as a result of violence or other difficult life situations. To solve this problem, the crisis centres provide a guaranteed package of social and psychological services, accommodation and meals.

105.Based on the practice of the constituent entities in providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and working with the perpetrators, the specialists at the crisis centres use mediation techniques and “case management” and “social contact network” approaches. Art therapy, sand therapy, body therapy, relaxation techniques and breathing exercises are also widely used. Training is given to the women to help them work through post-traumatic situations.

106.When mothers with children or other women who have suffered from psychological or physical abuse have their crises resolved, there are indicators that the services provided in the crisis centres or units have been effective. These indicators include: the restoration of the health and psychological and emotional state of the women and children; an improvement of their overall physical well-being; increased self-esteem; reduced anxiety levels; a resolution of the problem of finding further safe living arrangements for the women and children (with the acquisition of housing, either using State maternity subsidies or through accommodation rentals, a return to live with relatives or a return to the place of residence after reconciliation with the spouse); and greater financial independence (with assistance in finding employment or in securing alimony).

107.Under Federal Act No. 442-FZ, the social service system includes social service facilities designed for temporary accommodation (crisis housing, social service hotels and shelters, etc.).

108.The following techniques are used in the work of social service organizations: psychological online reception rooms (where parents and children can have psychological consultations to deal with various types of life situations); mobile outreach teams (with visits organized, including to remote areas, for the early detection of cases of family dysfunction, difficult life situations and, if necessary, the organization of timely and comprehensive assistance for families with children); neighbourhood services (organizing activities for families at their places of residence, for the early detection of cases of family dysfunction, difficult life situations and, if necessary, the organization of timely and comprehensive assistance for families with children); sites for developmental leisure activities (gyms and other locations for creative and leisure activities, etc.); and platforms for organizing proactive activities for parents and children, including: career guidance areas, profession parks, support platforms for unemployed family members, open platforms for the self-employment of family members, outdoor sports facilities, children’s television studios, virtual reality rooms and club activities (parent clubs, self-help groups and schools for parents, etc.).

109.The sample list of social services, approved by Government Decision No. 1236 on 24 November 2014, provides for a service called “short-term childcare”, which, if necessary, can be provided as part of social and domestic services in the home.

110.In order to expand the range of social services provided to persons in crisis situations in the regions, public and specialized social non-profit organizations work actively in these areas.

111.The 2017–2022 Strategy included activities to prevent social disadvantage, including violence against women. Such work has also continued in the 2023–2030 Strategy.

112.The Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly, V.I. Matvienko, ordered the establishment of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Improvement of Legislation and Law Enforcement in Preventing Family or Domestic Violence. The Working Group has prepared a draft federal law on the prevention of domestic violence in the Russian Federation.

113.Work is under way in the State Duma of the Federal Assembly on a draft federal act on protection against family and domestic violence and on related draft laws amending the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offences, with a view to increasing liability for unlawful behaviour in the family and the home.

114.The Criminal Code does not contain a separate offence providing for liability for this kind of violence. In the practice of the courts, when there are elements of a crime, acts of domestic or family violence may be qualified, for example, under articles 105 (Murder), 109 (Negligent homicide), 111 (Intentional infliction of serious harm to health), 112 (Intentional infliction of moderate harm to health), 115 (Intentional infliction of minor harm to health), 116 (Battery), 1161 (Battery by a person subjected to administrative punishment or with a criminal record), 117 (Humiliation) or 119 (Threat of murder or serious harm to health).

115.In addition, depending on the circumstances of the acts committed in the family, such acts may be qualified under articles 131 (Rape), 132 (Violent acts of a sexual nature) or 133 (Coercion to acts of a sexual nature) of the Criminal Code.

116.When any crime is committed against a woman who is known to the perpetrator to be pregnant, or against an otherwise defenceless or helpless person or a person dependent on the perpetrator, the situation is recognized as an aggravating circumstance carrying heavier penalties (art. 63 (1) (h)).

117.Federal Act No. 182-FZ was adopted on 23 June 2016 to establish the fundamentals for a system to prevent delinquency. In the absence of grounds for bringing people to face criminal or administrative liability, article 20 provides for the possibility of issuing them with an official warning about the inadmissibility of actions that create the conditions for offences or of the inadmissibility of continuing antisocial behaviour.

118.Work continued on the supervision of places for the reception and accommodation of persons evacuated from border areas, with interaction with the authorized bodies. Mobile reception facilities are used to personally receive citizens. They are given support in exercising their rights and in receiving assistance and explanations of the law. New arrivals are provided with suitable living conditions, food, medical care and one-time financial assistance.

119.The Commissioner for Human Rights receives complaints concerning domestic violence. The Commissioner’s Office, in cooperation with regional public authorities, advises applicants about the procedures and conditions for the provision of social services at the crisis centres. Some of the applications include requests for counselling related to domestic violence. The Commissioner for Human Rights and members of the Commissioner’s Office visit the crisis centres assisting victims of domestic violence.

120.Since 2022, the Commissioner for Human Rights has received more than 60 applications for the reunification of minors with relatives or legal representatives and assistance in travel to their places of residence.

121.Most of the children evacuated from the zone of the special military operation were evacuated with their families and were accompanied by their parents, guardians or custodians. They have been placed in temporary accommodation centres or have found shelter with relatives or, when possible, in rented housing. Placements for evacuated children are arranged, first and foremost, at their request and with their own consent, taking into account the special needs and interests of children, in accordance with the requirements of international and national law.

122.The evacuees have also included children from national residential institutions for orphans and children without parental care (about 2,000 in total), whose legal representatives were the directors or employees of those institutions. Placement under provisional guardianship has been identified as the preferred option, given the possibility that minors may be reunited with their blood relatives, if any are found. If parents or legal representatives express a desire to collect a minor child, the issue is given immediate consideration. The Russian Federation has not prevented and does not prevent children from maintaining contact and communication with their relatives and loved ones or from being reunited with them, regardless of their place of residence. Many children declare that they are unwilling to return, in some cases because they do not know the would-be guardians and are not related to them.

123.In 2023 the volume of housing construction in the Russian Federation amounted to 110.4 million square metres, or 29.9 per cent more than the plan established in the Federal Housing Project, which called for 85.0 million square metres.

124.As at 31 December 2023, the number of families who had improved their housing conditions amounted to 4,381,380, or 18.4 per cent more than the target of 3.7 million families set in the Federal Housing Programme for 2023. Of these:

•Some 50,620 families (42.0 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) received housing under social rental agreements

•About 3,358,120 families (22.0 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) bought housing under sale and purchase agreements or registered their right of ownership on the basis of a shared construction participation agreement

•Approximately 35,410 families (38.1 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) were resettled using the emergency housing stock under regional targeted programmes, in accordance with the federal law on funding assistance for reforming housing and communal services, a figure that does not include families who chose to receive cash compensation from the emergency housing stock for resettlement

•About 496,340 families (0.7 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) were able to improve their housing conditions by other means, including through capital repairs, or through the registration of ownership rights on the basis of a certificate of full payment of the share contribution by a member of a housing, housing construction or other cooperative

•Some 9,370 families (6.2 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) rented housing on a long-term basis under market conditions (registered rental contracts, or leases of residential premises for a period of at least one year)

•About 431,520 families (7.5 per cent more than in the same period of 2022) built individual residential houses using their own or borrowed funds

125.By the end of 2023, housing starts under incentives totalled 11,449,200 square metres, or 104.6 per cent of the amount planned under the Federal Housing Programme, which was 10,944,700 square metres.

126.By 31 December 2023, 32 units had been completed as part of the capital construction projects specified in article 5.2 of the Urban Development Code, or 100 per cent of the number of units planned under the Federal Housing Programme.

127.By 1 January 2024, 27,679 public areas had been improved since 2019 under the federal project to establish a comfortable urban environment, which is 104 per cent of the 26,706 that had been planned for 2023. In addition, 37,559 courtyards had been improved.

128.Winners of the National Competition for the Best Projects in Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment in Small Towns and Historical Settlements have had at least 694 projects implemented since 2019. This is 24 per cent more than the 560 projects planned for 2023.

129.According to monthly monitoring data, by 1 January 2024 the urban environment quality index had increased by 17 per cent in comparison with its level in 2019.

130.By 1 January 2024, the number of cities with a favourable urban environment was 603 (the target was 603) and the proportion of cities with a favourable urban environment was 54 per cent (the target was 54 per cent).

131.The planned value of the country’s urban environment quality index for 2023 was 198 points.

132.As at 1 January 2024, among citizens over 14 years of age in municipalities where projects were under way to create a comfortable urban environment, 26.89 per cent took part in resolving urban environment development problems (for comparison, in 2019 it had been 10.5 per cent).

133.In 2023, the third nationwide voting for urban improvement policies was conducted, with 14.2 million people taking part, or 3.5 million more than in 2022.

134.Winners of the National Competition for the Best Projects in Creating a Comfortable Urban Environment in Small Towns and Historical Settlements have had at least 707 projects implemented since 2019. This is 85 per cent of the 832 projects planned for 2024.

135.By the end of 2023, the country’s Urban Environment Quality Index had reached 200 points, exceeding the planned target of 198 points. The number of cities with a favourable urban environment had risen to 759, surpassing the planned figure of 603. Consequently, 68 per cent of cities were then classified as having a favourable urban environment, compared with the planned target of 54 per cent.

136.As part of the federal Clean Water project, by the end of 2023, work had been completed on 1,183 facilities (72 in 2019, 100 in 2020, 259 in 2021, 363 in 2022 and 389 in 2023). This led to an increase in the share of the Russian population provided with high‑quality drinking water from centralized water supply systems, from 85.5 per cent to 88.56 per cent, including an increase among urban residents, from 92.7 per cent to 94.978 per cent.

137.As part of a federal project aimed at sustainably reducing housing that is unfit for living, which was a component of the national Housing and Urban Environment Project, there were plans to relocate between 2019 and 2024 some 560,830 people from 9.97 million square metres of housing deemed to be unfit on 1 January 2017.

138.The implementation of the federal project over the period 2019–2023 resulted in the following (cumulatively, including the new programme):

•People living in 11,490,000 square metres of unfit housing were resettled, which was 15 per cent more than the target of 9.97 million square metres, including 500,000 square metres under the new programme; 681,900 people were resettled, or 22 per cent more than the target of 560,830 people, including 26,580 people under the new programme

•Some 681,900 people were resettled, or 122 per cent of the planned target of 560,830 people, including 26,580 under the new programme

139.Thirty-two constituent entities of the Russian Federation have completed the current resettlement programme and 14 constituent entities (Sevastopol, Saint Petersburg, the Republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya, Dagestan, Adygea, Kalmykia and Kamchatka Krai, as well as Astrakhan, Voronezh, Sakhalin, Saratov and Magadan Oblasts) have started new resettlement programmes.

140.The State authorities and local self-government bodies, in accordance with their powers, monitor the provision of public utilities infrastructure in places where Roma communities have settled. Work has been carried out with representatives of the Roma population to identify problems in all areas of life.

141.According to monitoring conducted by the executive authorities of the constituent entities as part of the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Social and Cultural Development of Roma People, it was determined that areas with Roma settlements have well‑developed social infrastructure. This includes educational institutions, cultural and recreational centres, sports and wellness facilities, clinics, police stations and other socially significant infrastructure. Additionally, utilities are in place, providing electricity, heat, gas and centralized water supply and sewage systems. Preventive maintenance work is also carried out on the utility systems.

142.The planned medical care envisaged by the programme of State guarantees of free medical care for citizens and by local programmes, including preventive medical examinations and check-ups, was fully implemented in the Russian Federation in 2023 and the first half of 2024.

143.As part of a federal project aimed at developing the network of national medical research centres and implementing innovative medical techniques, which is a component of the national healthcare project, there are plans to ensure a yearly increase in high-tech medical care for the population, as measured in thousands of operations per year.

144.From 2020 to 2023, the planned increase was achieved each year during the efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. This was accomplished by repurposing the federal medical organizations and those reporting to the highest executive authorities of the country’s constituent entities, to provide medical care to COVID-19 patients.

145.To ensure a systematic approach to addressing staffing challenges, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with regional executive authorities, is implementing a set of measures focused on key areas of personnel management policy. This includes the training and recruitment of medical personnel, their employment and retention at their workplaces and improvements in the efficiency of their activities.

146.On 1 April 2024, Federal Act No. 462-FZ of 4 August 2023 came into force, amending the Federal Act on the Principles of Health Care for Citizens of the Russian Federation. Under the Act, persons enrolled in residency programmes in one of the specialties included in the “Clinical Medicine” specialties group may be allowed to engage in medical activities as trainee doctors under a procedure and in conditions established by the authorized federal executive body.

147.Further to this Act, the Ministry of Health issued Order No. 716n of 25 December 2023 approving the procedure and conditions of admission of persons studying in residency programmes in one of the specialties in the “Clinical Medicine” specialties group, to engage in medical activities as trainee doctors. The implementation of these laws will make it possible to engage some 10,000 additional trainee doctor specialists.

148.Thanks to a set of personnel policy measures, the number of doctors increased by about 7,500 by the end of 2023. By job category, the trends in the number of medical workers were on the increase for the following positions: cardiologists (324 people), oncologists (697 people), general practitioners (1,301 people), paediatricians (651 people) and anaesthesiologists-resuscitators (668 people).

149.On 5 April 2022, the Government issued Decision No. 593. It deals with the specific problem of circulation of medicinal products, in the event of shortages, or the risk of shortages, owing to the introduction of the restrictive economic measures against the Russian Federation.

150.Decision No. 593 regulates the simplified and expedited State registration of medicinal products. It addresses amendments to documents in the registration files for pharmaceutical substances listed in the State Register of Medicines, the confirmation or cancellation of State registration and the introduction of such medicines into circulation. These measures apply to medicines identified by an interdepartmental commission as being in shortage or at risk of shortage due to the unilateral coercive economic measures imposed on the Russian Federation.

151.There are import substitution programmes for medicines and medical devices not produced in the country, and innovative medical products required by the Russian healthcare system are being developed.

152.In order to implement a federal project under the title “Medical Science for Man” and to accelerate the introduction of advanced innovations in medicines and medical devices developed domestically, the Scientific Centre for the Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products of the Ministry of Health, an institution funded from the federal State budget, in 2022 established and has since operated the Centre for Medical Technology Transfer. The Centre assists in the commercialization of innovations and their outcomes and in finding industrial partners and in identifying and securing legal protection for intellectual production resulting from applied research in medicine and healthcare.

153.The Centre is the only industry-specific institution providing comprehensive support for innovation, from the inception of an idea to industrial production and delivery to patients. It also monitors patents of advanced innovations in other countries to identify research priorities in the field of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

154.Presidential Decree No. 733 of 23 November 2020 approved the Strategy for the State Anti-Drug Policy until 2030, which provides for improvements in State governance and legislation relating to the drug trade and in combating illegal trafficking.

155.The list of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to control is established by Government Decision No. 681 of 30 June 1998.

156.In order to strengthen control over the trade in medicinal products and that contain narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their precursors, such products are included in a specific list of substances subject to quantitative controls. This is done in accordance with a procedure for including pharmaceuticals for medical use in the list of substances subject to quantitative controls. The procedure was approved by Ministry of Health Order No. 30n of 20 January 2014.

157.In connection with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect children’s health, the Ministry of Education has sent out the recommendations of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare to all the country’s regions. These recommendations aim to strengthen sanitary and epidemiological control measures in kindergartens, schools, secondary vocational education institutions and other institutions providing additional education for children. All schools and institutions of higher education were closed from 23 March 2020, with education subsequently delivered by remote learning.

158.During the COVID-19 restrictions, the Commissioner for Human Rights received 120 submissions related to education, relating to the provision of an adequate education in kindergartens, schools and universities. The assistance provided by the Commissioner helped 3,000 university students take their exams in a remote format. Additionally, 49 students received financial support in scholarships. The issue of determining the procedure and timing for holding the National Schoolchildren’s Competition, whose winners receive preferential admission to institutions of higher education, was also resolved.

159.Requests for assistance in securing access to universities for students who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, thus ensuring that they could continue their education on equal terms with vaccinated students, were resolved by approaching regional procurators’ offices and executive authorities. Provisions requiring mandatory preventive vaccinations for students were removed from regional regulations.

160.In 2020, the Commissioner for Human Rights prepared and published a report entitled “Protection of Human Rights during the Spread of COVID-19”. The report shed light on the problems related to children’s access to education in the light of restrictive measures.

161.The Commissioner made recommendations in this report regarding measures to ensure that children with disabilities and special health needs would be provided with the necessary material and technical resources for remote learning, and also regarding the improvement of the methods used for school subjects for children with disabilities. These recommendations were taken into account and implemented during the transition to remote teaching.

162.The Ministry of Education developed an action plan with the participation of representatives from the expert professional community and specialists from the executive authorities of the constituent entities responsible for public education. The plan was aimed at improving teaching methods for children with disabilities, with 667 different types of disorders, during the transition to remote learning and to organize professional development programmes for teachers.

163.In accordance with the country’s legislation, children from Roma families are guaranteed the right to free primary, basic, and secondary general education on an equal basis with others.

164.In the 2023/24 school year, the total number of students from Roma families was 47,046, of whom 28,092 students were at the primary level, 18,571 students at the level of basic general education and 383 were students at the level of secondary general education.

165.To facilitate the adaptation of children from Roma families in the constituent entities, additional measures are implemented to promote their inclusion in classes’ and schools’ educational and extracurricular activities, in order to increase their motivation for learning. If necessary, preventive work is carried out individually with students experiencing behavioural, learning or social adaptation issues.

166.Ministry of Education Order No. 783 of 25 October 2023 introduced amendments to the Ministry’s Order No. 373 of 31 July 2020, thus approving a procedure for organizing and implementing preschool education programmes as part of the educational activities for basic general education programmes. The amendments set out the federal provisions for organizing and implementing preschool education programmes specifically addressing the educational needs of students from the numerically small Indigenous Peoples who lead a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle in their traditional areas of residence and economic activity.

167.The Order establishes a concept of “nomadic preschool groups”, which was introduced to provide preschool education to children whose parents lead a nomadic or semi‑nomadic way of life in areas traditionally inhabited by the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples.

168.In 2024, the Institute for Child Development, Health and Adaptation, an institution funded from the federal State budget, developed methodological recommendations for implementing the federal educational programme for preschool education and for the supervision and care of children in nomadic preschool groups at preschool educational institutions.

169.Ministry of Education Order No. 731 of 29 September 2023 amending the procedure for organizing and implementing general educational programmes for primary, basic and secondary general education activities was approved by Ministry of Education Order No. 115 of 22 March 2021. It recognizes the specificities of education in places of traditional residence and the traditional activities of the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples. The Order came into effect on 1 September 2024 and will remain in effect until 1 September 2027.

170.On the basis of article 14 (6) of Federal Act No. 273-FZ of 29 December 2012, the Education Act, the languages of education are determined locally, according to the regulations of the establishments conducting the educational activities under the educational programmes that they carry out, in accordance with the country’s legislation. The language of education and the native language to be studied, from among the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation, including Russian as a native language as well as the State languages of the country’s republics, are freely chosen based on the requests submitted by the parents or legal representatives of students who are minors upon enrolment or transfer for schooling under State accredited educational programmes of primary general and basic general education.

171.Ministry of Education Orders Nos. 370–372 of 18 May 2023 approved the federal educational programmes for primary general, basic general and secondary general education. The programmes include 66 federal curricula for 18 languages of the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples.

172.The federal list of textbooks approved for use in implementing State-accredited curricula for primary general, basic general and secondary general education, as established by Ministry of Education Order No. 858, of 21 September 2022, includes 12 textbooks for three native languages of the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples and 8 textbooks for literary reading in two of their native languages.

173.The Institute of the Peoples of the North is a division of the Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University. It is engaged in the development and testing of new educational programmes that are in demand in the country’s northern regions. Educational programmes have been developed and are ready for implementation in accordance with directive 44.03.05, under the following titles: Pedagogical Education: Primary education and supplementary education in native languages and literature of the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East; Education in native languages and literature of the Numerically Small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, and Education in a foreign language (Chinese); and Ethnocultural education and Supplementary education of children.

174.In 2024, applications were opened for three bachelor’s degree programmes: Native languages and literature of the numerically small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East and Chinese language; Ethnocultural education and supplementary education of children; and Native languages and literature of the numerically small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East and Russian language and literature.

175.In 2023, a State assignment entitled “Scientific and methodological support for developing the content of and preparing university textbooks on the native languages, folklore, literature and culture of the numerically small Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East” was carried out by study teams of the Institute of the Peoples of the North and the Institute of Pedagogy. Teachers of the Institute of the Peoples of the North published dictionaries and teaching aids for schools and universities in Indigenous languages and prepared teaching aid scripts for universities in eight languages.

176.Sociocultural projects aimed at fostering the creative self-expression of professionals in culture and the arts and the amateur community are supported through events: The P.I. Tchaikovsky international competition; the S.V. Rachmaninov International Competition of Pianists, Composers and Conductors; the Russian National Music Competition, the International Ballet Competition, the Young Artists of the Regions of Russia National Exhibition and the Without Borders and Circus Princess international circus festivals. Folk art is supported through grant programmes for creative projects.

177.The preservation of the ethnocultural diversity of the peoples of Russia, including the minorities and Indigenous Peoples, is part of the State policy in the field of culture. The policy is aimed at ensuring that everyone has the constitutional right to have access to objects of cultural value and the constitutional duty to preserve the country’s historical and cultural heritage. It also has the objective of ensuring the rights of the country’s ethnic communities to preserve and develop their cultural identity.

178.For more than 50 years, a State system of folk art houses and centres has successfully operated in the country under the direction of the V.D. Polenov State Folk Art House of the Russian Federation, an institution under the national Ministry of Culture. Regional houses and centres for folk art are in operation in all the constituent entities. They work directly with local folklore associations. Special attention is paid to the numerically small Indigenous Peoples.

179.The Russian Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO operates under the Polenov State Folk Art House and is continuing to work actively.

180.Federal Act No. 402-FZ of 20 October 2022 on the intangible ethnocultural heritage of the Russian Federation recognizes that heritage at the federal level as an integral part of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia. The Act establishes the basis for identifying, studying, preserving, updating and popularizing objects of intangible ethnocultural heritage as part of the cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia and for passing on the totality of the country’s spiritual, moral and cultural values from generation to generation.

181.Presidential Decree No. 703 of 6 December 2022 approved a new version of the country’s Strategy for State Nationality Policy for the period up to 2025. The Strategy was developed to safeguard the interests of the State, society, individuals and citizens, to strengthen the State unity and integrity of the Russian Federation, to preserve the ethnocultural identity of the country’s peoples, to ensure the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens and to harmonize public and State interests.

182.On the Internet, the flagship project in expanding access to cultural resources is the portal of cultural heritage and traditions of the peoples of Russia – Kultura.RF. The annual number of visits exceeds 159 million, and nearly a third of the portal’s visitors are children.

183.A federal portal called History.RF has been developing since 2012. It features materials on various periods of world and Russian history, video and audio lectures by leading Russian historians and biographies of prominent historical figures. The portal receives some 34 million views annually.

184.In 2015, the Russian Military Historical Society set up an interactive patriotic Internet portal called Place of Memory, where any registered users can post the name, description and geographic coordinates of a remembrance item and upload its photo and add their own commentary. The portal contains information on more than 90,000 items in Russia and in other countries near and far.

185.In 2023 and the first half of 2024, in accordance with Instruction No. Pr-1033 of the President of the Russian Federation, of 23 May 2023, the Procurator General’s Office verified that contracts for the reconstruction, major repairs and equipping of music, art and dance schools and colleges were concluded and executed in accordance with the law. Buildings were renovated and recommissioned in the Kabardino-Balkar and Karachay-Cherkess Republics, the Republic of Mordovia and in the Murmansk, Ryazan, Saratov and Tomsk Oblasts.

186.In 12 regions, musical instruments and equipment purchased with federal budget funds have been introduced into the education system. To prevent underutilization, photos are now taken in order to show that they have been registered and made available for use.

187.Recipients of budget transfers have been provided with clarifications on how to formulate requests for renovations and new equipment, taking into account the special needs of children with disabilities. Attention is paid to making children’s art schools accessible for children with disabilities.

188.A federal project called Information Infrastructure, part of the national Digital Economy of the Russian Federation Programme, provides for the connection of socially significant facilities to the Internet and their provision with universal communication services. This is aimed at creating a global digital infrastructure to ensure the availability of modern digital services throughout the Russian Federation. Its implementation will have a significant impact on the development of communication infrastructure in rural areas. To provide the universal communication services in small settlements (of 100–500 people) throughout the country, data transmission access points are in service in 11,661 settlements (of 250–500 people).

189.A backbone infrastructure will thus be created to enable the establishment of communication networks for the provision of communication services by operators, including data transmission and Internet access, to all legal entities and households in the rural settlements where there are plans for the provision of universal communication services and the connection of socially significant facilities.

Annex

Trends in the indicator for level of public debt in proportion to GDP for the last 10 years

2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
13.0	13.2	13.0	12.6	12.1	12.4	17.6	15.4	14.7	14.9