Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

List of issues in relation to the seventh periodic report of the Russian Federation *

1.The State party is invited to submit in writing the information requested below (preferably not exceeding 10,700 words) by 31 October 2024.

A.General information

2.Please provide information on measures taken to ensure that the Covenant rights are fully justiciable in the domestic legal order. Please also provide updated information on cases in which the Covenant has been invoked before or applied by courts. Please indicate whether the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation is provided with an adequate legal framework and the financial and human resources necessary to effectively promote and protect the economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the Covenant. Please describe measures taken to ensure the independence of the judiciary with a view to protecting economic, social and cultural rights. In particular, please indicate the specific measures taken to comply with previous rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in that regard. Please provide information on how the legislature was involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the previous concluding observations and in the development of the seventh periodic report.

3.Please provide information on measures taken to implement the recommendations of the Human Rights Committee regarding legislation on freedom of association. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to facilitate freedom of expression and the work of human rights defenders.

4.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that companies domiciled in the State party respect economic, social and cultural rights when operating abroad or in the State party. Please also provide information on steps taken to create a national action plan on business and human rights.

5.Please provide information on measures taken by the State party with regard to the mitigation of climate change, including specific measures, and their impact, to meet the nationally determined contributions for reducing emissions that the State party has set itself under the Paris Agreement. Please also provide information on the progress made in reducing per capita greenhouse gas emissions and on targets that the State party has set for further reductions. With respect to climate change adaptation policies and measures, please provide information on:

(a)How the State party assesses the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, in particular for marginalized and disadvantaged individuals and groups;

(b)Whether the State party has developed or plans to develop a national adaptation plan, with an adequate allocation of all required resources, to address the impacts of climate change on, inter alia, economic, social and cultural rights;

(c)Measures taken to strengthen preparedness for and responses to natural disasters, disaster risk reduction measures and measures taken to adopt a strategy to this end, with an adequate allocation of financial resources;

(d)Which institutions are tasked with the development and implementation of climate change adaptation measures and policies for slow-onset impacts in different areas, such as agriculture, housing and health, and how coordination among the institutions responsible for disaster preparedness and management is ensured.

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

Maximum available resources (art. 2 (1))

6.Please provide updated information on the evolution of the following, covering the past 10 years:

(a)The proportion of the population living below the nationally defined poverty line;

(b)Levels of inequality, before and after taxes and transfers, if possible defined as the ratio between the total income of the richest 10 per cent of the population and the total income of the poorest 40 per cent and as the ratio between the assets owned by the richest 10 per cent of the population and the assets owned by the poorest 50 per cent;

(c)The economy, in particular through the annual variations of gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita and the level of public debt in proportion to GDP;

(d)The proportion of public revenue generated through taxes and as a percentage of GDP, the proportion of public revenue obtained through direct and indirect taxes, the corporate tax revenue rate and the percentage of total revenue generated from personal tax collected on the incomes of the richest 10 per cent of the population, as well as provide an evaluation of the amount of tax evasion and tax avoidance and the fiscal cost of the main tax benefits;

(e)Public expenditure as a percentage of GDP and, within total public expenditure, the proportion of the public budget allocated to social spending, including social security, food, water and sanitation, housing, health and education;

(f)The proportion of the public budget and of GDP allocated to defence;

(g)Any fiscal policies adopted in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

7.Please provide information on the implementation of the State party’s anti-corruption legislation and describe efforts to combat bribery and other acts of corruption, paying particular attention to land administration, public procurement and tax administration. Please also provide statistical data on the number of cases of corruption prosecuted in the past five years, the penalties imposed on the perpetrators and the assets derived from corruption that have been recovered, taking into account the transnational dimensions of those crimes, where relevant. Please indicate what legislative or other measures have been put in place to protect whistle-blowers and ensure the protection of and provision of remedies for victims of corruption. Please provide information on what has been done to implement the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force.

Non-discrimination (art. 2 (2))

8.Please provide an update on the status of the proposed amendment to 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. Please also provide information on specific measures taken to ensure proper consultation with Indigenous Peoples regarding resource extraction projects, in particular oil and gas extraction projects. Please describe specific steps that are being taken to prohibit discrimination on all grounds, including race, political or other opinion, property, birth and other status. Please provide data on cases of discrimination in relation to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights that have been examined by domestic courts and on their outcomes. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to combat discrimination, including against LGBTQI+ persons, and to ensure economic, social and cultural rights for same-sex couples.

9.In the context of the increase in the number of Ukrainian refugees in the State party, please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to uphold their human rights, including by combating discrimination and stigmatization. Please also provide information on measures taken to combat the disproportionate forced mobilization and conscription of members of Indigenous Peoples and minorities in the State party and of persons from territories under its effective control, including Crimea.

Equal rights of men and women (art. 3)

10.Please provide information, including disaggregated statistical data, on the application of specific measures to achieve equality between men and women. Please also provide updated information on the representation of women, including women from disadvantaged and marginalized groups, in political and public life, including in the parliament, municipal and regional councils and executive authorities at different levels. Please further provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to close the gender pay gap. Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to combat harmful practices against women and girls in the North Caucasus. Please also provide information on the outcome of the National Strategy for Women for the period 2017–2022. Please further provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to facilitate the work of women human rights defenders.

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

Right to work (art. 6)

11.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure employment opportunities alternative to the military and the armaments industry. In this regard, please also provide information on the impact of those measures on disadvantaged and marginalized groups, in particular persons with disabilities, including war veterans. Please further provide information on specific measures taken in the North Caucasus to uphold the right to work.

Right to just and favourable conditions of work (art. 7)

12.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to regularize the status of persons in vulnerable situations and to guarantee the access of persons working in the informal economy to basic services, social protection and the enjoyment of the rights under the Covenant, in particular migrant workers from Central Asian countries.

13.Please provide information on any extraordinary measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the effective application of labour legislation protecting the rights of employees to just and favourable conditions of work. Please also provide statistical information on the number of inspections carried out in the area of occupational safety and health by relevant labour inspection bodies and on their outcomes. Please further provide information on measures to enforce legal provisions prohibiting discrimination in remuneration on the basis of sex, disability, race, religion, nationality or political beliefs. Please provide information on steps taken to strengthen the legislative and administrative framework to prevent forced labour and trafficking in persons, including steps taken to create a national action plan to prevent trafficking in persons.

Trade union rights (art. 8)

14.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to enforce legal provisions and international conventions providing for trade union activity and independence. Please also provide information on measures taken by the State party, and their impact, to address the demands of persons on strike over pay and working conditions.

Right to social security (art. 9)

15.Please provide information on measures taken by the State party, and their impact, to ensure adequate social security contributions and coverage for persons working under short‑term and/or temporary contracts.

16.Please provide information on the number of persons and the proportion of the workforce not covered by social security, including social insurance. Please also provide information on access to social security for foreign nationals, including refugees, who are not covered by bilateral agreements.

Protection of the family and children (art. 10)

17.Please provide information on any progress made in adopting specific federal legislation prohibiting domestic violence and any deliberations regarding the possibility of becoming a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. With regard to the information provided in the State party report, please also provide information on the implementation of training programmes, including those relating to support for victims, and statistical data on cases of domestic violence covering the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please further provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to provide victims of domestic violence with access to effective remedies, protection and support services. Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that the human rights of children deported and/or transferred from Ukraine are protected, including measures taken to preserve their family relations, identity, nationality, name and language.

Right to an adequate standard of living (art. 11)

18.Please provide information on the status of the implementation of the five federal projects on mortgages, housing, the creation of a comfortable urban environment, a sustainable reduction in uninhabitable housing stock and the provision of clean water and on the status of the implementation of the State programme on the provision of affordable and comfortable housing and communal services.

19.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that Roma communities living in informal settlements have access to basic services. Please also provide disaggregated data concerning the prevalence of poverty among ethnic minorities and Indigenous Peoples.

Right to physical and mental health (art. 12)

20.Please provide information on the general state of health care in the Russian Federation, in particular on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the viability of the health-care system as a whole, including with regard to the backlog of operations, medical examinations and other medical procedures. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to reduce pollution and health hazards linked to industrial production and the extraction of raw materials.

21.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure the sufficient availability of medical staff, medicine and resources for the civilian population in the State party and in territories under its effective control, including Crimea, and information on measures taken, and their impact, to reduce mortality rates for particular groups, including ethnic minorities and men under the age of 50.

22.Please provide information on any follow-up measures taken, and their impact, with regard to the Strategy of State Anti-Drug Policy of the Russian Federation until 2030, including with regard to the incorporation of human rights therein. Please also provide information on any follow-up measures taken, and their impact, to increase access to alternative methods of treatment for drug dependence. Please further provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to address the underlying causes of the rapid increase in rates of HIV/AIDS.

Right to education (arts. 13 and 14)

23.Please provide information on specific measures taken to address the negative impact of the disruption to education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s access to education, taking into account any disproportionate effects on disadvantaged and marginalized children. Please also provide specific information on actions taken to address gaps in learning identified during school closures owing to COVID-19.

24.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to promote school access, attendance and retention at all levels of education and to improve secondary and post‑secondary school completion rates for Roma children and children from other minorities.

25.Please provide information on measures taken to enhance the quality of language teaching and the production of teaching materials in Indigenous and minority languages and to ensure the availability of qualified teachers. Please also provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to ensure that education, including the teaching of history, is delivered in such a way as to prevent the predominance of a single historical narrative and ethnic hierarchization.

Cultural rights (art. 15)

26.Please provide information on measures taken, and their impact, to protect sites, institutions and objects of cultural, historical or religious significance in areas under the State party’s effective control, including Crimea. Please also provide information on measures taken to ensure artistic freedom and diversity. Please describe steps taken by the State party to ensure access to the Internet and social media platforms and to provide affordable Internet access for disadvantaged and marginalized groups, in particular in rural areas.