Head of Administration of Adygheya Republic E.A.Goryainov, Federal Inspector of the Apparatus of the RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug for Adygheya Republic V.N. Altunin, Minister of Labour and Social Development of Adygheya Republic S.V. Doroshenko and Analyst of the World Bank M.V. Gusarova opened the seminar and welcomed the participants. The seminar was attended by representatives of MoEDT RF, regional administrations of South Russia, the Secretariat for the Working Group for Coordinating Activities in the Area of Public Administration Development in the South Russian Regions, analysts and consultants of the World Bank. Presentations and reports can be downloaded here:     (13 мб),      (19 мб),      (3 мб),      (9 мб). Seminar Agenda can be downloaded here:      (64 кб). List of the seminar participants and their contact data can be downloaded here:      (143 кб).

On November 15-16 a two-day interregional seminar “Increasing Quality and Accessibility of Public Services through Establishing Multifunctional Service Centers” will be held in Majkop for the SFO executive authorities dealing with investment activities management. Two representatives from each region are invited to attend the seminar. Please, note that transportation costs should be covered by the sending party (participant). The World Bank and Adygheya Republic will cover accommodation, meals, preparation of training materials and participation of trainers. The completed registration form      (35 кб) should be forwarded to the Secretariat for the Working Group by November 7 by fax: 863/263-32-02 or e-mail: Этот адрес e-mail защищен от спам-ботов. Чтобы увидеть его, у Вас должен быть включен Java-Script '; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text15020 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n Этот адрес e-mail защищен от спам-ботов. Чтобы увидеть его, у Вас должен быть включен Java-Script Draft Agenda of the seminar can be downloaded here:      (61 кб).

On October 29-31, 2007 in Rostov-on-Don (hotel "Tourist") there will be held three-day seminar "Upgrading Executive Authorities Officials Capacity in Investment Project Management in the Southern Federal District (Phase I)"for the SFD executive authorities officials involved into investment projects management. Two representatives from each region are invited. Registration form should be filled in by October 22 (is attached):      (32 кб). Seminar draft agenda can be downloaded here:      (91 кб).

The RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug D.N. Kozak met with Vice-President of the World Bank Shigeo Katsu in the frames of Economic Forum in Sochi. Deputy Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug V.V. Gaevsky, Aide of RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug K.I. Oganian, Director and Permanent Representative of the World Bank in Russia Klaus Roland and Coordinator of the World Bank’s programs in Russia S.M. Suleimanov took part in the meeting. The meeting was focused on discussions related to social and economic development of SFO, perspectives for investment cooperation with the SFO regions and plans for joint activity of SFO and the World Bank in the area of public administration strengthening, a swell as preparation progress of Support to Local Initiatives in the SFO Regions Program. Press-release and text of the report of the WB Vice-President at Economic Forum in Sochi can be downloaded here: The World Bank Group in Russia. Other reference materials can be downloaded here: http://www.rosbaltsouth.ru/print/416067.html, http://kavkaz.memo.ru/.

The meeting “Implementation of Projects on Public Administration Reform in the Southern Federal Okrug” was held at the North-Caucasian Civil Service Academy on September 19, 2007. The meeting was attended by Deputy Director of Department for State Regulation in Economy of RF MEDT M.V. Parshin; Consultant of Department for State- and Local Self-governance of RF Government I. Kalantarova; Aide of RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug S.L. Suchkov; Deputy Head of Department for Economic and Social Policy of the Apparatus of RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in the Southern Federal Okrug S.V. Serga; Head of the Secretariat for the Working Group for Coordinating Activities in the Area of Public Administration Development in the South Russian Regions A.A. Kazariants; and representatives of executive authorities of the Rostov and Volgograd Oblasts, Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais, љDagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygheya, North Ossetia-Alania љand Kalmykia republics. Presentations can be downloaded here :      (1403 кб), here:      (5468 кб) and here:      (1764 кб). The meeting agenda can be downloaded here:      (156 кб)

Interregional seminar “Linking Performance Management to Performance Based Budgeting” for practical staff of SFO being in charge for implementation of administrative reform in their regions will be held on October 18-19, 2007 in Astrakhan. Two representatives from each region are invited to attend the seminar. To participate in the seminar one should fill in the attached registration form by October 5:      (29 кб). Draft seminar agenda can be downloaded here:      (50 кб).

Eligible consultants are invited to express their interest in providing public services delivery survey in the South Russian regions. Letter of Invitation can be downloaded here:      (30 кб).

The page "Regulations and Standards" now contains the new sections of interregional information base related to regulation and standardization of public services in the following areas: “Personnel Management and Employment”, “Agriculture and Veterinary”, “Public Registration, Record”.

Minutes of the meeting of the Working Group for Coordinating Activities in the Area of Public Administration Development in the South Russian Regions held on June 1, 2007, can be downloaded here:      (93 кб). Annexes to the Minutes can be downloaded here:     (97 kb).

The Secretariat for the Working Group has proceeded with generating and placing on the web-site (Section "Regulations and Standards"). Regulations and Standards for delivery of public services developed in the regions and available as an open source. The official web-sites of RF regions, informational portals of regional Ministries and Agencies and interregional normative-legal manuals constitute the main sources of database creation. The peculiar feature of this database is availability of reference allowing gaining a direct access to the texts of listed documents. For easy reference the database has been structured according to the line principle. You can download the first sections of interregional information database related to regulation and standardization of public services in the area of construction, housing policy, municipal engineering and social protection. .

Here you can download the updated information on the project "Identification and Removal of Administrative Barriers to Investment and Business Development in SFD- Republics of Northern Ossetia - Alania and Karachayevo-Cherkessia":   (64 kb).

A new Section "Regulations and Standards" has been created on our web-site. Administrative regulations and standards of public services quality developed by public authorities of various Russian Federation regions will be reflected in this Section.

In the frames of implementing the pilot stage of Support to Local Initiatives Program in Stavropol Krai, the Government of Stavropol Krai jointly with the World Bank conducted the seminar on June 19, 2007 aimed at advising the potential program participants on the available mechanisms of its implementation and main stages. Seminar Agenda can be downloaded here:   (34 kb) Seminar Presentations can be downloaded here:   (117 kb)

On June 6, 2007 the Institute for Urban Economy conducted the conference “Perspectives and Limitations for Performance Budgeting Introduction at Sub-National and Municipal Levels” in Moscow. The conference Agenda can be downloaded here:   (58 kb)

Practitioners’ Manual “Performance Budgeting: “Experience Review and Introduction Approaches at Sub-National Level” has been developed under a joint project of RF Ministry for Regional Development and United Nations Development Program “Support to Reform of the Budget Process in the Russian Federation: Regional Level”. You can download the manual here (item 17).

The 4th Working Group meeting for Coordinating Activities in the Area of Public Administration Development in the South Russian Regions was held at the Office of the RF Presidential Plenipotentiary in SFO on June 1, 2007. Here you can download the following materials: the WG meeting Agenda   (34 kb), List of Participants   (97 kb), presentations   (3550 kb) and pictures   (1338 kb).

Objective This GDLN is geared toward knowledge sharing and capacity building on the topic of Investment Climate in Russia. It will focus on the innovation, business environment, skill constraints and training components of the recently published Competitiveness and Investment Climate Assessment (ICA) for the Russian Federation. The objective of this GDLN is not only to introduce participants to the major findings of the book, but also to provide a platform for the public officials, private sector representatives and the academics to start the dialogue about policy implications and future steps for improving investment climate. Speakers: Itzhak Goldberg, Lead Specialist, Europe and Central Asia Private Sector Development, World Bank Ksenia Gonchar, Professor, Higher School of Economics Raj Desai, Professor, Georgetown University and Fellow, Brookings Institution Yevgeniya Savchenko, Consultant, South Asia Human Development, World Bank Speaker biographies Background Materials: Enhancing Russia's Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity Executive Summary can be downloaded here: (See attached file:   (501 kb).

On April 16-17 2007 in Stavropol was conducted the seminar: "Investment Management for Regional Development: Project Analysis, Management, Organizing Financing and Promotion. Phase 2". The seminar was the third WBI activity within WBI-Supported Capacity Building Program for Strengthening Investment Management in the South Russia (FY06 - FY07), designed by request of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in SFO D. Kozak. The program has been prepared by WBI as a just in time policy support and as a result and along the lines of discussions between WB and SFO on progress-to-date and future directions for WB work on development of economic and investment strategy for the SFO. Seminar materials can be downloaded here   (204 kb). Presentations can be downloaded here   (6529 kb).

Secretariat for Working Group for Coordinating Activities in the Area of Public Administration Development in the Southern Federal Okrug Regions has prepared Monitoring Report on Public Administration Systems Development in the Southern Federal Okrug Regions in 2006.

On April 26-27, 2007 the Donor Secretariat for Civil Service and Administrative Reforms in Russia in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Working Group on Governance Reforms in the Southern Federal District has conducted a final seminar under interregional project Introducing Performance Management Elements at Sub-National Level in Russia. This project has been under implementation since February 2006, and has involved piloting in the Kalmykiya Republic, Saratov and Irkutsk Oblasts. At the seminar the results of the second stage piloting were discussed, including application of program approaches in performance management, performance reports and the development and standardization of public services. Based on the results of the pilots recommendations on performance management approaches in the context of sub-national level were made. The participants of the seminar included Vladislav Fedulov, MoEDT Department of Performance Budgeting and Consolidated Financial Balance, Andrey Matashkov, Office of the President?s Envoy in the Southern Federal District, representatives of three regions-participants and experts working under regional pilots, as well as members of regional administrations from seven regions of the Southern Federal District. The Program of the seminar, presentations of peer reviewers on performance budgeting and standardization of public services, as well as presentation on lessons learnt, are enclosed for your information:     (97 kb). The complete package of presentations in Russian in available at the Donor Secretariat at request.

Information on the Project "Identification and Removal of Administrative Barriers to Investment and Business Development in the Southern Federal Okrug - Republics of North Ossetia-Alania and Karachay-Cherkessia" can be downloaded here:      (21 кб).

We present for your attention results of survey "Assessment of Quality and Affordability of Social Services Provided by Public Authorities, Local Self-Governance Bodies and Budget Institutions in the Regions of Southern Federal Okrug". Summary of Survey can be downloaded here:      (158 кб). Survey materials can be downloaded here:     (658 kb).

Master-class "Preparation of Report on Outputs and Main Activities of Executive Authority" was held on March 15-16, 2007 with participation of the Russian Ministry for Economic Development representatives. Master-class agenda included review of experience under preparation of reports on outputs and main activities at the federal level and in the Russian Federation subjects, patterns of the best practice and typical mistakes, practical sessions for preparation and assessment of reports on outputs and main activities of executive authorities. The agenda of Master-class is attached.

We would like to present for your attention a small report on performance budgeting experience in some OECD countries, prepared by a well-known expert in this area David Shand under the technical assistance project on performance budgeting in Russia.

We would like to draw your attention to the materials prepared under the programme of Department for International Development of the United Kingdom (DFID) "Support to Poverty Reduction in Leningrad Oblast (SPRILO)" and presented at the final programme conference held the other day. The programme included activities on poverty measurement, social budgeting, strategic planning, social exclusion of a family and enterprise development. Among numerous analytical and methodological materials the following publications have been prepared by the Russian and international consultants:

- Strategic Territorial Planning: Foreign Experience and Russian Expertise

- Social Budgeting Effectiveness

- Social Service Reform

- Self-Study Manual on Social Enterprise Development

- Strategic Planning of Social and Economic Development in the Context of the Regional Poverty Reduction Policy: Methodological Recommendations.

You can download the last publication here. Other publications are available at Donor Secretariat upon the request.

More detailed information about the programme is available on the sitewww.sprilo.ru

We are pleased to inform that on February 21-22, 2007 in Kyiv there was held the international conference "International Experience with Institutionalization of Monitoring and Evaluation system and its relevance for Ukraine". Conference organizers are Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine and the World Bank. You can download the conference agenda in Russian (289 kb)      and English     (293 kb) here.

You are kindly invited to take part in Master-class "Preparation of Requests for Participation in the Administrative Reform Competitive Bidding in 2007" and the round table on the best practice of the administrative reform implementation in 2006 that will be held on February 21-22, 2007 with participation of the Russian Ministry for Economic Development representatives (agendas are attached), as well as in other events devoted to introduction of performance management, which are scheduled for March - April, 2007 (agendas are attached).

Registration fee for participation in each event is RUR 9 thousand (exclusive of VAT) per one person/day and includes: participation in the event, hand out materials, compact-disk, coffee-breaks and lunch.

If you are interested in the above-mentioned events, you are welcome to send the request with indication of name, position and contact telephone number of your agency participant(s) to draw up the account.

All organizational and other questions can be cleared up by telephone numbers: (495) 246-53-26 - Olga Pigunova and (495) 246-05-41 - Svetlana Rudakova.

We are pleased to present the Study of housing production challenging in the Rostov Oblast, which has been conducted in response to the request from the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the RF President in the Southern Federal Okrug (SFO) and the Rostov Oblast Administration.

The objective of this study has been the preparation of a specific action plan for better supply of affordable housing to the population and stabilization of the price situation in primary housing markets in the Southern Federal Okrug. Evaluation of the desirable amount of housing production, structure of housing prices in the Rostov Oblast as a whole and in the selected pilot cities, such as Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Taganrog, Shakhty and the Aksai rural raion has been conducted under this study. The Report presents the results of the comparative analysis of the desired amount of housing production with real existing indicators, provides analysis of housing costs structure and defines critical factors having an impact on high construction costs and housing prices. Based on the results of the study conducted, recommendations have been worked out and an action plan for better supply of affordable housing to the population and stabilization of the price situation has been prepared.

The Report with the outcomes of the study is a result of joint work of the World Bank experts and the Institute of Urban Economy. Activities under the study were started by the team led by Mr. Jan. W. Brzeski (Senior Housing and Urban Specialist) and were completed by the team led by Mr. Andrei R. Markov (Senior Advisor, Coordinator for the World Bank Programs in the Southern Federal Okrug).

.

You are welcome to the information on forecasting in the field of jobs and competences management in the system of public service. The data have been developed on the basis of the French experience under the joint Russian-French cooperation program in the field of public administration reform. You can download the material here.

From January to December, 2006 the Foundation "The Institute for Urban Economics" with support of USAID conducted in Kislovodsk 9 training and practical workshops aimed at proficiency upgrading of 179 municipal and regional managers and executives. The workshops were devoted to the following subject matters: "Management of Municipal Social and Economic Development"; Reforming of the Housing and Utility Sector cum the Changes in Current Legislation"; "Urban Regulation and Real Estate Markets Development"; "Management of Social Assistance Programmes"; "Interaction between the Local Self-Governance Bodies and the Local Communities". More detailed information is provided on the site: http://www.urbaneconomics.ru

In October - November, 2006 the Foundation "The Institute for Urban Economics" organized 4 training trips to the Ulyanovskaya Oblast and Permsky Krai with participation of 30 municipal and regional managers. Participants of the trips were acquainted with advanced experience and new technologies as well as with introduction challenges thereof in such spheres as: development and implementation of strategies and programmes for social and economic development; implementation of modern managerial technologies in the social protection and social service sphere; application of innovative methodologies for regulation of urban development at the municipal level; reforming of multiple dwellings' management systems; attraction of private investments to public utilities. More detailed information is provided on the site: http://www.urbaneconomics.ru

In September, 2006 the Foundation "The Institute for Urban Economics" proceeded with implementation of the more in-depth training programmes for preparation of trainers-consultants with further perspective of their acting as the individual Institute's training courses providers to the municipal officials of the North Caucasus. The first training seminar for 14 potential trainers was conducted in Rostov in September, 2006. This activity will be continued in 2007. The program is carried out in collaboration with the Institute's partner in the South Federal Okrug - South Russian Center for the Regional and Municipal Activity Technologization of the Institute of Economics and External Economic Relations of the South Federal University (e- mail: Этот адрес e-mail защищен от спам-ботов. Чтобы увидеть его, у Вас должен быть включен Java-Script , http://www.iecier.rsu.ru)

The Foundation "The Institute for Urban Economics" is planning to conduct the following seminars in February - April, 2007: February 26 - March 2 - "Management of Social Assistance Programmes"; March 13-16 - "Budget, Interbudgetary Relations and Municipal Debt Management"; April 9-13 - "Reforming of Housing and Utility Complex"; April 17-19 - "Management of Social and Economic Development". Seminars will be held with the support of USAID. Training courses have been prepared with reference to the experience of the already conducted seminars and adapted according to the requests of the North-Caucasian regions' participants. Applications for participation in the seminars are welcome in advance, tel./fax: (495) 787-45-20 (for attention of Y.V. Vlasov) or e-mail: Этот адрес e-mail защищен от спам-ботов. Чтобы увидеть его, у Вас должен быть включен Java-Script .

We are pleased to present for your attention the updated version of the Resource center catalog as of December 2006. You can download it here.