More than 200 people participated in the Second Far East & Siberia Congress “Man and Drug” held in Vladivostok on September 27-29th. The event was organized under USAID-supported Maternal and Child Health Initiative (MCHI) implemented by John Snow Incorporated. Public health administrators and leading pre- and post-natal care experts from 16 MCHI regions in the Russian Federation attended, including medical professionals from Khabarovsky kray, Republic of Yakutia, and Sakhalinskaya Oblast.
Based on MCHI successful experience in the Russian Federation, the Congress in Vladivostok was aimed at promoting evidence-based medicine among local medical communities in the RFE to help improve maternal and newborn health care. All in attendance demonstrated strong interest to cooperate to provide supporting environment for the implementation of new services among families and providers, including family-centered maternity care, essential care of the newborn, exclusive breast feeding, client-centered family planning services, and HIV prevention.
A special program of the congress designed by John Snow Inc. in partnership with the Primorsky Kray Public Health Department attracted remarkable attention of health authorities at regional, city and facility level. Participants had a chance to visit 4 MCHI pilot maternity homes in Vladivostok to observe changes in provider knowledge and practice as well as client experience and satisfaction with the service.
Official Congress agenda was followed by the Annual MCHI Coordination Meeting to share results under MCHI activities in the RFE and outline future plans. Most of the participants gave high rates to the clinical and counseling training organized by MCHI implementers in target RFE regions for health providers at all levels. Printed educational materials for clients and health care providers have been widely distributed among congress participants.
John Snow Inc. announced project expansion in the RFE to include Republic of Yakutia and Sakhalinskaya Oblast.

  Russian Far East needs a clear strategy for its long-term development and big investment to implement promising projects, concluded participants of the First International Economic Congress held in Khabarovsk on September 27-28.
The congress, aimed to attract attention to the Far East's social and economic situation, was initiated by Khabarovsk region's authorities and supported by the Federation Council.
About 1000 people were in attendance including federal and local officials, business people, representatives from foreign and international finance and credit companies and scientists.
The congress attendants discussed more than 60 investment projects featured at round table sessions. The issues included transport and energy, nature and marine resources, local finance market, tourism and mining industry.
According to head of the Federation Council Sergei Mironov, at present the Russian Far East is ranked second among the country's regions in terms of foreign investments influx. However, the investments of 9 million dollars, gained in the past 15 years, are insignificant when compared to figures of possible profits. "Before expecting a big flow of foreign investment into Russia, domestic government and businesses should think of investing large funds into the development of the Far East," Mironov said. He added that next year about 17.7 billion rubles (621 million dollars) will be allocated from the federal budget for the Far East, which is almost six times more than in 2005.
Konstantin Pulikovsky, the presidential envoy in the Russian Far East, noted that the region has vast prospects for investments and the local businessmen can offer goods and services to neighboring countries. Among perspective projects Pulikovsky mentioned construction of Bureyskaya hydroelectric power station in the Amur region, Sakhalin's oil exploration, cooperation in timber and fish industry as well as oil construction of oil and gas pipelines. "The Russian Far East is attracting more and more attention as a partner for economic international cooperation, but unfortunately, many countries still lack an objective understanding of the region and its potential," Pulikovsky lamented.
The congress participants agreed to support the recommendations worked out at round table discussions and signed a memorandum on the congress results to be sent to Russia's President Vladimir Putin, the government and the State Duma. The attendants also supported the organizing committee's proposal to hold the Far Eastern Economic Congress regularly, once in two years.

On September 13 the newly arrived PAO in Vladivostok Daniel Hastings opened a photo and poster exhibit commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the WWII Allied Victory in the Pacific at the Sakhalin State Regional Museum in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The exhibit focused on U.S. participation in the war and lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union. Approximately sixty people attended the opening ceremony, which included remarks by the PAO and local officials as well a reception for Soviet WWII veterans.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the third city where this photo exhibit has been shown. Earlier it was held in Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

 On September13, Break-out session “Non-Government Organizations - The 3rd Sector: It’s Role in Society and Development” was held as a part of Russian American Pacific Partnership. This session reviewed non-government organization issues and their role in community and regional development. In particular, the session covered best practices and lessons learned by the Russian NGOs in the course of the implementation of socially significant projects as well as operating environment in Russia and RFE including collaboration of NGOs with local administrations and businesses. During the session, presentations on civil society grants by “U.S.-RFE Partnership Activity” and “Eurasia Foundation” were used to illustrate issues and stimulate discussion. In addition, a presentation on strengthening the NGO sector in the RFE was made by Institute for Sustainable Communities. The presenters reviewed the professional development of NGOs and the mobilization of local community resources. The session presented several recommendations for improving a more conducive environment for developing constructive civic initiatives of NGOs.

  The Russian American Pacific Partnership held its tenth annual meeting in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia September 12 to 14, 2005. More than 250 public and private sector representatives participated in the RAPP meeting from seven regions of the Russian Far East and Moscow, eight States of the U.S., and six third-party countries (China, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Turkey and France). The meeting was co-chaired by Jack Brougher, Director of the Office of Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, U.S. Department of Commerce and Alexander Pakhomov, Deputy Director of the Department of External Economic Relations, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation. Governor Ivan Malakhov hosted the meeting on behalf of the Sakhalin Oblast and delivered opening and closing remarks. Deputy Coordinator of Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Department of State, brought greetings from the Coordinator of Assistance for Europe and Eurasia Thomas Adams, and Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried. Rosenblum commented on a simple and fundamental idea behind RAPP that has sustained the forum over its ten years – that two neighboring countries with common challenges must work together to overcome them. Rosenblum commended RAPP as a valuable region-to-region engagement communicating issues to the respective governments and joining with them in their address. The programmes were held in several venues in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk across the three days. Key topics included: logistics and transportation, facilitating RFE bank relations with U.S. financial entities, energy development cooperation. Along with the usual emphasis on Sakhalin’s oil and gas projects and promotion of ties between private businesses in both countries, this year’s meeting also focused on the immense tourism potential of the Russian Far East.
It was resolved that the next meeting of the Russian-American Pacific Partnership in 2006 will be held in one of the U.S. Western States. The U.S. Secretariat is to advise the Russian-side of the precise State and city as soon as possible.

On September 08, 2005, the non-governmental organization, Pulse, a Path to Success program grantee in Blagoveschensk organized a talk show entitled, “I Have a Question” for participants of their project, “Youth to Youth.” The goal of this event was to allow young people the opportunity to ask important questions to adults about the future of their community. Over 63 people took part in this activity including representatives from the local administration of Amurskaya Oblast and Blagoveschensk, as well as medical professionals, journalists, and educators. The young people in attendance asked about the problem of human trafficking in their region, the future of free higher education in their country, employment possibilities for youth, and many others. At the conclusion of the event, both youth and adults were asked what they expected of each other. Adults answered that they expect that young people will be socially active, responsible, love their country, and be optimistic about their futures. Young people expect adults to be respectful of their ideas and views, understanding, tolerant, as well as to give them support and advice as they make decisions about their lives and careers. The result of this event was an increase in the understanding of each group’s needs and expectations. Youth who participated in the talk show now feel that they have a voice in their community. Adults are now more comfortable sharing their experiences with young people. The talk show allowed a forum for these two groups to communicate openly about the issues facing their region and how they can work together. The event was shown on local television and there were a number of articles in both city and oblast newspapers. This USAID sponsored program, administered by Winrock International, is strengthening the bonds between adults and young people, allowing for better decision making and a positive future for the community.