Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance: Belarus

Fact Sheet

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

December 1, 2009

BELARUS: Fiscal Year 2009 (USD Thousands) Total Accounts: $11,500 Assistance to Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia (AEECA): $11,500
For More Information: FSA Annual Report: http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rpt U.S. Embassy, Minsk, Belarus: http://minsk.usembassy.gov

Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance:
FY 2008: $10.19M ($10.19M FSA, $0 Other)
FY 2009: $11.5M ($11.5M FSA, $0 Other)

Assistance Goals: The U.S. Government’s (USG) foreign policy toward Belarus is robust democracy promotion with the goal of empowering the Belarusian people so that they may determine their own future. In support of this objective, the majority of U.S. assistance is targeted to support Belarus’s transformation to a democracy based on the rule of law that respects human rights. This includes increasing the capacity of civil society, strengthening independent media, supporting the development of non-governmental organizations and increasing local community capacity to provide needed services. Humanitarian assistance programs relieve suffering of the vulnerable and demonstrate support to Belarusian people.

Areas of Focus (Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance):

Peace and Security (PS): FY 2008: 0; FY 2009: $0.19M

• Combat trafficking in persons (TIP) by increasing NGO advocacy skills, increasing public awareness, building job skills among potential victims, and assisting with victim reintegration
  

Governing Justly and Democratically (GJD): FY 2008: $9.16M; FY 2009: $9.02M

• Enhance civic participation and civil society by supporting a broad array of initiatives and by strengthening the institutional capacity and networks of non-governmental organizations
• Assist independent media outlets, support institutions and journalists to disseminate objective information
• Promote political pluralism by building the capacity of democratic political parties to better represent citizen interests
  

Investing in People (IIP): FY 2008: $0.73M; FY 2009: $1.89M

• Assist in the implementation of the World Health Organization’s strategy to prevent and treat tuberculosis
• Increase access to independent higher education, including support to the European Humanities University
• Support the integration of vulnerable populations such as orphans, the elderly and the disabled into society and improve their standards of living
  

Humanitarian Assistance (HA): FY 2008: $0.30M; FY 2009: $0.40M

• Provide basic assistance to the most vulnerable populations through the transportation and distribution of humanitarian assistance in the forms of food, clothing, and medical supplies donated by private American citizens and the U.S. Government
  

Recent Successes:

• Helped to reintegrate more than half of the 95 new registered victims of trafficking back into society
• Distributed more than $6.7 million in humanitarian aid
• USG-supported legal clinics provided an average of 465 consultations per month to underprivileged populations
• Provided direct legal and humanitarian aid to more than 3,000 individuals and families whose rights had been violated as a result of their public activism
• Assisted the Belarusian Ministry of Health (MOH) draft a new State Tuberculosis (TB) Program and adopt a new modernized national TB policy
  

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Graph Explanations:

Pie Chart: For estimated Fiscal Year 2008 to Belarus ninety percent of U.S. assistance went to the objective of Governing Justly and Democratically (GJD), seven percent to Investing in People (IIP), and three percent to Humanitarian Assistance (HA)

The Line Graph covers U.S. assistance to Belarus from 1992-2008:

• In Fiscal Year 1992 2.23 Million dollars in Freedom Support Act (FSA) assistance was given to Belarus and total United States Government (USG) assistance was 43.76 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1993: FSA: 4.44 Million dollars; Total USG: 134.31 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1994: FSA: 15.63 Million dollars; Total USG: 73.83 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1995: FSA: 8.31 Million dollars; Total USG: 67.31 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1996: FSA: 5.07 Million dollars; Total USG: 33.18 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1997: FSA: 5.24 Million dollars; Total USG: 7.03 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1998: FSA: 7.84 Million dollars; Total USG: 8.82 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 1999: FSA: 12.40 Million dollars; Total USG: 13.29 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2000: FSA: 8.69 Million dollars; Total USG: 10.10 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2001: FSA: 8.04 Million dollars; Total USG: 12.86 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2002: FSA: 10.91 Million dollars; Total USG: 12.17 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2003: FSA: 9.12 Million dollars; Total USG: 10.48 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2004: FSA: 8.4 Million dollars; Total USG: 12.20 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2005: FSA: 12.15 Million dollars; Total USG: 16.64 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2006: FSA: 11.55 Million dollars; Total USG: 15.35 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2007: FSA: 12.19 Million dollars; Total USG: 16.44 Million dollars
• Fiscal Year 2008: FSA: 10.19 Million dollars; Total USG: 17.13 Million dollars