Transparency data

Open Futures Programme Summary

Updated 26 August 2022

Overview

The overall aim of the Open Futures programme is to support the development of stable, open and prosperous countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region. Using International Programme funding, this work seeks to advance our National Security Strategies and departmental objectives to project our influence and promote our values by championing effective governance, democracy, civil society and human rights in the region.

Objectives on Open Futures

The FCDO’s work on Open Futures seeks to:

• invest in future EECA leaders in a range of fields, building links with UK institutions, cultures and values, and raise awareness of an alternative worldview
• help to maintain and strengthen the space for civil society to contribute constructively to the creation of open and successful societies
• build capacity and resilience in civil services and government bodies, supporting Public Sector Reform to strengthen development of effective governance and increased support for the Rule of Law
• promote internationally recognised universal human rights and democratic participation, including gender equality, and improve respect for minority and vulnerable groups
• empower independent media by building capacity and raising the professionalism of journalists, as well as providing higher quality products to local audiences, helping counter disinformation

• encourage economic reform and support socially-responsible business and investment ties that enable mutual prosperity

• support research into and action in response to local, national and international climate change issues, with a view to building momentum towards COP26

The countries covered by the Programme are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Open Futures

FCDO Open Futures programmes are funded by a blend of ODA and non-ODA support. ODA scoring within Open Futures is limited to ODA-eligible activities in DAC-listed countries.

Open Futures Project Objectives for FY 2021 to 2022

Open Futures contributes to the FCDO’s new strategic framework for ODA, primarily the commitments on open societies, but also climate change, gender, trade and economic development.

This programme’s key workstreams – delivered via individual projects - are to:

• build the capability of public and civic leaders to reform and improve governance across the region
• support the role of civil society groups in policy dialogue and democratic processes, and the full participation of minority groups (e.g. ethnic and religious) in national life
• increase resilience against threats to stability and economic growth, including issues such as corruption and poor labour rights
• support progress towards political and media pluralism, and greater access to basic freedoms, including freedoms of expression, association, religion and belief

Open Futures Programme during FY 2020 to 2021

Many of the challenges the programme addresses are long term and deep-rooted in nature. Some key achievements of projects which contributed to the objectives of the open futures programme in financial year 2020 to 2021 include:

• building people to people links between UK institutions and future leaders from the region through the John Smith Trust (JST) Fellowship. The Programme helps Fellows develop plans in support of democracy, good governance, rule of law and social justice in their home countries. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of residential John Smith Trust. Fellowship Programmes in 2020 and 2021, they have been building and sustaining supportive and collaborative online connections between the John Smith Trust’s network of leaders and change-makers in good governance, rule of law and social justice in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and with the UK. They have organised online discussions, workshops and webinars to share information, expertise and experience within the region and with the UK and to generate new ideas, skills and approaches for addressing ongoing governance, rule of law and social justice challenges, including those related to the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. They have conducted a range of online network-building activities to make the leaders and change-makers more visible and accessible to each other and facilitated professional connections with the UK
• supporting the response to the COVID-19 pandemic across the EECA region, including the strengthening of outreach health services in Azerbaijan and building law enforcement capacity to fight corruption related to COVID-19 procurement in Ukraine
• increasing climate change ambition and action across the EECA region ahead of COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021 under the presidency of the UK government

Open Futures Programme Allocation for FY 2021 to 2022

The FY2021 to 2022 ODA allocation for the Open Futures programme is £617,000.