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eastern_europe_central_asia

Section
ICRC operations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
A country-by-country overview of the ICRC’s work to provide neutral and independent assistance and protection for victims of conflict.
©ICRC/B. Hoffman/az-e-00197
Azerbaijan and Armenia. Thousands of people are still missing in connection with the Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

The ICRC maintains its broad coverage of humanitarian issues throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia, through its network of six country and regional delegations. Their operational priorities are to protect and assist people affected by conflict and armed violence, to respond to emergencies and to promote respect for international humanitarian law (IHL).

The ICRC’s regional delegation in Moscow works to help people suffering the consequences of the conflict in Chechnya, such as the issue of people whose fate is unknown. ICRC delegations elsewhere in the region carry out a wide range of activities linked to the aftermath of unresolved conflicts, which include health and social problems.

As well as strengthening relations with authorities, national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and major regional organisations, the ICRC's regional delegations run programmes to promote IHL to the armed forces, universities and schools, and civil society. They also respond to emergencies and visit detainees.

Key data on the ICRC’s global operational budget for 2009

The country and region names used herein are intended to facilitate reference and have no political significance.
Key document
    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: people forced to cope with lasting upheaval
    A year after Georgian and Russian forces clashed in Southern Caucasus, most of the tens of thousands of people forced to leave their homes have returned. Pascale Meige Wagner is ICRC's head of operations for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. As she explains, the fighting of summer 2008 continues to have a major impact on the people of the region.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Interview Includes Photo

Annual Report
Feature
    6-8-2009
    Georgia/South Ossetia: life on both sides of the administrative boundary line
    On both sides of the boundary, in South Ossetia as in Georgia, the battles that took place in the summer of 2008 left indelible scars. The enduring aftermath of the conflict is revealed by an elderly couple, cut off from their children and grandchildren, who now live 'on the other side' and a young widow determined to secure the future of her son.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Feature Includes Photo

    5-1-2009
    Georgia: victims of conflict hope for a brighter year ahead
    As Orthodox Christmas approaches in Central and Eastern Europe, many displaced and isolated families affected by the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia five months ago remain in need of help. For elderly people, like 60-year-old Nunu Doliashvili, the holiday season would have been very bleak indeed, were it not for some much-needed assistance from ICRC.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Feature Includes Photo

    30-9-2008
    Azerbaijan: safe playgrounds for children
    Although the hostilities in the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan were suspended over a decade ago, their deadly legacy lives on in the form of landmines. The ICRC endeavours to prevent the havoc they cause.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Azerbaijan)
    Feature Includes Photo

    24-9-2008
    Georgia: portrait from Zugdidi
    Many people who fled conflict in Abkhazia in 1992-3 remain displaced in Western Georgia and are now being joined by families made homeless by the recent fighting. A visiting ICRC team, including Jessica Barry, has been checking on their wellbeing.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Feature Includes Photo

ICRC film
    15-5-2008
    Chechnya: rising from its ashes
    In Grozny, the streets of the market are full. But despite the rebuilding, it’s hard to find a decent flat or a proper job. Some people have started their own businesses thanks to the ICRC, such as Taiza who is making mattresses. But as Grozny rises from its ashes, other families still struggle to come to terms with the past, desperate to know what has happened to their missing relatives.
    (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field)
    ICRC film Includes Video

Interview
    23-3-2009
    Kyrgyzstan: managing tuberculosis
    Tuberculosis is a major killer in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in prisons, where rates of infection are around 40 times higher than in the general population. Gulmira Kalmambetova of the ICRC explains how the organization is helping curb the spread of the disease.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Kyrgyzstan)
    Interview Includes Photo

Operational update
Photo Collection
Press article
    2-1-2008
    Return to Vedeno
    While the situation is gradually returning to normal in Chechnya, an ICRC worker gives an account of his return to the Vedeno area, a place he enjoyed in his youth. Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 3, 2007
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia)
    Press article Includes Photo

    30-4-2007
    Georgia : A tale of three women
    Since Georgia gained independence in 1991, thousands of families have been uprooted and torn apart by the tensions caused by the secessionist aspirations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The stories of three women poignantly attest to the suffering these people have endured - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2007
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Georgia)
    Press article

Report
    4-4-2007
    The Russian Federation: ICRC plan of action 2007
    In this document the ICRC describes its projected activities for 2007, including its plans to meet the humanitarian needs of those affected by the violence in Chechnya.
    (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Russia)
    Report Includes PDF

Video Collection
    8-8-2009
    “Tskhinvali? How do you pronounce that?” A comic-book report on South Ossetia, by Chappatte.
    Following a report on Lebanon as part of the “Our world. Your move.” campaign, cartoonist Chappatte visited South Ossetia last June. He portrays everyday life in the region a year after the fighting of summer 2008, the effects of which are still very much present. The report was published in Swiss daily Le Temps on 8 August 2009.
    (Info resources\Video)
    Video Collection

    21-8-2008
    Georgia: ICRC gets help to people caught up in conflict
    In the first days of the emergency, hundreds of tonnes of food, blankets and sanitary supplies were flown into the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. During his 3 day visit to Georgia and the Russian Federation, ICRC President Jacob Kellenberger saw the difficult conditions for himself, and met some of the thousands of people displaced by fighting and in urgent need of assistance.
    (Info resources\Video)
    Video Collection Includes Video


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© 2009  International Committee of the Red Cross
21-11-2009