To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Afghanistan.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Colombia.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Georgia.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Haiti.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Lebanon.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in Liberia.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC conducted a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This report presents the consolidated results of the survey in the Philippines.

As part of the Our world. Your move. campaign, the ICRC commissioned a global research study especially designed to capture the experiences and opinions of civilians who are living with the everyday reality of armed conflict.

To raise awareness of the impact of armed conflict or other situations of armed violence on civilians, in 2009 the ICRC launched a vast research programme in eight of the most troubled countries in the world. This summary report presents highlights of the consolidated results of the opinion survey and in-depth research carried out in Afghanistan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines. The hard copy version includes a CD-ROM with the eight individual country reports containing the consolidated results of the research.

Almost six months after the latest round of fighting erupted in the north of Yemen, tens of thousands of people, displaced and residents alike, remain dependent on humanitarian assistance provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Yemen Red Crescent Society.

Since 12 January, tens of thousands of people have been living a hand-to-mouth existence on the streets of Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. During a recent food distribution, Jessica Barry talked with families living in the garden of the prime minister's office, the Primature.

ICRC agronomist Laurent Maurice was freed by his abductors 89 days after he was kidnapped in eastern Chad. Another ICRC staff member, Gauthier Lefèvre, was taken hostage on 22 October 2009 in West Darfur, Sudan, and is still being held captive. The ICRC remains very concerned about Mr Lefèvre and continues to press for his unconditional release. Laurent Maurice spoke to the ICRC’s Saleh Dabbakeh in Khartoum shortly after his release.

Khartoum/Geneva (ICRC) – The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger, met in Khartoum today with the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir, to discuss efforts to secure the prompt release of ICRC staff member Gauthier Lefèvre, who has been held hostage in Darfur for 110 days.

Laurent Maurice, the International Committee of the Red Cross staff member abducted in eastern Chad on 9 November 2009, is free.

Last July, a Red Cross message finally put Hajje Mariam back in touch with the daughter she last saw in 1982. Weeks later, all contact ceased, a bitter blow for this Palestinian refugee. Khadija left Lebanon 28 years ago at the height of the 1982 war with Israel. Now another war, this time in northern Yemen, has dashed Hajje Mariam’s hopes of seeing her again.

This issue is a collection of articles drown from the four issues of the International Review of the Red Cross of the year 2008. The themes are the following: conflict in Iraq, sanctions, human rights and direct participation in hostilities.

More than three weeks after the earthquake struck Haiti, international aid is reaching more and more survivors. The ICRC is focusing on helping the most destitute people in camps in Port-au-Prince, and on ensuring that unaccompanied children are cared for.

In the chaos of conflict, adults and children often get separated and lost. In the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been ravaged by decades of war, hundreds of children are missing or separated. 17-year-old Shukuru hasn’t seen his parents for 8 months, but with help from the ICRC tracing team, he's found at least part of his family, and he can't wait to see them.

The ICRC has been working with national authorities to address the causes of overcrowding in prisons and jails and its effect on inmates' living conditions and health. This is an update on these and other ICRC activities carried out in the Philippines in January 2010.

Marie Yolaine lost nine members of her family to the earthquake. One of her two surviving children then mysteriously disappeared – his body was found the following day. She came to the Haitian Red Cross for help. Simon Schorno, ICRC spokesperson, tells her story from Port-au-Prince.

Protecting unaccompanied children and restoring links between them and their families is one of the ICRC’s top priorities in Haiti. Marc Studer is in charge of restoring family links in Port-au-Prince. He explains how the ICRC works in partnership with the Haitian Red Cross, UNICEF and local organizations.

The earthquake in Haiti has been particularly devastating for children who lost their parents. ICRC child protection adviser Kristin Barstad explains what the organization is doing alongside other agencies to find the best solution to the plight of unaccompanied children.

Tehran/Baghdad (ICRC) – The remains of nine Iranian soldiers were repatriated today at the Shalamjah border crossing, near Basra, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). More than 20 years after the end of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War, thousands of members of the armed forces of both countries are still unaccounted for.

Alongside continuous attacks in Mogadishu, fighting has now also broken out in Somalia's central regions, leaving thousands of families displaced. Meanwhile, drought is plaguing the areas along the border with Ethiopia and Kenya, where the level of malnutrition among small children is worryingly high.

The need for urgent medical aid for earthquake survivors is desperate. Health care personnel from all over the world have joined forces to treat the wounded. Field hospitals and operating theatres have been set up for the most severe cases. Shortly after the disaster struck, first-aid posts were set up by the Haitian Red Cross and the ICRC, providing basic health care to tens of thousands living in makeshift camps.

Happy New Year! Thanks to all the readers who have already completed our feedback survey. If you haven't yet taken part, it's not too late, as we have decided to keep the survey open until 31 January. We begin this month's newletter with a word on the ICRC's response to the 12 January earthquake in Haiti. Next, we bring you an interview with the ICRC's head of delegation in Afghanistan, Reto Stocker, followed by the latest on ICRC operations in Yemen. We report on the international humanitarian law course co-hosted by the ICRC and Santa Clara Law School's Center for Global Law and Policy and wrap up with a peek into the ICRC's historical archives in Geneva, which go back to 1863.