TITLE: ICRC APPEALS FOR MORE THAN ONE BILLION SWISS FRANCS.

LOCATION AND DATE: Geneva (SWITZERLAND) 7 December 2007, Gereida (DARFUR/SUDAN) June 2006, Kibirizi (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO) May 2006, Bogota (COLOMBIA) July 2006, Tubas, West Bank and Gilboa (ISRAEL AND THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES) June 2006, Mazar-I-Sharif (AFGHANISTAN) April 2006.
PRODUCTION: Tara Sutton (Sudan – Colombia), Patrick Mounoud (Palestinian Territories), Jon Bjorgvinsson (Afghanistan), Morris Carpenter and Jan Powell (DRC), Virginie Louis (Palestinian Territories – Afghanistan).
LENGTH: 09' 53"
SOURCE: ICRC – ACCESS ALL

For full details of the World feed, go to the EBU website and/or see below for timings and technical specification:

For broadcast tapes and information on footage: Virginie Louis, International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva,

This report will be distributed free-to-air and rights free over the Eurovision News Exchange network on 7 December 2006 as well as on the Eurovision World Feed satellites at 14.40 to 14.50 GMT on Thursday 7 December 2006 (These satellites are ASIASAT 2 covering Asia, NSS 806 covering the Americas and EUTELSAT W3 covering Europe and North Africa. See Technical Satellite Parameters herunder).

Geneva (ICRC) – Today, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing to donors to continue to relieve the suffering of people affected by conflicts.

Asking for more than one billion Swiss francs to fund the ICRC's humanitarian work in some 80 countries, Pierre Kraehenbuehl, Director of Operations, says: "I think the ICRC 'specifically neutral and independent approach, which means that it works with all actors on the ground and attempts to respond to needs, is the specific element that we want to continue to put forward in 2007 again. In an overall worldwide environment that has been very polarised, that has put a lot of pressure on humanitarian action, we believe that is a specific added value we can bring in responding to population's needs".

In 2007, Africa will once again account for over 40 per cent of the ICRC's operational commitments worldwide. Sudan will constitute the largest operation for the fourth consecutive year, at an expected cost of more than 73 million Swiss francs, followed by Israel and the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Afghanistan. These priorities reflect the ICRC's main focus, which is to protect and assist civilians directly affected by ongoing armed conflict. The ICRC will also remain committed to a broad range of activities in countries affected by various forms of armed violence – from simmering crises in Côte d'Ivoire, Colombia and Timor-Leste to fragile transitions in Liberia and Nepal.

One of the ICRC's top priorities in 2007 will be to establish a dialogue with all parties to conflicts and to remind them of their obligations under international humanitarian law, not least that of distinguishing between civilians and combatants.

The ICRC faces various challenges in carrying out its humanitarian work, which can be related to security or access issues, or due to the attitude of authorities. Pierre Kraehenbuehl adds: "So be it in the case of difficulties we've encountered recently in the situation of Myanmar or lack of resolution and differences we found in the access to prisoners in the Russian Federation. These are all issues that we want to continue to dialogue on with the authorities with the aim of resolving and overcoming these differences ".

Governments and the European Commission continue to be the ICRC's main source of funding, accounting for over 80 per cent of contributions in 2005. The largest donors last year were the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden, and the European Commission.