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The ICRC delegation in Pretoria monitors the humanitarian situation in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. It promotes international humanitarian law, helps restore family links for civilian victims of conflict and strengthens the operational capacity of the region’s National Societies to respond to emergencies.

Pretoria (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation will host the 10th annual regional seminar on international humanitarian law from 4 to 7 May in Pretoria.

This newsletter covers ICRC activities in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique for the second half of 2007. It highlights in particular the ICRC's health, water and sanitation projects in rural Zimbabwe and its visits to detainees throughout the region.

Zimbabwe continues to face difficult challenges including high inflation, unemployment, perennially poor harvests, and increasing lack of access to safe water and health services. The following is an overview of the ICRC's key activities in favour of the most vulnerable communities in Zimbabwe.

The ICRC regional delegation covering Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe focuses on spreading knowledge of international humanitarian law, assisting vulnerable rural communities, visiting detained persons, and restoring family contact. It also works closely with the national Red Cross societies in the region.

The ICRC’s regional delegation in Harare covers six southern African countries, with the primary aim of promoting international humanitarian law. But in mid-2006, amid continuing economic and humanitarian difficulties within Zimbabwe itself, it launched a health care programme in three provinces.