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Armenia

The ICRC has been working in Armenia since 1992, assisting people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We prioritize the needs of missing people and their families, support mine victims, and help communities living along the border with Azerbaijan. We visit detainees held for conflict-related or security reasons or who are otherwise vulnerable, and help them establish and maintain contact with their families. We also promote the dissemination and implementation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) among national authorities, academics and military personnel. Our key partner is the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS), with whom we coordinate our activities.

In September 2023, tens of thousands of people moved to Armenia, leaving their homes and livelihoods behind. Many had lost contact with their loved ones. Our teams are working on the ground jointly with the ARCS to locate and reconnect family members in the region, help to evacuate those in need of medical care and other vulnerable people to Armenia, and to transport, at the request of their families, the bodies of those killed, so that they can have the closure and dignified burials.

Latest Update
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In numbers

January - June 2023

  • Over 5000
    calls and individual visits were received from families of the missing.
  • Around 555
    oral, video and written Red Cross messages were shared with the families of the conflict-related detainees.
  • 50 family members
    of missing persons received psychological support during home visits or through support groups.
  • Around 2300 raspberry seedlings
    were distributed to 14 selected households in Bardzravan village, Syunik region.
More facts & figures
  • 34 staff members
    of the ambulance and emergency services from Syunik region were trained in the ICRC-WHO Basic Emergency Care course conducted by the ICRC.
  • 12 sessions
    on MHPSS were organized in Armavir for 42 members of 26 families of persons missing since the 2020 escalation.
  • 390 persons
    in 25 communities of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Tavush regions, including health professionals and teachers, were trained in basic first aid by the ARCS First Aid Department with ICRC support.
  • 1 school
    in Chambarak town, Gegharkunik region improved access to clean water and sanitary-hygiene conditions.
  • 600 copies
    of the educational handbook on mine risk awareness and safer behavior (RASB) and 100 copies of posters were printed for distribution in communities, in the scope of the project implemented by the ARCS in partnership with the ICRC.
  • 351 people
    from various communities of Gegharkunik and Syunik regions attended sessions on MHPSS conducted by the ARCS counselors in cooperation with the ICRC.