The ICRC in Kyrgyzstan
29-10-2010 Overview
The ICRC delegation in Kyrgyzstan assists victims of violence and visits detainees. It promotes international humanitarian law (IHL) and other relevant bodies of law and their integration into: national legislation and educational programmes; and the practices of armed forces and law-enforcement services. It also helps build the capacity of the Kyrgyz Red Crescent Society.
Present in Kyrgyzstan since 1992, the ICRC upgraded its mission in Bishkek to a full-fledged delegation in August 2010, following an outbreak of violence in the south of the country in June. Currently, it also has representations in Osh and Jalalabad.
People affected by the violence and its consequences in the south of Kyrgyzstan continue to receive assistance from the ICRC.
The ICRC endeavours to protect and assist people detained for security reasons and visits detainees in an effort to ensure that their treatment and detention conditions meet international standards. Based on its findings, the ICRC makes necessary recommendations to the authorities.
The organization also provides support on health-related issues to the Kyrgyz authorities, helping in particular to bring tuberculosis among the prison population under control.
The ICRC provides the government with advice on implementing IHL and integrating it into academic curricula. The organization also supports the permanent integration of IHL, as well as of other international standards applicable to situations of violence, into the practices of the armed forces and law-enforcement services.
The ICRC has cooperation agreements on the integration of IHL into secondary education aimed at ensuring the sustainability of IHL teaching in schools.
The ICRC provides support and advice to the Kyrgyz Red Crescent Society, in particular with a view to strengthening its capacity to respond to natural disasters and situations of violence, restore family links and carry out mine-risk education.
