The Russian Federation: ICRC activities from April to June 2008

Restoring family links

Between April and June, the ICRC:

raised the issue of people missing in relation to the situation in the northern Caucasus, as part of its ongoing dialogue with the authorities, and advocated for the creation of a federal commission on the missing, whose task would be to prevent the disappearance of people and to centralize information on missing persons and inform their families;
sponsored around 125 families to visit their detained relatives in the Russian Federation;
enabled detainees to keep in touch with their families through its Red Cross message service.

Micro-economic initiatives

As reconstruction picked up, the ICRC switched from emergency assistance to programmes aimed at recovery and sustainability, launching micro-economic projects for an increasing number of beneficiaries in Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia.

Almost 170 families in Chechnya, 45 in Ingushetia and 15 in Daghestan received support in the form of vocational training, advice on business planning and veterinary visits. The aim of the support was to enable families to start small businesses, generate income and reduce dependency on outside assistance.

Medical assistance

In Chechnya, where the health system has been receiving increasing funding from the federal and local authorities, the ICRC made a one-off distribution of drugs, medical materials and supplies to six hospitals and wrapped up its aid deliveries to medical structures. It still supported the Grozny prosthetic/orthotic centre and trained Chechen technicians, including four who graduated from Saint Petersburg Social College..

ICRC surgeons collaborated with professors from Saint Petersburg Military Medical Academy, the North-Ossetian State Medical Academy and the Chechen State University in organizing an annual seminar on emergency surgery. Held in June, in Nalchik, the seminar brought together 20 participants from Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The ICRC provided the Ingush Republican hospital with ad-hoc assistance in the form of an emergency medical kit to treat the victims of an explosion in a shop in Nazran in June.

Water and sanitation

The ICRC improves living conditions by rehabilitating water supplies, sanitation, and housing and by enabling local public utilities to provide these services.

In Chechnya the ICRC:

completed three projects to restore or extend water supply in three villages in Tevzana, Aghishbatoy and Zamay-Yurt and continued projects launched in 2007, which have experienced some technical delays;
selected six villages for additional, in-depth technical surveys – following assessments carried out in 15 villages – in preparation for the launch of water-supply projects and worked on two projects in the villages of Avtury and Bamut with the ChechVodokanal rural water board;
began repairs on some of the 34 safe-play areas it built between 2004 and 2006, of which 32 were in need of maintenance;
conducted an assessment of the orthopaedic centre in Grozny in preparation for restoration work aimed at improving and increasing its operational capacity

Mine action

The mine action programme helps civilians avoid falling victim to accidents caused by unexploded landmines and weapons. The ICRC promotes the creation of safe areas where children can play and practise sports safely.

The ICRC:

held a contest for school teachers on best practices in teaching basic survival skills – as part of mine-risk education – which attracted around 140 participants; through the contest, 4,000 children were taught about the danger of mines;
launched a contest for journalists on the best human-touch story or other media product concerning the reduction of risks from mines and unexploded ordnance.

Promotion of international humanitarian law

Working with the authorities, army and civilians to promote compliance with international humanitarian law is a key part of the ICRC's work in Russia.

The ICRC:

organized a regional seminar on IHL implementation for 50 participants from 10 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);
held a meeting with professors of international law in the Russian Federation, for over 60 participants;
conducted an IHL competition for 45 law students from the leading institutions of various regions of the Russian Federation;
gave a presentation on the ICRC and IHL for 65 law students of Daghestan State University in Makhachkala and Khassavyurt;
made 15 IHL presentations for over 760 military and interior ministry personnel in Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia and Stavropol region.
in addition, the State University of Saint-Petersburg, supported by the Russian Association of International Law, organized the "The Seventh Martens Readings", an international conference, for over 100 IHL professors and researchers from all CIS countries to promote the teaching of and research in IHL at CIS universities;

The ICRC, in conjunction with the Russian defence ministry, participated in:

two Senezh IHL courses in the Moscow area for over 85 ministry and military personnel, including representatives from Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Armenia;
"Senezh-Caucasus" courses on IHL in Vladikavkaz for 18 defence ministry representatives;
the General Skobelev-9 officer/cadet competition on IHL, held in Kazan Artillery Military School and involving 70 cadets and officers from military academies of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova;
a workshop on new international military standards, attended by 70 generals and high-ranking military academy officers, and made a presentation on IHL;
two presentations on IHL in Vladikavkaz and Mozdok for more than 75 defence ministry officials.

Cooperation with the Russian Red Cross

In addition to supporting the headquarters of the Russian Red Cross in tracing missing persons and promoting IHL, the ICRC finances certain aid programmes of five Red Cross branches in Ingushetia, Chechnya, Daghestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia.
The ICRC supports the home-visits programme, which works with more than 120 Russian Red Cross nurses to provide services to over 1,250 elderly people. The ICRC also supports Red Cross branches in distributing food parcels twice a year to around 870 beneficiaries of the programme in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

The ICRC:

supervised playrooms for over 200 children at temporary accommodation centres in Grozny and 1,000 displaced children in three settlements in Ingushetia – the children are encouraged to interact under the guidance of psychologists and teachers;
enabled over 90 teenagers to attend computer classes and participate in sports at the Russian Red Cross recreational centre in Grozny, and 180 teenagers to attend English classes, visit the library and take part in sporting activities at the recreational centre in Nazran.