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Section
ICRC operations in the Americas
A country-by-country overview of the ICRC’s work to provide neutral and independent assistance and protection for victims of conflict.
©ICRC/V.Louis/co-e-00200
The ICRC’s key objectives in the Americas are to promote respect for the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) and to protect and assist people affected by conflict and armed violence.

Its main operation in the region is in Colombia. Elsewhere, it visits detainees and tries to help families who are desperate to know the fate of relatives missing because of conflict. As a strictly neutral intermediary, the ICRC maintains contacts with governments, regional organisations and opposition groups.

The ICRC encourages governments to put the provisions of IHL into national law, helps to improve the training of military personnel in IHL and urges its adoption in university courses. It works closely with the national Red Cross societies of the region, giving support for activities such as IHL promotion, emergency preparedness and restoring family links.
The ICRC delegation in Washington covers Canada and the United States. It is the organization's interface with the US authorities over humanitarian issues arising from the so-called "global war on terror", including regular visits to detainees held at Guantanamo Bay (read more on this).The ICRC, which has observer status to the United Nations, maintains a permanent delegation to the UN in New York.

Key data on the ICRC’s global operational budget for 2008

The country and region names used herein are intended to facilitate reference and have no political significance.
Key document
    10-7-2008
    The ICRC in Latin America and the Caribbean
    In many Latin American and Caribbean countries, people are suffering the consequences of armed conflict and other situations of violence. In other countries, a conflict may have ended decades ago, but people are still struggling to rebuild their devastated lives. Maria Dos Anjos Gussing, the ICRC’s head of operations for Latin America and the Caribbean, details the organization's efforts to meet humanitarian needs in the region.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas)
    Interview Includes Photo

    2-4-2008
    ICRC action to protect and assist the victims of armed conflict in Colombia
    In her preface to the 2007 Annual Report on ICRC's activities in Colombia, head of delegation Barbara Hintermann gives an overview of the organization's action in favour of victims of the internal armed conflict and evokes the suffering endured by civilians forced to abandon their homes.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Report Includes Photo

    31-1-2007
    Participation in international humanitarian law treaties and their national implementation: achievements and activities in the Americas
    This report outlines the main developments concerning the national implementation of international humanitarian law in the Americas during 2006.
    (ICRC Activities\Humanitarian diplomacy\Other organizations)
    Report Includes PDF

Annual Report
Feature
    9-9-2008
    Peru: Relatives of missing persons search for clues
    Hoping to find out what happened to her daughter who disappeared 24 years ago, Marcelina made her way to the Huanta Civic Centre to examine some 500 items of clothing that were on display there. The clothing was found with the remains of 90 bodies discovered in mass graves in Putis, a village in southern Peru, last May. It was to be exhibited a few days later in Santillana and Putis.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Peru)
    Feature Includes Photo

    1-9-2008
    Peru: uncovering the truth
    On 2 November 1991, the inhabitants of Santo Tomás de Pata, a small rural town in the Huancavelica region, were attacked following their traditional Day of the Dead celebrations. A total of 37 people died, including men, women and children. The survivors had to bury the bodies without identifying them. The families have waited 17 years to be able to mourn their loved ones and give them a proper burial.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Peru)
    Feature Includes Photo

    1-9-2008
    Guatemala: a young man’s search for his identity
    According to the report published by the Historical Clarification Commission, around 5,000 children became separated from their families during the internal armed conflict in Guatemala. Sebastián Max was one of them. After 28 long years, he has finally learned his true identity.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Guatemala)
    Feature Includes Photo

    9-5-2008
    Colombia/Panama: a Red Cross message crosses the Darién forest
    Liris Copete and her mother Roquelina Córdoba had to flee Colombia and take refuge in Punusa, in the Panamanian province of Darién, on account of constant clashes in the area where they lived. In 2004, they again had to move in search of safety.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Panama)
    Feature Includes Photo

    2-3-2007
    Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru: institutional priorities for 2007
    In this article, Christoph Martin, ICRC delegate for Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, outlines the main priorities of the ICRC in the region.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Peru)
    Feature Includes Photo

    11-8-2005
    War games: virtual warfare training for the military
    To achieve their objectives, members of the armed forces must learn to take the right decisions in combat. But these decisions have an impact on people’s lives and their dignity, affecting both combatants and non-combatants. The Salvadorian army has developed a computer simulation system that helps train officers to take decisions that comply with international humanitarian law.
    (ICRC Activities\Promoting IHL\Armed forces and police)
    Feature

ICRC Publication
International Review of the Red Cross
Interview
    18-7-2008
    Colombia: release of persons in the hands of FARC
    The recent release of 15 hostages and detainees in Colombia and the use of the Red Cross emblem during this operation have hit the world's headlines. The ICRC's head of operations for Latin America, Maria dos Anjos Gussing, answers some questions.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Interview Includes Photo

    30-6-2008
    Protecting people in situations of internal violence
    In January 2008, the head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Buenos Aires, Michel Minnig, addressed the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Organization of American States on the subject of internal violence. In this interview, he reviews the main points of his statement.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas)
    Interview

    29-2-2008
    Colombia: the ICRC's role in the latest release of hostages
    Following the latest release of four hostages held by the FARC in Colombia, Maria Dos Anjos Gussing, the ICRC's head of operations for Latin America and the Caribbean, talks about the organization's role in the recent operation.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Interview Includes Photo

    18-1-2008
    Colombia: how the ICRC helped in the release of Clara and Consuelo
    The freeing of the two women hostages highlighted the ICRC's work in the long conflict in Colombia, which has created millions of victims. Barbara Hintermann, head of the ICRC delegation in Bogota, gives the background to the release operation and to broader aspects of ICRC concern.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Interview Includes Photo

    13-12-2007
    Colombia: improving displaced people's access to education, work and housing
    Interview with Christina Oberli, economic security project coordinator for the ICRC's delegation in Colombia.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Interview Includes Photo

    18-11-2007
    Chile: an ICRC surgeon shares his experience with doctors going on peacekeeping missions
    Mexican doctor Víctor Uranga was one of the ICRC specialists leading the recent war surgery seminar run by the Chilean defence headquarters and ministry of defence. The aims of the seminar were to update military doctors going on UN peacekeeping missions and to share with them the experience acquired by ICRC surgeons.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Chile)
    Interview Includes Photo

    28-9-2007
    Haiti: restoring human dignity
    Cedric Piralla, returning after a two-and-a-half-year assignment as head of delegation in Haiti, talks about the special role played by the ICRC in a country beset by chronic violence and poverty.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti)
    Interview Includes Photo

    3-1-2007
    Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador - Activities of the Lima regional delegation
    The ICRC's delegation in Lima, Peru, opened in 1984 and became a regional delegation in 2003. Today the delegation, which covers Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, is mainly involved in prevention work. Below, Philippe Gaillard, who has recently completed a four-year assignment as head of the Lima delegation, answers some questions about the ICRC's concerns and the role played by the organization in this part of the world.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Peru)
    Interview Includes Photo

Official Statement
Operational update
    30-7-2008
    US detention related to the events of 11 September 2001 and its aftermath – the role of the ICRC
    This document explains the purpose of the ICRC's visits to United States-run places of detention at the Bagram Theater Internment Facility, (Afghanistan), Guantanamo Bay (Cuba) and Charleston, South Carolina (US) and its procedures.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\United States)
    Operational update

    12-6-2008
    Colombia: ICRC activities from January to March 2008
    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remains concerned about the fate of thousands of Colombians displaced by armed conflict. From January to March 2008, it provided assistance for close to 21,800 of them.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Operational update Includes Photo, PDF

    11-3-2008
    Colombia: ICRC activities from January to December 2007
    An overview of the ICRC’s humanitarian activities in Colombia in 2007.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Colombia)
    Operational update Includes Photo

    1-2-2008
    Haiti: ICRC activities from January to December 2007
    Round-up of ICRC field activities, including visits to people deprived of their freedom, health care, water and habitat, promotion of international humanitarian law and support for the Haitian National Red Cross Society.
    (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Haiti)
    Operational update


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© 2008  International Committee of the Red Cross
6-10-2008