Assistance for people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence

8/7/2019 Assistance for people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence

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AssistAnceFOR peOple aFFected by aRmed cOnFlictand OtheR situatiOnsOF viOlence


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Assistance may be provided before a crisis asa preventive measure (distribution of food toavoid malnutrition, improved sanitation), inan acute crisis (war surgery, water trucking),

in a chronic crisis (livelihood support fordisplaced persons, vaccination campaigns,support for water and sewage utilities) orpost crisis (repair and reconstruction of essential infrastructure, agricultural support).

Beneficiaries are primarily residents ordisplaced civilians, vulnerable groups suchas minorities, female-headed householdsand the families of people who areunaccounted for, the sick and the wounded(both military and civilian), and peopledeprived of their freedom.

In 2009, close to 15 million victims of armedconflict and other situations of violence in47 countries benefited from the ICRCsassistance programmes.

In December of the same year, over 2,000international and national staff wereengaged in the ICRCs assistance activities.

Assistance programmes represent around60 % of the ICRCs annual field budget.

T E ICRCSASSISTANCE DIvISIoNprovides field operations with strategicsupport and professional expertise in : Public health 2:

> health services> economic security> water and habitat> forensic services

working for a safe environment:> respecting and protecting

health care> weapon contamination> non-conventional threats

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2 Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of diseaseor infirmity. Preamble to the Constitution of the World health Organization as adopted by the International HealthConference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States(Official Records of the World health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.


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T E PUBLICEALT PYRAMID To preserve life and health and ensurerespect for peoples dignity, assistanceactivities are developed within an overallconcept of public health. People need asafe environment. They also require thebasic elements for survival: food, safe water,adequate sanitation and shelter, and accessto preventive and curative health care. Thecorrect management of the dead is anotherimportant aspect of public health.

When designing assistance programmes,the ICRC strives to ensure that the livingconditions of people affected by armedconflict are restored in a sustainablemanner and that dependence on outsideaid is reduced.

An ICRC response covers assistanceand protection needs. Assessmentsidentify sectors of the populationthat are particularly vulnerableto the risk and the effects of armedconflict and other situationsof violence. The aim is to promptly recognizeand respond to the specific needsand rights of those affected, takingaccount of their resilience.Special attention is given to age,gender and other factors of diversitythat increase their vulnerability.

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ASSISTANCE: PUBLIC HEALTH WITHIN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

WATER AND HABITAT

Water, environmentalhealth, energy, and habitat

ECONOMIC SECURITY

Food security andhousehold economy

HEALTHSERVICES

FORENSIC SERVICES

PROTECTIONHEALTH CARE

NON-CONVENTIONALTHREATS

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EALT SERvICES The ICRCs health activities are aimed atsaving lives and alleviating suffering. Itsprogrammes help to ensure that the healthneeds of individuals affected by armedconflict or other situations of violenceare met. This includes both curative andpreventive health care.

Health activities include the direct provisionof health care, and support for existingfacilities, as well as mobilization of theauthorities or others to assume theseresponsibilities. Negotiations are required toguarantee affected communities safe accessto high-quality health care and medicalpersonnel a safe working environment.

Health activities require expertise inthe fields of public health, medicine,surgery, nursing, hospital administration,laboratory work, pharmacy, physiotherapyand orthotics/prosthetics.

The main areas covered by the ICRCshealth activities are : first aid ; primary health care ; hospitals (war surgery and

essential surgery, obstetricsand gynaecology, paediatrics,internal medicine andhospital management) ;

health in detention ; physical rehabilitation.

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Physical rehabilitati n The ICRCs physical rehabilitation projectsare designed to provide physicallydisabled people with prosthetic andorthotic devices so that they can recovertheir mobility, live with dignity and play anactive role in society.

Physical rehabilitation projectsmay involve : manufacturing high-quality

prosthetic and orthotic appliancesand components ;

providing national technicianswith theoretical and practicaltraining in accordance withrecognized standards ;

preparing local partnersand authorities to take overorthopaedic services ;

developing vocational-trainingprogrammes and creatingemployment opportunities forphysically disabled people.

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ECoNoMIC SECURITY The ICRC provides support for the economicsecurity of affected populations. This is toensure that households and communitiescan meet essential needs and maintain orrestore sustainable livelihoods. Responsesrange from emergency distributionsof food and essential household itemsto programmes for sustainable foodproduction and micro-economic initiatives.

Economic security activities aim at : providing conflict victims with

the basic commodities essentialfor survival when they are nolonger able to obtain these bytheir own means (such as food,blankets and cooking ustensils) ;

enabling communities andindividuals to maintain or regainself-sufficiency by protectingand/or restoring the necessarymeans of production (e.g. providingseed, tools, cash grants, and work opportunities).

Economic security is assessed and addressedthrough expertise in livelihood analysis,nutrition, agronomy and economics,training, veterinary science, livestock production and management, and small-business management.

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WATER AND ABITAT The ICRCs water and habitat activitiesare designed to ensure that communitiesaffected by armed conflict or othersituations of violence have access to safewater and adequate sanitation at all timesand live in a healthy environment.

Water and habitat programmes canencompass a wide range of activitiesin both rural and urban environments:supplying essential materials and energy,constructing emergency shelter, sanitation,and rehabilitating or constructing healthstructures. The ICRCs engineers are alsoinvolved in hygiene-promotion activitiesand capacity building of partners andcommunities. Efforts are made to ensure thatprojects are sustainable in the long term.

The ICRCs areas of expertise includehydrogeology, geology, civil engineering,a r c h i t e c t u r e , e l e c t r o - m e c h a n i c a lengineering, environmental engineeringand urban planning.

In particular, water and habitatactivities involve: providing displaced persons

and civilians affected by armedconflict with emergency water,sanitation and shelter ;

developing safe water and sanitationsolutions for the residentpopulation in rural and urban areas ;

repairing and upgradinghospitals and health centres thatdo not meet current needs or havebeen damaged as a result of armed conflict ;

improving environmental healthin places of detention.

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F rensic ser ices The ICRCs forensic services help preventand address the tragedy of peoplebecoming unaccounted for as a result of armed conflicts and other situations of violence. They promote and support bestpractices for the proper managementand identification of human remains. The objective is to ensure the dignifiedmanagement of the dead and to helpuphold the right of bereaved families toknow the fate of their loved ones.

The ICRCs areas of expertise include forensicmedicine, anthropology, archaeology anddisaster-victim identification.

The forensic services focus on : providing support for ICRC field

operations on all mattersrelated to human remains andforensic sciences ;

providing training and advice onbest forensic science practicesapplicable to the search for themissing, including during naturaldisasters, and their disseminationand promotion ;

developing tools, including forthe collection and managementof information on human remains,as well as guidelines and manualson preventing persons becomingunaccounted for and investigatingmissing-person cases.

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A SAFE ENvIRoNMENTRespecting and pr tecting health careA safe environment is essential for thedelivery of effective assistance in armedconflict and other situations of violence. This is especially the case for healthactivities. In many countries, the ICRChas to address security issues concerninghospitals, clinics, ambulances, patients andhealth-care personnel on a daily basis.

Weap n c ntaminati n The ICRC seeks to reduce the impact of weapon contamination on people whileensuring that its staff can operate safely.

The presence of unexploded and abandonedweapons can hinder the return of civiliansto their homes, limit the delivery of aid,and prevent the repair and reconstructionof infrastructure such as schools, hospitals,roads, wells and markets.

The ICRCs areas of expertise includeexplosive-ordnance disposal, demining,public-health education, communitydevelopment, epidemiology and training.

N n-c n enti nal threats The ICRC is currently developing a responsecapacity for events involving the useor alleged use of nuclear, radiological,biological or chemical weapons. Thepurpose is to minimize the risk to its staff,if exposure occurs, and enable them toprovide assistance for victims directly orindirectly affected by the agent in question.

The ICRCs activities may include: field assessments of weapon use

and the threat posed by weapons; deploying clearance experts

to survey, destroy ormake safe unexploded orabandoned ordnance;

providing direct support forcommunities through risk-reductionand risk-education activities ensuring that these communities donot have to put themselves at risk during their day-to-day activities.

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ELP c urse The HELP (Health Emergencies in LargePopulations) course is a multicultural andmultidisciplinary learning experiencecreated to enhance professionalism inhumanitarian assistance programmescarried out in emergencies. Since 1986,approximately 2,600 professionalshave attended the course, which is runin partnership with the World HealthOrganization and with research institutionsand universities worldwide.www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/help_course?

PartnershipsCoordinating activities with authorities,civil society and the wider humanitariancommunity is an integral part of assistanceprogrammes. In their field operations,the ICRCs assistance staff work closelywith National Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties. While the Assistance Divisionimplements its own activities, it often joinsforces with the National Society of a givencountry as its natural primary partnerto maximize the benefit for the peopleaffected by conflict or internal strife.Working together enhances the ICRCsability to provide support for NationalSocieties, as well as National Societiescapacity to conduct their own operations.

At headquarters and in the field, theAssistance Division interacts with academicinstitutions and professional associationsas well as with the relevant agencies of theUnited Nations system.

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Mission

The International Committee of the RedCross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral andindependent organization whose exclusivelyhumanitarian mission is to protect the livesand dignity of victims of armed conflictand other situations of violence and toprovide them with assistance. The ICRCalso endeavours to prevent suffering bypromoting and strengthening humanitarianlaw and universal humanitarian principles.Established in 1863, the ICRC is at theorigin of the International Red Cross andRed Crescent Movement. It directs andcoordinates the international relief activitiesconducted by the Movement in armedconflicts and other situations of violence.


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Assistance for people affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence