SWITZERLAND: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday appealed to donors to make up an €88 million shortfall in its operational budget for 2004, largely in response to a total of 11 armed conflicts, some forgotten and others that are frequently in the headlines.
The ICRC sought to draw special attention to the on-going humanitarian needs arising from armed conflicts affecting millions of lives in Afghanistan, Angola, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Sudan, Uganda and the countries of the southern Caucasus (Armenia and Azerbaijan).
"It is vital for the ICRC to be able to respond impartially to needs when and where they arise. The impact and credibility of our action depends on our capacity to support people and communities caught up in armed conflicts and internal violence around the world," said Mr Pierre Krähenbühl, ICRC director of operations, speaking at the organisation's Geneva HQ. The shortfall represents 20 per cent of its field budget for 2004.
ICRC said that public attention and commitments made by the international community had not yet resulted in sufficient support for the ICRC's operations in Sudan (Darfur and the southern part of the country), where the organisation is €13 million short of its funding goal of €25 million.
Sudan is currently the organisation's largest and most complex operation, covering enormous swathes of territory, including Darfur itself, which is the size of France. It was following a meeting between the Sudanese president, Mr Omar El Bashir, and the ICRC president, Mr Jacob Kallenberger, earlier this year that Darfur was finally opened up to aid agencies in March. The organisation visits thousands of prisoners of war throughout the country, including 700 government soldiers held by Sudanese rebel groups.
The ICRC is a private, Swiss, independent organisation which, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, has been visiting people detained in connection with armed conflicts since 1915. In 2003, ICRC representatives visited 450,000 detainees in 80 countries, including all those for which this renewed appeal for funds has been launched.
Donor fatigue is particularly evident in terms of support for ICRC operations in Israel and Palestine, Chechnya, Colombia and Uganda. All of these operations in response to on-going conflicts are running deficits of over 60 per cent.
The response has also been slow for operations in places like Angola where fighting has ended, refugees are returning from neighbouring countries but huge problems remain, particularly in the form of landmines and other unexploded ordinance, and the restoration of basic services to vulnerable populations.
"The ICRC continues to rely on timely, quality contributions from its donor community to pursue its activities. While the overall level of support for our work has been remarkable, major humanitarian operations remain significantly underfunded. This financial shortfall needs to be redressed", said Mr Krähenbühl.