| 03 Octobre 2012
AFRICA
Mali: The humanitarian situation in the north of Mali remains a matter of very serious concern, as people continue to be hard hit by the effects of the armed conflict and the ongoing food crisis. The ICRC has stepped up efforts to help address the most urgent needs in terms of food and health care. Read more in an operational update to be issued in early October.
Ethiopia: Visits to detainees held in the federal and regional prisons of the country have resumed after an interruption of seven years. In Ethiopia as everywhere else in the world, the aim of the ICRC's visits is to assess treatment and conditions of detention. Read more in an operational update on the ICRC's activities to be published in mid-October.
Cameroon: On the occasion of World First Aid Day, 100 volunteers from the youth branch of the Cameroon Red Cross in Douala provided street first-aid training for over 3,000 moto-taxi drivers. Learn more about these activities on our Facebook page in mid-October.
MIDDLE EAST
Syria: As the fighting continues, the civilian population is ever more affected and needs have increased significantly over the past weeks. The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent continue to help tens of thousands of people every month. Read our weekly updates at http://www.icrc.org/eng/where-we-work/middle-east/syria/index.jsp.
Yemen: In the north of the country, hundreds of heads of families who had to flee their villages and the fighting have ended up living for years in camps in Sa’ada. The ICRC is using income-generating projects help people rebuild their lives. Read their stories at http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/feature/2012/yemen-feature-2012-10-01.htm. In the south, thousands of displaced people have returned home. They now need support to resume normal lives. Read more about the ICRC's efforts to help them fend for themselves in an operational update to be published in the third week of October.
EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
Kazakhstan: Weapons prohibited by international law continue to affect people and the environment in many places around the world. Under the auspices of the ICRC, about 50 experts from Eastern European and Central Asian countries and regional organizations will gather in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 2-3 October, to address humanitarian problems arising from the use of such weapons. Read the news release at http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2012/kazakhstan-news-2012-10-01.htm.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Afghanistan: The ICRC's outgoing head of delegation in Kabul, Reto Stocker, who has been leading the organization's humanitarian operations in the country for the past six years, will hold a press conference in Kabul on 8 October to talk about the country's main humanitarian challenges, the continued lack of safe access to health care and the difficulties in reaching those in need. Mr Stocker is ending his assignment as the head of one of the ICRC's largest humanitarian operations.
Bangladesh: A newly built Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed will be inaugurated in Chittagong on 2 October. A news release will be issued on that occasion. While the A.K. Khan Foundation has provided the facility with infrastructure and donated property, the ICRC has equipped the centre's workshop with the necessary tools and supplied prosthetic and orthotic materials. In 2013, the A.K. Khan-CRP centre expects to treat 250 patients.
Bangladesh: The eighth edition of the regional Henry Dunant moot court competition for South Asia will be held in Bangladesh with teams from India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh on 2 and 13 October. The winner and runner-up teams will represent their countries at the Asia-Pacific regional competition next year in Hong Kong. A news release, a photo gallery and a feature will be published on www.icrc.org.
Malaysia: The sixth Senior Workshop on International Rules Governing Military Operations (SWIRMO) will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 7 to 13 October. Jointly hosted by the ICRC and the Malaysian Ministry of Defence, SWIRMO 2012 will bring together senior military officers from 70 nations to address the application of international legal frameworks in modern military operations.
OTHER TOPICS
World Mental Health Day (10 October): In the Eastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, many inhabitants have been deeply scarred by violence. Former child soldiers who have rejoined their communities also risk being rejected, feared or stigmatized. In a photo gallery and a feature story, find out how the ICRC is helping affected communities in Dakwa, Banda and Doruma by training Congolese Red Cross volunteers, teachers, and religious or spiritual leaders to better understand symptoms of trauma and to integrate emotional and psychological support in their own work.
World Food Day (16 October): Small producers play an important though often underestimated role in maintaining food security amid armed conflict. In many contexts, the ICRC tries to help these producers to continue or to diversify their activities. In an interview, the ICRC's chief agronomist will explain the challenges facing the organization in its efforts to help small food producers.
Prince of Asturias Award, 25-26 October: The jury of the prestigious award, presided over by His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, Heir to the throne of Spain, has selected the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for an award in the category of "International Cooperation." The jury is bestowing the award on the Movement for activities carried out in armed conflicts such as those in Syria, Libya and Somalia and in connection with the natural disasters which have beset Haiti, Indonesia and Japan. The Red Cross and Red Crescent and their volunteers save lives, protect livelihoods, provide support for recovery after disaster and crisis, enable people to lead a safe and healthy life and promote social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace. The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, and the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Tadateru Konoé, will accept the award in the city of Oviedo on 26 October. A press conference will be held on 25 October in Oviedo.
