Wall St Journal: on the ICRC negotiating UN access to children in Afghanistan

International Committee of the Red Cross, the only international organization that maintains regular communications with the Taliban command, acts as an intermediary every time a new letter of support is issued. That happened 10 times in 2009, each time a new vaccination campaign was launched.

Dr. Mir of the WHO says he decided to ask the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, for assistance after watching how that organization facilitated talks between the South Korean government and the Taliban that led to the freeing of 23 Korean hostages kidnapped by the insurgents in July 2007.

...Afghan insurgents generally respect the ICRC's neutrality, unlike their counterparts in Iraq, who blew up the organization's Baghdad headquarters in October 2003. The ICRC maintains first-aid posts in some Taliban-held parts of the country and runs special taxi-ambulance services that evacuate wounded Taliban fighters from the battlefield as well as Afghan civilians caught in the crossfire.

Read more on the WSJ website.

Meanwhile, a new intelligence report proposes that analysts should focus on deep analysis of local social and political structures in Afghanistan:

He also calls for a complete culture change in the intelligence community which will see them forgoing their much loved Power Point slides for "meaty, comprehensive descriptions of pivotal districts throughout the country" produced on word processors.

"Analysts must absorb information with the thoroughness of historians, organise it with the skill of librarians, and disseminate it with the zeal of journalists," the report says.

Read more on the Guardian website.

Typologies of conflict and categories of civilians

Two recent publications caught our eye:

• The International Review of the Red Cross publishes an issue focussing on the legal classification of armed conflict, increasingly vital in the growing number complex contexts in which the Movement works which do not fit the classic definitions of war between state actors
• HPG's new report 'Realising Protection' looks at the meaning and implications of three categories of protected status for non-combatants – ‘civilian’, ‘refugee’ and ‘internally displaced’ – and the frameworks of international law and custom and 'shifting political priorities and engagement by governments and regional and international actors' which surround them. Ultimately, they argue, 'it is the observance or otherwise of basic protection rules and norms by national and international duty-bearers that has the greatest impact on people’s safety, security and wellbeing'.

ICRC in Yemen: Providing relief assistance to displaced people

IDRL: Lessons learnt from H1N1 and humanitarian evolutions in Sri Lanka

Three noteworthy topics signalled by the Federation's International Disaster Response Law programme:

• On July 5th, experts and representatives of 43 countries concluded the “Top Level Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1): Preparing for the Future”.
• In Sri Lanka, the Times reported, the government is starting to apply the tax law (0.9 per cent) on humanitarian aid it created in 2006, affecting 89 international and local humanitarian organisations, and potentially amounting to several millions of pounds.
• Furthermore, Reuters reported that the Sri Lankan government has asked for a reduction or scaling down in humanitarian operations, now that it declared total victory over the LTTE.

Some more information on these topics can be found in the extended blog entry.

On July 5th, experts and representatives of 43 countries concluded the “Top Level Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1): Preparing for the Future”. Some of the findings of this evaluatory meeting:

since international public health emergencies are unpredictable but recurrent and can severely affect human health and economic well-being worldwide, it is essential to reinforce public health capacity in order to permit timely actions to reduce the spread of disease.

Also, the experts and representatives

urged the WHO Director General to continue applying the procedure to determine an "internationally important public health emergency" and formulate the corresponding temporary recommendations.

In Sri Lanka, the Times reported, the government is starting to apply the tax law (0.9 per cent) on humanitarian aid it created in 2006, affecting 89 international and local humanitarian organisations, and potentially amounting to several millions of pounds.

The Government says that the tax is designed to crack down on NGOs that abused Sri Lankan law and squandered their funds on their own staff after the tsunami. Aid workers, however, say the new rules do not grant tax exemption for all the work they are doing — and want to do — to help 300,000 Tamil refugees in army-run camps. Some say the tax contravenes the international disaster response guidelines drawn up by the Red Cross in 2007 with the participation of 140 countries, including Sri Lanka.

However, some of the organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, have managed to negotiate their due tax with the government down to 0.1 per cent.
Furthermore, Reuters reported that the Sri Lankan government has asked for a reduction or scaling down in humanitarian operations, now that it declared total victory over the LTTE.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was shutting down some of its offices in the country following the government's directive. "The ICRC is in the process of reviewing its setup and operational priorities in Sri Lanka," said the ICRC's head of operations for South Asia, Jacques de Maio. "As a first step, it will close its offices and withdraw its expatriate staff from the Eastern Province while winding down its operations in the area," he said. "The ICRC will continue its dialogue with the Sri Lankan government on issues of humanitarian concern."

HPN/Reuters: Afghanistan

In issue 43 of the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, Jon Bennett writes about the the Britain Afghanistan policy and future expectations for the latter country. Recently, this policy has moved towards a strategy of stabilisation, linking DfID, MoD and the Foreign Office in a mutual strategy of engagement, stabilisation and development, aimed at bridging the counterinsurgency and the "Afghanisation" of the country's future.

More recent information on Afghanistan on the Civil-Military Relations blog:
Terrorism kills more Afghan civilians than any other military action - next to Afghan civilians, also international aid workers have been the target of increased terrorist attacks in the country. This raises many concerns in the light of the upcoming presidential elections on 20 August.
Cost of insecurity in Afghanistan impedes humanitarian work - humanitarian organisations diverge in their approach in dealing with the increased insecurity in the country, with the ICRC firmly avoiding armed escorts and demonstrating its impartial credentials and emblem.

A new pressrelease by Reuters tells about Karzai's plans in his election manifesto to regulate foreign troops in Afghanistan:

Afghan President Hamid Karzai , setting out his election manifesto, has vowed to make foreign troops sign a framework governing how they operate in a bid to limit civilian casualties. Karzai, widely criticised this week for withdrawing from a televised debate with two of his main rivals in the Aug. 20 presidential election, has unveiled a manifesto covering foreign troops, talks with insurgents and reconstruction. Civilian casualties caused by U.S. and NATO operations, particularly air strikes, have become a source of increasing outrage among ordinary Afghans and their leaders this year, even as insurgent violence hit its worst levels in the eight-year-old war.

More about this in the extended blog entry.
In issue 43 of the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, Jon Bennett writes about the the Britain Afghanistan policy and future expectations for the latter country.

Recently, this policy has moved towards a strategy of stabilisation, linking DfID, MoD and the Foreign Office in a mutual strategy of engagement, stabilisation and development, aimed at bridging the counterinsurgency and the "Afghanisation" of the country's future.

It has been difficult for aid agencies and DFID to focus on reconstruction and development when access to populations is largely determined by which areas are ‘secured’ by British and Afghan military forces. Development here requires longer timeframes and a more sophisticated form of interaction with target beneficiaries. It is also difficult to find technical experts willing to stay on the ground for any length of time in a highly volatile and dangerous environment.

Also, there are two separate foreign military forces present on the ground - the Coalition Forces and the NATO/ISAF operation forces. However distinct, the public does not make a distinction between the two and their actions affect each other, potentially affecting the acceptance of their actions (and, concomitantly, of the aid agencies affiliated to them or operating under their protection). In reaction, several international aid agencies have expressed their desire to decouple aid delivery from military goals and refused to be any longer part of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams.

Further complicating these matters is a general lack of coherency between the major donors, lack of legitimacy of the central government and the fact that in the country as a whole, the lack of good national or provincial data and security constraints on access to beneficiaries impede an accurate assessment of project progress.

Here are some excerpts from the latest news items posted on the Civil-Military Relations blog.

13 July 2009: Terrorism kills more Afghan civilians than any other military action.

Recent violence has also targeted those trying to help the fledgling democracy rebuild. Last month three national staff members of a local non-governmental organization (NGO) were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in was destroyed by a roadside bomb in Jawzjan province. In addition, the office of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Kunduz was attacked in early June with a rocket-propelled grenade having been fired at the compound.
The ongoing violence is of particular concern as the country gears up for presidential elections slated for 20 August. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Kai Eide, has highlighted the critical importance of the upcoming polls, noting that it is about more than choosing the country’s future leaders.

14 July 2009: Cost of insecurity in Afghanistan impedes humanitarian work.

While large swathes of the country, mostly in the south and east, are no-go zones for most agencies, the increasing use of armoured vehicles, barricaded compounds and restrictions on movement have also had an impact on operations in relatively safe areas, such as Kabul, where many organizations recommend armoured vehicles for their staff. [...]
However, some organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) prefer not to use them. “Armoured vehicles are both expensive and inconsistent with the nature of our work,” Patrick Hamilton, deputy head of the ICRC delegation, told IRIN, adding that the organisation was more inclined to seek security guarantees for its staff and activities through negotiations with warring parties and host communities. However, the ICRC’s modus operandi is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for other aid agencies to replicate, specialists say. [...]
The ICRC says it will continue avoiding armed escorts and demonstrating its impartial credentials and emblem. “We seek security through local acceptance and support,” said Hamilton. Others, including Donini, advise aid agencies to negotiate a “humanitarian consensus” with all warring parties and neighbouring countries as the UN did in the 1980 and 1990s. “Immediate steps should be taken to build a relationship of trust with all parties to the conflict,” said Donini.

ICRC: Water and War

This publication looks at certain key issues associated with water and sanitation in countries that are afflicted by armed conflict and where the ICRC is at work. The challenges are analysed from the point of view of the operational practice that has developed and become more professional as the years have gone by. The global changes referred to above will determine new avenues and solutions to be pursued to ensure that the ICRC’s response is still appropriate to the needs of the people affected by future conflicts.

The key issues include health, displacement, detention, urbanization and natural disasters.

The report is available for download from Reliefweb.

ICRC: HIV Field Guide

The field guide is designed to assist the ICRC in responding to HIV as an integral part of its core health activities. It provides:

• guidance and decision-making tools to help delegations decide what to do in response to HIV among specific populations in a given context;
• guidance on how to integrate HIV into core health activities.

Annex 1 contains a series of Action Guides that summarize information on key topics and options for action. These need to be read in conjunction with more detailed technical resources, references to which are provided in each Action Guide. The guide is also designed to help delegations find strategic entry points to respond to HIV as part of the work they do in a given setting and, over time, to build the whole organization’s capacity to respond to HIV as an integral part of its work.

Downloadable as a PDF from the ICRC website.

Convention on Cluster Munitions signed in Oslo

More than 100 governments, with some notable exceptions, will sign an international convention today banning the production of cluster bombs whose unexploded canisters have killed and maimed thousands of innocent civilians and are dangerously scattered over more than 20 countries.

The convention is enthusiastically welcomed today by the Red Cross, and on the Guardian's website by David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his German counterpart. The weapons had "rendered huge tracts of land unusable, cutting farmers off from their crops and visiting further suffering on families forced to risk their lives simply to pursue their livelihoods", said Matthias Schmale, international director of the British Red Cross.

The Guardian, 3rd December 2008

Civil society played a key role in bringing about this strong convention, as did the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent. Its president, Dr Jakob Kellenberger, captured the spirit of what we were trying to achieve when he quoted from the authors of the 1868 St Petersburg Declaration that our task was shaped by the need to "fix the technical limits at which the necessities of war ought to yield to the requirements of humanity." Civil society's involvement in the process helped to ensure that when redefining these limits humanitarian concerns were given due weight.

David Miliband in the Guardian, 2nd December 2008

Almost exactly ten years ago, the world celebrated a comprehensive ban on anti-personnel landmines, an immense achievement which has saved countless lives and spared the suffering of thousands around the globe.

Then, as now, the Red Cross and the British Government were at the forefront of the debate. The Red Cross first called for a Cluster Munitions treaty in 2000 following the conflict in Kosovo. More recently it was largely due to the United Kingdom that a conference in Dublin in May was able to reach agreement on the final wording of the treaty being signed today.

Matthias Schmale, British Red Cross press statement

We are committing ourselves to preventing further civilian deaths and injuries from cluster munitions, and to helping those whose lives have been blighted by them.... we are showing our commitment to international humanitarian law, and celebrating the tremendous positive energy which comes about through working together with civil society.

...

Our global community must continually keep challenging itself about the way it behaves. Political leaders must show they are prepared to listen and respond to the voices of victims, of civil society, and of ordinary people. The Cluster Munition Convention, the "Oslo Convention", shows both the importance and the power of advocacy to make the world a safer, better place.

It's only the beginning because we must continue working together internationally, and so must our military forces, to prevent conflicts and deal with their legacy. And when military force is required, it must be used responsibly.

David Miliband, short speech on signing the Convention.

ICRC: The Convention on Cluster Munitions - Time to Act

ICRC: 'Land: A Key Issue for Humanitarian Agencies During Armed Conflicts'

Access to land, its use, its management, its ownership and its transfer are key political issues in many armed conflicts, in particular when forced displacement is a wartime strategy. Land is also at the heart of humanitarian activities as farming it can be a way for communities affected by the fighting to recover long-term economic security.
Access this report via ReliefWeb


The author of this text is political adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The text does not necessarily reflect the views of the ICRC but rather those of the author. This is a translation of the original version in French.

The aim of this document is to present the specific practical challenges of land disputes for humanitarian agencies, as experienced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in armed conflicts.

It is worthwhile examining those challenges in depth in order to find out how to meet them. However, this document does not set out to provide solutions, our more modest aim being merely to establish the terms of the debate.

Small arms survey: The Chad–Sudan Proxy War and the 'Darfurization' of Chad: Myths and Reality

The contention that the Darfurian conflict is being 'exported' to eastern Chad via janjawid militia has received widespread coverage. However, this is a dangerous oversimplification of the ethnic and political dynamics of the region, and most especially neglects the importance of the political crisis in Chad.

Khartoum and N'Djamena have been engaged in an on-again, off-again proxy conflict using one another's rebel movements since the Darfur conflict began in 2003, most intensively since 2005. Khartoum has attempted on multiple occasions to unify the Chadian rebel groups to destabilize or even overthrow the Déby regime. While Déby has survived two attacks on the capital, he has managed to hold on to power through repression and incentives to those who rally to him.

This Working Paper provides the contextual and historical background for understanding the current Chad–Sudan conflict, its complex ethnic components, and the history of the Chadian rebel factions. The paper explains why the current international peacekeeping effort is unlikely to be successful without an accompanying diplomatic push to bring the Chadian opposition— both legal and armed—and the Déby regime to the negotiating table.

The working paper is available for download from Reliefweb.

ICRC: International humanitarian law and the challenges of contemporary armed conflicts

A report from the ICRC aims to generate reflection and debate on a number of current challenges in the field of international humanitarian law (IHL) identified by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and to outline prospective ICRC action aimed at clarifying and developing IHL.

The report follows up on a number of specific issues raised in a previous report on the same topic presented to the 28th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2003 and gives an overview of new or emerging issues deserving discussion. While the report was primarily written to serve as a background document for the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the ICRC hopes that its contents will be of interest to a wider readership as well.

The report can be downloaded from Reliefweb.

Kenya Crisis: The Challenge of Impartiality

The recent violence following the general election in Kenya has shocked the world and led to thousands of Kenyans displaced and divided along ethnic lines. Whilst the media spotlight has turned towards the politics of the crisis, the humanitarian impact of the ongoing violence is huge, with hundreds of thousands of Kenyans in the affected provinces still badly in need of assistance.

The need for neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance is paramount and the Kenya Red Cross, supported by the ICRC, was the first agency to respond to the crisis. They are the lead agency for the response in Kenya and Kenya Red Cross' staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly since the beginning of the violence to reach those affected.

With the politics of the crisis being so keenly examined, so are the tribal tensions that have surfaced as a result of the crisis. Stories of people being attacked and killed due to their tribal affiliations have been widely reported and the violence has led to mass displacement along ethnic lines. Due to the highly charged nature of the crisis, criticism regarding the aid response was inevitable. I have read some blogs where people have expressed views that perhaps agencies, including the Red Cross, have been partial in their response: favouring certain groups of Kenyans over others. Evidence to support these views has not been produced and the majority of Kenyans are overwhelmingly in support of the work of the Red Cross.

So how does the Red Cross maintain impartiality in such a polarised crisis? All Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies are guided by the seven fundamental principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. The current Red Cross response in Kenya is a fantastic example of a National Society delivering impartial aid in a highly complex and political crisis.

Kenya Red Cross has worked very hard to ensure the response to the current post election violence in Kenya is not along ethnic lines. As a result of this neutral and impartial mandate, Kenya Red Cross is respected by the Kenyan people and has access to many parts of the country to provide much needed assistance to people caught up in the violence. Kenya Red Cross staff and volunteers are made up of a cross section of the Kenyan society, and is representative of all peoples living in Kenya.

There are very real difficulties for a national Red Cross of working in a context of internal violence and the Kenya Red Cross has taken various measures to ensure that their assistance to the affected people is not partial. Assessments are based on needs and not tribal affiliations. Kenya Red Cross has moved staff and volunteers around the country to work in the Rift Valley to avoid tribal tensions, ensure impartiality and to avoid staff and volunteers being exposed to possible violence due to tribal affiliation.

The Kenya Red Cross is working with the support of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) who assists Kenya Red Cross with both assessing needs and with the provision of support in line with the seven fundamental principles. Kenya Red Cross is a strong organisation which has trained staff and volunteers all over the country ready to respond.

With the support of the ICRC, Kenya Red Cross responded immediately to the needs of those affected by the violence and together they ensure needs are accurately assessed and that aid reaches all the affected regions.

For further information on the work of the Kenya Red Cross please visit the Kenya Red Cross website.

Independent: Conflict Zones

Today's Independent contains a special Conflict Zones pullout, timed to coincide with the Dispatches from Disasters Zones event that we're hosting at the Foreign Press Association today.

The eight-page pullout, produced in association with the ICRC, includes coverage of Red Cross work in Afghanistan, Somalia, Colombia and Israel and the Occupied Territories, as well as a piece on our refugee services in the UK. There is a special editorial headlined 'The need for an organisation as sure-footed as the Red Cross is now greater than ever'.