ICRC in 2018 OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ASSISTING CIVILIANS ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER

The ICRC is an independent, neutral We support the population of region, helping to mitigate the consequences organization ensuring humani- of hostilities felt by civilians living along the international border. tarian protection and assistance for We help village population find alternative meters, public taps, pipelines, concrete victims of armed conflict and other income opportunities to farming in insecure manholes and other technical components. situations of violence. Since 1992, areas along the border. Since 2016, we Since 2015, with our partner Armenian Red the ICRC has been present in the launched targeted assistance to most Cross Society (ARCS), we have raised region in relation to the Nagorno- vulnerable households in , community awareness on safe behavior and Karabakh conflict. Through its and communities, where danger of mines and unexploded devices, socio-economic situations are particularly delegations in Yerevan and Baku and organized training in first aid. In 2018, challenging. As a result, 145 most vulnerable and the mission in Nagorno- with instructors of the ARCS, we organized families received financial assistance to start Karabakh, the ICRC acts as a neutral first-aid courses, provided life-saving skills small-scale businesses, following the intermediary between the parties and first aid boxes to around 200 members detailed household economic survey of civil protection rescue teams, in the scope to the conflict to address issues of conducted together with local Red Cross of the two-year cooperation program primary humanitarian concern. volunteers. Additionally, we provided between the Ministry of Emergency multipurpose cash assistance to 50 Situations of Armenia, the ARCS and the In Armenia, we focus on civilians extremely vulnerable families who were ICRC. living along the international unable to start business activities because of border, missing persons and their their age, health condition or other With the increased security risks in Tavush families, mine victims and people circumstances. In such cases, we work to region, we supported 14 communities to set build multilateral support from within the up passive protective measures, which deprived of their liberty. In addition, community, local authorities and reduced direct exposure of civilians to we promote the dissemination and organizations to accompany our effort in shooting and shrapnel, enabling the implementation of the finding sustainable solutions to their community to live, work and move outdoors International Humanitarian Law problems. In 2019, we will start working in in relative safety. In 2018, we continued to (IHL) among national authorities, . construct safer spaces, wall-in exposed windows, and build protective walls for academics and military personnel. For the last eight years, we have helped the kindergartens, schools Our key partner in Armenia is the border communities to increase the quality and other public buildings, Armenian Red Cross Society with and quantity of water by improving the part of which were done whom we coordinate activities condition of infrastructure. In 2018, we thanks to a partnership aimed at assisting people affected supported , , Koti and with the ARCS and the Aygepar through construction of a by the conflict. German Red Cross. pumping station and a water intake, installation of plastic reservoirs, water

Overview ՝ CLARIFYING THE FATE OF THE MISSING

We support efforts of the sides to the conflict to determine the fate of the missing and to bring answers to their families.

Since 1992, we have been working on the ethnic origin registered by its delegations issue of missing people and the plight of in Baku and Yerevan and the mission in their families. Under International Nagorno-Karabakh. This list is a necessary Humanitarian Law (IHL), parties to a tool to help consolidate information and conflict must do all possible to clarify the intensify their efforts towards bringing fate and whereabouts of people who answers to the families. went missing. In line with its mandate, the During 2014-2018, we have been ICRC offers expertise acting as a neutral collecting biological reference samples in intermediary. Through our delegations in the form of buccal swabs from blood Yerevan and Baku and our mission in relatives of the missing. In the future, this Nagorno-Karabakh, we work closely with who might have died during the conflict, data can serve as a complementary tool in Commissions on Prisoners of War, with a view to their future possible identification of human remains when Hostages and Missing People and with recovery and identification. We advise they are discovered or exhumed. Until families of missing persons. members of the working group of the now, in Armenia we have collected Armenian Commission on techniques and Clarification of the fate is a complex samples from 1122 blood relatives of 344 resources to gather and process process which comprises several missing persons. We work on this in information from witnesses, and to components. We gathered detailed data cooperation with the ARCS and jointly identify inhumation sites. We support the on each registered missing person from with the Ministry of Defense and the authorities concerned in terms of the family and handed it over for further Armenian Scientific-Practical Centre of technical equipment and advice for processing to the Commissions. In 2015, Forensic Medicine. fieldwork. the ICRC provided the parties to the We also encourage the parties to the conflict an updated list containing around conflict to map and protect burial sites 4,500 names of the missing people of all believed to contain the remains of people

SUPPORTING FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS

We provide multidisciplinary support to families of the missing, by helping them become financially stable or navigate the legal system, and by offering psychosocial assistance.

In their daily lives, many of families of the Cross and other local partners. As part of missing face different economic, social, it, regular group meetings were organized legal and other challenges. Most of all, for the families to address their health, they continue to search for answers, fight social, legal and other issues with for recognition, and talk about their specialists and to have a chance for peer missing relative, not letting him or her interaction. We accompanied families disappear completely in ambiguity and through the long period of uncertainty, as silence. they waited for news about the fate of their missing relative. We organized commemoration events, tree planting and marking the International Day of the Disappeared, to address families’ strong have carried out a housing assistance desire for public acknowledgement of project for vulnerable households in their plight, their need for recognition and cooperation with the Fuller Center for need to remember. These were designed Housing Armenia. Through a revolving to help them find meaning in their loss, fund, 117 selected families received and reaffirm that the family did not interest-free loans and significantly abandon their loved one, while keeping improved their housing conditions. From the memory alive. Since 2011, in the framework of the 2012 - 2018, we have implemented 141 seven-year Accompaniment program, we Economic support to families of the income support projects and provided 88 provided comprehensive support in missing goes hand-in-hand with multipurpose grants to the families of the collaboration with the Armenian Red psychosocial assistance. Since 2011, we missing.

2 ՝ Overview ASSISTING MINE VICTIMS

We help mine victims in Armenia to deal with their wide-ranging challenges.

We provide support to mine victims and Cross and the Armenian Center for Also in 2018, we provided grants to help their families throughout Armenia, to help Humanitarian Demining and Expertise. In 37 families of mine victims launch income- them deal with their multiple economic, conjunction with the Fuller Center for generating activities, 3 families to cover legal, administrative and physical Housing in Armenia, in 2018 we provided interest on business micro-credits and 2 challenges. We address their issues 22 interest-free loans for families of mine highly vulnerable families to meet the working jointly with the Armenian Red victims to renovate their houses. most pressing needs.

ACTING AS A NEUTRAL INTERMEDIARY

We work to protect and assist people across the lines.

Being neutral and impartial, the ICRC is in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh capable of offering its humanitarian conflict. We help to ensure that they are assistance in conflict situations and to able to maintain contact with their affected people, including prisoners of families and we facilitate their transfer war and civilian internees. Based on its and repatriation on both sides of the mandate enshrined in the Geneva international border and the Line of Conventions, the ICRC has special Contact. prerogatives to access and assist these The ICRC also monitors and documents persons in times of armed conflicts. At the alleged violations of International same time, this role does not involve Humanitarian Law (IHL). These violations negotiating the release of detainees of all highlighting their IHL commitments to include incidents such as the killing or sides of conflicts and may only be enacted distinguish between military and civilian wounding of civilians, or significant at the request of the concerned parties. targets, and applying proportional use of property damages. To address such cases, force according to military necessity. Since 1992, we have visited prisoners of the ICRC maintains its confidential war and civilians deprived of their liberty dialogue with the parties to the conflict,

PROMOTING IHL LEARNING AND NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION

We encourage efforts of state authorities to integrate IHL in the national legal framework and promote the knowledge among Armenian specialists and armed forces.

We continue to keep contemporary issues supported the participation of of IHL integration on the agenda and offer representatives of the Armenian Armed relevant authorities our expertise and Forces in training and exchange on the technical assistance to promote national regional and international level. One implementation. Representatives of the senior officer from the General Staff Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs updated his knowledge of IHL at the attended the St. Petersburg International International Institute of Humanitarian Conference dedicated to 150th Law in San Remo, Italy. Anniversary of St. Petersburg Declaration. We encouraged research and learning of We continued the dialogue with the IHL among young scholars. In 2018, we A two-year memorandum of working group tasked with reforming the expanded the scope of our summer understanding was signed with the Media Criminal Code to harmonize it with IHL course and launched the first Regional Initiatives Center NGO (MIC). We agreed standards and requirements. Summer School on IHL in cooperation with to work jointly towards raising interest in the American University of Armenia. We We introduced the rules of IHL to and understanding of key humanitarian also partnered with other academic members of the Armenian Armed Forces, issues among Armenian media institutions in Armenia such as the cooperating with the Ministry of Defense professionals, and by this support the Yerevan State, French and Russian- in the scope of the joint annual plan. We development of their professional Armenian universities. In November- trained and briefed around 390 military capacities. We took part in the MIC’s December, we organized the national instructors, commanders and deputy annual media conference and supported moot court competition and supported commanders of border units as well as the organization of the media contest that the 11th edition of the IHL International troops departing for peace support followed. Conference for Young Researchers in missions abroad. In addition, we ran four Yerevan, thus engaging students and sessions on ICRC mandate and IHL basics practitioners from Armenia and across the to troops stationed along the world. international border in Tavush region. We

Overview 3 VISITING PERSONS DEPRIVED OF THEIR LIBERTY

We visit detainees to monitor Understanding signed in 1996 with the support, and detainees with individual conditions of their detention and their ministries of Interior and National health needs. Security, and the Prosecutor General of treatment, and to help them maintain In 2018, we made 20 visits to 10 detention the Republic of Armenia. The document contact with their families. places in Armenia. The Government of authorized the ICRC to visit all persons Armenia approved a bill enabling held in all places of detention in the Based on its mission and the right to Armenian and foreign detainees without country. With time, as the penitentiary humanitarian initiative to protect and possibility of short family visits to contact service was transferred to the Ministry of assist the victims of situations not their families via a video call service. The Justice, the Government of Armenia amounting to armed conflict, established ICRC provided technical support and renewed the Memorandum in 2001. by the Statutes of the International Red guidance to the Ministry of Justice to Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the We cooperate closely with the Ministry of implement the government bill. A working ICRC takes action whenever it can to Justice, the Criminal Executive group was established with the Ministry. improve the treatment and conditions of Department, prisons’ administration and We supported the implementation of the people deprived of their liberty. In other related structures in Armenia. Our video call service project through Armenia, we work in internal detention to internal detention activities focus on visits donation of 13 computers and necessary support people held in civilian places of to and follow-up with vulnerable IT accessories to all places of detention detention, whose detention is not related categories of detainees, including those and the central penitentiary hospital. This to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. ICRC sentenced to life imprisonment, year, the project was piloted in selected work in Armenian detention places is foreigners who lack family contact and places. based on a Memorandum of

PARTNERING WITH THE ARMENIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY to promote the image and reputation of For more than 20 years, the ARCS has the Red Cross in Armenia by means of been our primary partner in Armenia. regular dissemination sessions run by the The ARCS is our key partner in Armenia ARCS in schools and other educational and a member of the International Red institutions across the country. Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Many Together with Danish Red Cross, we long-term cooperation programs were continued supporting the ARCS in jointly developed to support people and strengthening its branches in Tavush, communities affected by the Nagorno- Syunik and Gegharkunik regions and, Karabakh conflict. These programs have starting from October, also in Vayots Dzor. three dimensions aimed at working together, learning from each other and With funds provided by the German Red preparing jointly for emergencies. Cross, the partners constructed two safer rooms, a safe playground and a protective The ICRC and the ARCS continued to In 2018, with our support, the ARCS wall for children in schools and cooperate with the Ministry of Emergency organized activities in different regions of kindergartens of , Berdavan and Situations of Armenia on strengthening Armenia to assist families of missing villages of Tavush the knowledge of and capacity in first aid, people. These included commemoration region. dead body management and IHL among and cultural events, and visits of Red Cross Civil Protection Rescue Service teams The ICRC and ARCS worked together on volunteers to vulnerable elderly relatives deployed in 11 villages of Tavush region. strengthening the medical emergency of the missing. The ICRC and the ARCS The ARCS instructors organized first-aid response chain through recruitment and worked together to collect biological courses and a competition for around 200 training of volunteers from border reference samples from blood relatives of members of these teams. missing people in Armenia. communities of Tavush in administering first aid during emergencies. In addition, In addition, eight ARCS instructors were We continued to help the ARCS 55 civilians from these communities briefed by the ICRC on the management of strengthen its capacity in areas of tested their knowledge in a first-aid dead in emergencies, and they passed this communication, tracing service, response competition organized by the partners. knowledge on to the members of the Civil to conflict, provision of first aid and Protection Rescue Teams. psychosocial assistance. We work jointly

Mission We help people around the world affected by armed conflict and other situations of violence, doing everything we can to protect their dignity and relieve their suffering, often with our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners. We also seek to prevent hardship by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and championing universal humanitarian principles. People know they can count on us to carry out a range of life-saving activities in conflict zones and to work closely with the communities there to understand and meet their needs. Our experience and expertise enable us to respond quickly, effectively and without taking sides.

ICRC Delegation in Armenia I Address: 73/1 Nairi Zarian St., 0014 Yerevan I Tel: +374 10 29 74 15 I E-mail: [email protected] I facebook.com/ICRCam/