REPORT

ON THE INTEGRATED APPEAL OF

THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT

IN RESPONSE TO THE

1999 BALKANS CRISIS

ICRC/International Federation Steering Group

Geneva, November 2000 Table of contents

List of abbreviations

Preamble ...... I

Part A - From the Kosovo conflict to the Balkans crisis ...... 1

I. Two conflicts ...... 1

II. Humanitarian consequences ...... 1 a) The exodus ...... 1 b) The air campaign ...... 2 c) Returnees ...... 2 d) Displaced Serbs and Roma ...... 3

II. The humanitarian response ...... 3 a) Characteristics ...... 3 b) Militarization of assistance ...... 4 c) Bilateralization of assistance ...... 4 d) Limitations of state-led humanitarian action ...... 4

Part B - The approach of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement ...... 6

I. Constitutive elements ...... 6 a) Coordination of the Movement’s components ...... 6 b) Regional presence ...... 6 c) The added value ...... 6

II. The structure ...... 6 a) The scope of integration ...... 6 b) The integrated functions ...... 7 c) The bodies ...... 7

III. Rationale behind the approach: Internal RC coordination ...... 8 a) The Lead Agency ...... 8 b) Field structures ...... 8 c) Coordination of PNS ...... 9 d) ONS coordination ...... 9

IV. Rationale behind the approach: External coordination and relations ...... 10 a) The Movement and UN agencies ...... 10 b) The Movement and the military ...... 10 c) The Movement and donors ...... 11

Part C - Operational activities ...... 13

I. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ...... 13 a) Background ...... 13 b) Protection ...... 13 c) Relief and health activities ...... 14 d) Support to the National Society ...... 17 II. Albania ...... 17 a) Background ...... 17 b) Protection ...... 18 c) Relief and health activities ...... 18 d) Support to the National Society ...... 20

III. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia ...... 20 a) Background ...... 20 b) Protection ...... 21 c) Relief and health activities ...... 21 d) Support to the National Society ...... 23

IV. Bosnia-Herzegovina ...... 23

Part D - Conclusions ...... 25

Annex 1 - Graphs and charts

Entries into stock - relief goods ...... 27 Graphs and charts - Kosovo ...... 28 Graphs and charts - Serbia and Montenegro ...... 29 Graphs and charts - Albania ...... 30 Graphs and charts - FYR of Macedonia ...... 31

Annex 2 - Other National Society projects

Kosovo ...... 33 Serbia and Montenegro ...... 34 Albania ...... 34 FYR of Macedonia ...... 35

Annex 3 - Maps

Presence of the ICRC and the International Federation ...... 37 Delegated Projects - Kosovo ...... 38 Delegated Projects - Serbia and Montenegro ...... 39 Emergency Response Units - Albania ...... 40 Emergency Response - Macedonia ...... 41 Other National Society Projects - Kosovo ...... 42 Other National Society Projects - Serbia and Montenegro...... 43 Other National Society Projects - Albania...... 44 Other National Society Projects - Macedonia ...... 45

Annex 4 - Reference material

Reference material ...... 47 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ARC Albanian Red Cross

BiH Bosnia-Herzegovina

FR of Yugoslavia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

FYR of Macedonia Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

IDPs Internally Displaced Persons

International Federation International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

KFOR Kosovo Force

LRC Local Red Cross

MRC Red Cross Society of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

ONS Operating National Societies

PNS Participating National Societies

RC/RC Red Cross/Red Crescent

RCMs Red Cross Messages

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

WFP World Food Programme

YRC Yugoslav Red Cross ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Preamble

With the 1999 Balkans crisis, humanitarian organizations faced one of their greatest challenges for dec- ades, both in terms of operations and policy. Its magnitude, with more than one million individuals driven from their homes in tragic circumstances, and the speed with which it unfolded, stretched the capabilities of the humanitarian community to the limit. The direct involvement of NATO in a conflict, on what were de- clared to be humanitarian grounds, and the alliance’s participation in the international relief effort, prompted partly by the intense media coverage the refugee crisis received, contributed to the extreme politicization of the environment in which traditional humanitarian players were to operate.

This report describes the innovative approach taken by the ICRC and the International Federation to enable the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to rise to the challenges posed by these excep- tional events. It describes in detail the “added value” offered by the Red Cross operations, accounts for the decisions taken and outlines the various programmes implemented.

The chief ambition of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement throughout the crisis was to be in a position to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to all victims, whoever and wherever they were. As stated in the initial appeal launched on 7 April 1999, this included not only bringing aid to the hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanians driven from their homes and enabling them to restore contact with their relatives, but also addressing the plight of the population of Serbia and Montenegro affected by the air strikes and of prisoners of war held by either side. The Movement also provided assistance for the inhabitants of Albania and of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR of Macedonia), who were affected by the Kosovo conflict.

The Movement’s objectives were ambitious. Overall, its appeal for funds amounted to 325 million Swiss francs. Achievement of those objectives depended on three elements.

The first was the ability to work in all the countries affected by the crisis so as to develop a high degree of proximity to the people affected. The Movement, thanks to its strictly neutral and impartial approach and the systematic dialogue it maintained with all the parties involved, won recognition of the need to preserve a space for an independent humanitarian response, and was able to conduct its activities both inside and outside the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FR of Yugoslavia)– a unique achievement in the context.

Despite all its efforts, the Movement was not able to maintain a presence in Kosovo between late March and late May 1999. This absence was a painful exception, as the rights of civilians as set out in the Geneva Conventions were routinely and flagrantly violated during that period. Red Cross operations resumed in the province on 24 May, three weeks before the conflict ended.

The second element was the capacity to mobilize all the Movement’s components and to achieve efficient coordination in the use of its resources. Coordination with intergovernmental and non-governmental hu- manitarian organizations was also primordial. In view of the scale of the crisis, it was only by relying on the extraordinary potential of the worldwide network of 176 National Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies and by drawing on the strengths of the Movement that needs could be met.

The response of National Societies, under the leadership of the ICRC and the International Federation, was truly exceptional. Mobilizing their domestic constituencies, participating National Societies (PNS) rapidly shipped vast quantities of relief supplies to the field, thus helping to meet the urgent needs of refugees during the most acute phase. Many PNS also conducted activities at field level, whether in Albania, the FYR of Macedonia, Kosovo or Serbia. This commitment to alleviating the plight of the people affected by the crisis was not limited to traditional PNS; many new donor National Societies emerged. The ambitions of the Movement would have been quite different without the contribution of the National Societies of the countries directly concerned by the crisis. The role played by these operating National Societies (ONS) was critical. It was thanks to their extensive local networks that beneficiaries could be reached and that the Movement could work in proximity to the victims.

Thirdly, the close cooperation established between the different components of the Movement created a strong, independent humanitarian force and called for the adoption of new coordination procedures. An integrated model, whose implementation went beyond mere application of the Seville Agreement, was

- I - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis formulated at the outset. This model was not based on some preordained plan drawn up by the ICRC and the International Federation; the details had to be worked out as operations progressed. During this process a great deal was learned about ways of achieving effective and efficient coordination of the Movement’s activities. Much still remains to be learned today.

- II - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

PART A

From the Kosovo conflict to the Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

From the Kosovo conflict to the Balkans crisis

Many tragedies unfolded in the Balkans during the cure a political solution for the province. It was widely 1990s, with incalculable consequences in humani- assumed by NATO states that this aim would be rap- tarian terms. Yet the crisis that hit this region in 1999 idly attained and that only a limited military campaign came as a major shock. Its intensity and scope, the would be required. However, events took a different speed with which events occurred, had a devastat- turn as Yugoslav and Serbian security forces stepped ing effect on the Balkans and beyond. This crisis was up their operations in Kosovo in response to NATO’s unique in many ways, not least in its dimension and air campaign. complexity. Violence flared in Kosovo in the absence of any in- ternational presence. The KVM had already left the I. Two conflicts province when NATO’s decision to take military ac- tion was announced. In view of the acute deteriora- The 1999 Balkans crisis was unique because it com- tion of the security situation following this announce- bined two conflicts, one of an internal and the other ment, all humanitarian and human rights institutions of an international nature, and the two became in- had to rapidly withdraw their staff too. The Interna- creasingly intertwined. tional Federation shut its office in Pristina on 23 March and the ICRC followed suit on 29 March. The Violence between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) plight of the civilian population was critical, evidenced and the Serbian security forces flared in the first part by the tales of the first refugees reaching neighbour- of 1998, claiming hundreds of lives and prompting ing countries, as well as by the sheer magnitude of population movements, mostly within Kosovo proper, the population movement. but also towards Montenegro and Albania. Intense efforts on the part of the international community to broker a political settlement to this dispute brought II. Humanitarian consequences the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the brink of military confrontation with the FR of Yugo- This combination of conflicts suddenly propelled the slavia in October of that year. The agreement then Balkans into a new crisis, quite distinct and unprec- reached between US special envoy Richard edented in nature and scope. The air campaign Holbrooke and Yugoslav President Slobodan against the FR of Yugoslavia and the operations Milosevic paved the way for the presence of a 2,000 carried out by the Serbian armed and security forces strong Verification Mission in Kosovo (KVM) under drove close to a million people from their homes. In the aegis of the OSCE. Hopes for a solution were fact, the crisis was as sudden as it was massive and rapidly dashed as even this presence failed to curb very rapidly reached tragic proportions in humani- violence. In fact, by late 1998/early 1999 the situa- tarian terms. There has been no exodus of such in- tion had taken a turn for the worse, with renewed tensity and speed in Europe since the end of the offensives from the KLA and Yugoslav forces, and Second World War, even if in terms of magnitude violence against civilians escalating again. similar population movements have occurred on other continents. Confronted with this situation, the six-nation Con- tact Group on the former Yugoslavia orchestrated a) The exodus peace talks at Rambouillet, starting in early Febru- ary 1999, between a delegation from the Federal Within six weeks, over 400,000 refugees poured into Republic of Yugoslavia and representatives of the Albania, a poor country with limited infrastructure and Kosovo Albanians. The peace plan worked out by resources. The number of refugees reaching the FYR the Western nations (France, UK and US) and sub- of Macedonia rapidly surged to over 300,000, add- mitted to the two parties was ultimately endorsed by ing an undue burden to an already economically frag- the Kosovo Albanians. The Belgrade authorities, ile and ethnically unstable country. The attention of however, rejected its terms. the international community was drawn to the refu- gee crisis in the Kukes area of Albania, where a refu- The situation rapidly deteriorated following this re- gee population of more than 100,000 was experi- fusal and precipitated the decision of Javier Solana, encing precarious living conditions. The plight of NATO Secretary-general, to authorize air operations numerous refugees stranded in a no man’s land be- against targets in the FR of Yugoslavia. These op- tween the Yugoslav and Macedonian borders also erations began on 24 March 1999. The stated ob- caught public eye. Lack of adequate shelter was an jectives of this air campaign were to halt the violence underlying problem in both countries, chiefly solved against the civilian population in Kosovo and to se- by the generosity of Albanian and Macedonian fami-

- 1 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis lies who hosted a significant proportion of the refu- days, the range of targets was gradually widened. gees. Initially limited to anti-aircraft defence batteries, the campaign progressively sought to weaken the Yu- The population movement did not only affect Alba- goslav military/police apparatus and capabilities. It nia and the FYR of Macedonia. Some 65,000 Kosovo involved direct attacks not only against army instal- Albanians left for Bosnia-Herzegovina, joining an lations but also against the infrastructure in support existing caseload of approximately 10,000 refugees of the military effort, including bridges, communica- who had sought shelter in this country in 1998. More tion facilities, refineries and oil stocks, factories as than 60,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) well as industrial installations and power stations. went to, or transited via, the Republic of Montenegro. During the first week or so of air strikes the number Accommodating and feeding these refugees and of civilian victims was low. As the air campaign in- IDPs from Kosovo, providing them with basic health tensified and widened, the number of casualties rose. and sanitation facilities, were top priorities for the Medical structures and first-aid posts reported the humanitarian community during the first months of need for significant amounts of surgical assistance the crisis. Despite all the efforts, the living conditions and essential drugs. Civilians were living in increas- for many displaced people and refugees remained ingly difficult conditions. The fear of the air opera- difficult. Needs arising from the population movement tions and nights spent in air-raid shelters added to were not only of a material nature. Tens of thousands their hardship as did the destruction of vital facilities were separated from their families and relatives dur- such as water, electricity and medical structures. ing the exodus. Vulnerable people, such as children, Damage to industrial installations deprived hundreds elderly, or disabled were particularly affected. Assist- of thousands of civilians of their livelihood. ing refugees in tracing lost parents or children, giv- ing these people the opportunity to restore contacts, This situation had a marked impact on the Yugoslav was, therefore, also imperative. society and population. It was particularly hard on the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, sick, If the plight of the refugees and displaced who left disabled, women and children, the displaced or refu- Kosovo was known to all and their needs at least gees, all of whom required particular attention. Needs partly answered, the fate of those who remained in for medical and health assistance, for restoration or the province was a major concern. There was enough temporary replacement of water and electricity sup- indication to be fearful for the well-being of the tens ply, for food and non-food relief and for psycho-so- of thousands of people scattered around Kosovo, cial support were particularly significant. unable or unwilling to leave for a safer location. Hid- ing from the security forces, many of these persons c) Returnees lived in the open, without shelter. The end of hostilities, marked by the signature of The fact that humanitarian organizations were un- the Military Technical Agreement on 9 June and the able to be present and active in the province from withdrawal of the Yugoslav forces from Kosovo, radi- the end of March until late May had obvious, dra- cally altered the situation. The vast majority of Alba- matic implications for the population. Efforts were nians spontaneously returned to Kosovo. Despite the nonetheless made to alleviate its plight. Humanitar- risks involved, in particular the threat posed by ian operations were undertaken from the air, in terms landmines and unexploded ordnances, hundreds of of food and non-food assistance, but the limits in- thousands of Kosovo Albanians opted to deal with herent in such operations meant that needs were the tensions and hardship in their communities of only marginally answered. In addition, these opera- origin rather than remain in exile. Kosovo Albanians tions were restricted to the delivery of relief assist- returned to a war-ravaged province. According to the ance. The protection question was not addressed UNHCR second “Kosovo Rapid Village Assessment” by these efforts. Securing renewed access was a released at the end of July 1999, approximately major concern and priority for many humanitarian 76,000 homes (40%) in the villages visited had been organizations, as it was the only way the situation completely destroyed, and only twenty-five per cent on the ground could be improved. were still intact. b) The air campaign A large number of humanitarian organizations in- volved in providing assistance to the refugees in Al- NATO air strikes against the FR of Yugoslavia had a bania and FYR of Macedonia, taking stock of the significant impact in humanitarian terms. The air cam- new situation, opted to redeploy their activities in- paign, which began on 24 March and ended with the side Kosovo. In addition to the long-term needs of conclusion of the Military Technical Agreement on 9 returnees and vulnerable members of society for June, went through various phases. During these 78 accommodation, food and non-food assistance, the

- 2 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis situation in the province raised concerns about the nia. Such a mass movement of population had not ability of key social and medical institutions to pro- been anticipated by either the humanitarian or politi- vide effective services during a transition period. cal community, and mobilization of a special kind was Material support to these institutions, rehabilitation required. programmes and staff training/motivation pro- grammes were essential in such an environment. Humanitarian agencies sought to meet needs, but were rapidly overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis. The concerns of the returnees were not limited to Lack of preparedness was partly due to the hope for material needs. They included anxiety as to the fate a successful outcome at Rambouillet. The aid com- of Kosovo Albanians detained in Serbia as well as to munity, it is fair to say, was not alone in sharing these the fate of those who remained unaccounted for. expectations. In addition, putting contingency stocks in place for more than half a million refugees without d) Displaced Serbs and Roma sending a political signal would not have been pos- sible and would otherwise have been too risky fi- Other events following the cessation of hostilities had nancially for many institutions. significant consequences in humanitarian terms. Despite the deployment of the NATO-led international The scale and scope of the humanitarian response security force (better known as KFOR) in Kosovo, a was also shaped by the intense media coverage the security vacuum, characterized by numerous acts crisis received. Confirming the trend that had already of reprisal and violence against Serbs, Montenegrins surfaced during the Bosnian war, the Kosovo con- and Roma, occurred. The climate of violence flict showed that a humanitarian tragedy unfolding prompted more than 200,000 persons to leave on European soil is likely to attract much more at- Kosovo for Serbia and Montenegro. tention than similar events in Africa or Asia. Western citizens were alerted to the plight of the civilian However, both Serbia and Montenegro could ill af- populations in the Balkans and fully mobilized. Count- ford this additional influx of needy people. Living less private initiatives in favour of the refugees were conditions were already precarious. Large sectors taken and pressure on domestic authorities grew. of the population were vulnerable not only as a re- sult of the recent war, but also because of the gen- The proximity of the crisis to the Western world not eral economic decline resulting from ten years of only attracted intense media coverage, but also made conflict in the region and the imposition of trade sanc- the possibility of a large inflow of refugees into the tions against Yugoslavia since 1992. The country rest of Europe a real possibility. Large-scale popula- already had to care for 500,000 long-term refugees tion movements from south-east Europe particularly who had fled hostilities in Croatia and Bosnia- concerned the countries that had shown solidarity Herzegovina and still relied on assistance. by accepting large numbers of refugees during pre- vious Balkans crises.

III. The humanitarian response The form taken by the relief operation was also shaped by the need for the governments of NATO a) Characteristics states to secure the support of the media and of pub- lic opinion. The legitimacy of the air campaign re- The energy deployed by the international commu- sided on ethical grounds. Military action was nity to respond to the humanitarian crisis resulting launched with the declared objective of putting an from the Balkans conflict was truly exceptional. end to ethnic violence in Kosovo. Yet the opposite Maybe never before had so many resources been happened - retaliation against Kosovo Albanians engaged in a single relief operation. The action was reached new heights as the campaign got underway. also probably as unconventional, in humanitarian To overcome this apparent contradiction, NATO terms, as it was massive. The militarization of hu- forces wanted to be seen to be addressing the needs manitarian assistance went further than anything of the refugees. experienced in Bosnia-Herzegovina or in any other context. The operations were also characterized by The active involvement of NATO forces in the provi- a strong, direct involvement by donor governments sion of assistance to refugees is explained not only on a bilateral basis. by a concern for public opinion. The mass popula- tion movements might have hindered, if not jeop- Different factors account for this unprecedented re- ardized, military operations. A ground campaign was sponse. First and foremost was the scale and sud- still a possibility and the refugee flow had, as far as denness of the crisis. The main priority, in its early possible, to be kept under control. stages, was to respond to the needs of the refugees who had crossed into Albania and FYR of Macedo-

- 3 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis b) Militarization of assistance manitarian organizations often did not offer sufficient media visibility. Hence, when several states ordered The militarization of humanitarian assistance went, their national armies to take part in the relief efforts, within the framework of the Kosovo crisis, far be- others sent in their civil defence corps. Many of these yond anything experienced in Bosnia-Herzegovina. units were involved in the construction of refugee Two major elements differentiate these situations. camps, in Albania and in FYR of Macedonia. Once Firstly, the United Nations Protection Force these camps had been set-up, their management (UNPROFOR), in the case of Bosnia, did not itself was transferred to national NGOs or other national undertake humanitarian action - it only facilitated its institutions. Aid for numerous other projects in the implementation. Secondly, UNPROFOR was not field of relief followed the same channels. party to a major international conflict - NATO was. NATO humanitarian activities were developed in both d) Limitations of state-led humanitarian action Albania, within the framework of project Allied Harbor, and in the FYR of Macedonia. The Alliance made State-led humanitarian action, by involving national some of its vast logistic resources available to hu- armed forces or other domestic corps/institutions, can manitarian agencies to transport relief and equipment gather enormous resources but also has severe limi- into the region more rapidly. It also set up refugee tations. It cannot ensure that equal attention will be camps, whose management it subsequently en- paid to the fate of all victims. In the case of the 1999 trusted to UN agencies or non-governmental organi- Balkans crisis, this disequilibrium was apparent from zations. Finally, NATO personnel also became in- March to June and during the post-hostilities phase. volved in attempts to reunite families and in several While no efforts were spared to cater for the needs forms of relief provision. of the refugees, to facilitate their return to Kosovo and to rehabilitate the structure of the province, less Relief organizations were concerned that the role emphasis was placed on addressing the needs aris- played by NATO in the relief efforts would blur the ing in Serbia. distinction between military and humanitarian play- ers. They were concerned that the necessary impar- This was partly because the states and their agents tiality and neutrality of humanitarian assistance would were involved both in a conflict and in the provision be endangered, and the ability of relief agencies to of relief and partly because they lacked the neces- assist all victims on all sides weakened. Nonethe- sary degree of impartiality. Furthermore, access to less, a large number of humanitarian institutions all those in need cannot be secured within the frame- judged that cooperation with NATO in the short term work of a state-led humanitarian action. Only strictly was necessary. This was, for many, the only way the neutral actors can hope to be granted such access. refugees could avoid extreme hardship. Such considerations apply to relief and protection c) Bilateralization of assistance activities. In fact, in the case of protection, close prox- imity to the victims is required as well as the ability The importance that the crisis assumed in many to maintain a dialogue with all parties. Only an insti- countries, notably in the Western world, resulted in tution that remains an acceptable interlocutor can a partial bilateralization of humanitarian action. West- obtain access to prisoners of war, can reunite fami- ern states needed and wanted to be seen to be ac- lies dispersed over borders and engage in a con- tively alleviating the plight of the refugees. Finan- structive dialogue with the authorities to change pat- cially contributing to the actions of international hu- terns of behaviour when violations occur.

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PART B

The approach of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

The approach of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement

The appeal of the Red Cross and Red Crescent maintain such a presence throughout the crisis was Movement in response to the situation in the Bal- essential in being able to reunite families dispersed kans, for the period April through December 1999 in different countries by the crisis, in securing ac- amounted to Sfr 325.48 million, of which Sfr 182.48 cess to prisoners on all sides through ICRC delegates million was in cash. Based on an ambitious opera- and in providing protection and assistance to vul- tional work plan, this appeal was 88% covered by nerable groups. contributions. Considerations behind a regional approach had an ethical basis as well as an operational one. The I. Constitutive elements Movement’s principle of impartiality demands that actions be taken according to needs and indicates From the very beginning, it was apparent that the that all victims on all sides deserve attention. In re- humanitarian crisis that hit the Balkans in spring 1999 lieving the suffering of individuals, it may take no had two essential characteristics: daunting propor- sides. tions and a regional dimension. In light of these ele- ments, the ICRC and the International Federation c) The added value became convinced of several facts. The Movement’s ability to be active in the entire re- a) Coordination of the Movement’s components gion, with the painful exception of Kosovo where even the ICRC was absent from 29 March until 24 Firstly, the situation called for the combined and co- May, brought a distinct added value to the relief ef- ordinated participation of all components of the Move- fort undertaken by the international community in the ment. This was made evident by the scale of the Balkans in 1999. This achievement was, neverthe- crisis. Only by drawing on all means and the global less, paved with difficulties. In view of the experience of the Movement, as well as by playing militarization and bilateralization of humanitarian on its strengths, could needs be met with speed and action, this presence could only be attained by strictly flexibility. adhering to the Movement’s principles of neutrality and impartiality. The confidence of all the parties to For its operations, the Movement could draw on the the conflict could only be secured by clearly dissoci- experience already gained in the region by both the ating the Movement’s activities from the different International Federation and the ICRC. Before the forms of state-driven humanitarian intervention. It crisis, the two institutions already had relatively large would have been tempting to resort to the logistical operations underway and a strong presence in the infrastructure made available by the military, but this FR of Yugoslavia and Albania. The Movement could option was considered as a short-term solution that also count on the commitment of National Societies would endanger the Movement’s action in the longer world-wide to alleviate the plight of all victims and term. on their capacity to mobilize resources at home, in terms of logistics, personnel or financing. Finally, the Movement could count on the resources and exten- II. The structure sive networks of the National Societies of the coun- tries directly affected by the crisis. Action could be The realization and implementation of the Move- developed benefiting from their local structures and ment’s objectives required a new approach to coor- numerous branches, throughout Albania, the FR of dination, enabling greater integration of its various Yugoslavia and FYR of Macedonia. components in terms of policy and operations. This integrated model, which was in full accordance with b) Regional presence the Seville Agreement on the Organization of the International Activities of the Components of the In- Secondly, the Movement needed to develop a pres- ternational Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, ence throughout the region. A regional crisis called went beyond its mere application. for a regional response. It was imperative to be ac- tive in Albania, in FYR of Macedonia and in Bosnia- a) The scope of integration Herzegovina (BiH). It was no less important to be present inside the FR of Yugoslavia, including Developing and implementing an integrated ap- Kosovo. In fact, proximity to the affected population proach was the stated ambition of the ICRC and the was a key consideration in defining the Movement’s International Federation from the onset of the crisis. approach. The Movement’s capacity to develop and Hence, a joint statement was released on 30 March

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1999, announcing that the Movement’s response to the Joint Steering Group comprised the ICRC Del- the crisis in the Balkans would be integrated. This egate General for Europe, North America and the unprecedented decision was not based on a preor- Middle East, who chaired the meetings, and the Di- dained or arranged plan worked out by the two Ge- rector for Europe of the International Federation. It neva-based institutions. The specifics of the situa- also included their respective deputies, the officers tion called for this approach, and its modalities had in charge of the concerned countries and various to be worked out as the crisis progressed. functional specialists, depending on the items on the agenda. The Steering Group made decisions by con- The integrated approach was not a merging of the sensus. programmes run by the ICRC, the International Fed- eration or the National Societies, as was sometimes The need to separate the political and strategic di- initially mistakenly construed. The various compo- mension of the Movement’s response to the Balkans nents of the Movement have different legal man- conflict on the one hand and its operational side on dates, roles and objectives, not to mention compe- the other became rapidly evident. The complexity of tencies, which proscribe such a development. In the crisis and scale of operations called for the es- addition, a hasty merging of programmes would have tablishment of a joint task force at a lower hierarchi- been both impractical and ill-advised in a period of cal level, a body that would implement the Joint Steer- crisis. The distinct corporate cultures of these insti- ing Group’s decisions and transmit them to the field tutions and the existence of separate and partially and relevant departments. This Joint Task Force was incompatible systems and procedures ruled out such also entrusted with the task of maintaining relations a development. with National Societies and other actors at opera- tional level. This body, consisting of the respective b) The integrated functions heads of region/country desks as well as representa- tives of technical and specialized units, met on an The scope of integration was limited to specific func- informal basis and made decisions by consensus. tional areas. These were identified as key in empow- Outstanding issues were submitted to the Joint Steer- ering the Movement and enabling it to maximize its ing Group. resources while permitting its components to retain the necessary degree of autonomy. These functional Unfortunately, a lack of clarity with regard to the ex- areas consisted of: act tasks and accountability structures of these two bodies hindered the integration of the management • an integrated plan of action and budget, with a functions. This fact was stressed in the conclusions common account for the channelling of contribu- of both an internal management review carried out tions; by the auditing firm Arthur Andersen and by the evalu- • unified management at the strategic level of head- ation of the Balkans operations carried out by a team quarters; of independent experts at the request of the Joint • coordinated logistics; Steering Group. • a unified approach to communication. The Joint Steering Group decided very early in the c) The bodies crisis to establish a Joint Logistics Cell. Based at ICRC headquarters, where representatives of the two The rationale behind the issuing of an integrated plan Geneva-based institutions worked in a common of action was to ensure that the activities undertaken structure on a permanent basis, this body was es- by the components of the Movement were coordi- sential to ensure success of the integrated approach. nated and complementary, and that duplications were All contributions had to be centrally coordinated for avoided. Essential to the implementation of this plan the integrated plan of action to be effectively imple- was the establishment of unified strategic manage- mented. This fact was proven early in the crisis when ment, which took the form of an ICRC/International too many goods shipped by PNS arrived in the Bal- Federation Joint Steering Group. kans without prior coordination, threatening to over- burden logistical capacities at the receiving end and This body became operative on 1 April 1999. Meet- preventing essential items from reaching the ben- ing at regular intervals, it was entrusted with the task eficiaries. The magnitude of the crisis, which could of defining the overall strategy of the Movement in have critically taxed the logistics capabilities of insti- the Balkans, of approving and presenting the tutions acting independently, the potential cost sav- appeal(s) and budget(s), of coordinating the opera- ings and the need to facilitate common reporting tions and of addressing all policy questions. It was called for the creation of such a joint structure. also in charge of high-level relations with humani- tarian and governmental/military actors, as well as The functioning of this structure was hindered by the with donors. Created at upper management level, fact that the International Federation and the ICRC

- 7 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis were using different and partially incompatible com- agency for relief activities undertaken in the FR of puter systems and procedures. The two institutions Yugoslavia. The International Federation assumed had no time at the beginning of the crisis to design, the same function in Albania and FYR of Macedo- and even less to implement, a new system, both nia, the two primary host countries for refugees. Each appropriate and compatible. Steps were taken to institution retained its lead role in all three countries remedy this situation in the second semester of 1999. in matters specifically entrusted to it under the Ge- This situation generated specific problems, notably neva Conventions and their additional Protocols or in the fields of statistical data production and report- under the Statutes of the Movement, as the Seville ing. Despite this, the Joint Logistics Cell was able to agreement does not restrict or impair the specific meet the main challenge it faced, to ensure the im- role and competencies of each component of the plementation of the integrated action plan. Movement. Accordingly, the ICRC maintained con- trol of all protection activities and the International Communication was also seen as a key element in Federation retained the responsibility for the strength- implementing an integrated approach. It was a ma- ening and institutional development of the National jor tool, both within the Movement and towards the Societies. outside, in projecting a common image and helping its various components to speak with one voice in a b) Field structures highly politicized environment. ICRC and Interna- tional Federation staff developed close cooperation The implementation of the Seville agreement and to this effect and communication delegates were the integrated approach called for greater interac- posted in the field. Press guidelines were elaborated tion between the ICRC and the International Fed- on various issues of concern to the Movement and eration at field level. shared among its components. On the operational side, bulletins on the Movement activities in the field In Albania, the set-ups of the two institutions became were issued on a quasi daily basis while updates to closely integrated. The International Federation and donors were produced at regular intervals. ICRC delegations in Tirana shared the same roof, with staff meeting daily. A single sub-delegation was established in Kukes, from where both institutions III. Rationale behind the approach: Internal Red deployed their activities in the north of the country. Cross/Red Crescent coordination An International Federation representative, working hand-in-hand with an ICRC team leader, headed this The aim of the integrated approach was to enable sub-delegation. From a functional point of view, co- the Movement to meet the challenge of coordination operation on logistics was particularly close. Although at all levels. These different levels included coordi- the International Federation was entrusted with the nation between the ICRC and the International Fed- function of lead agency, the ICRC provided the lo- eration, as well as between these institutions and gistics support for the operations from the onset of National Societies, whether participating or operat- the crisis until mid-May. An agreement was then ing. It also included relations between the Movement signed, establishing that the ICRC would continue and other actors, whether humanitarian, military, to assume most logistics responsibilities until 1 July. political or donors. From that day on until 1 August, a gradual hand over from the ICRC to the International Federation was a) The Lead Agency planned.

The principles governing the organization of the Red In FYR of Macedonia, close coordination rather than Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s international integration was the norm. Two different set-ups were relief activities are laid down in the Seville agree- maintained. Regular meetings were held between ment of November 1997. Putting this agreement into the heads of delegation and at functional/technical practice in an environment as complex as the Bal- levels to ensure that all activities were fully orches- kans was no easy task. It entailed a high degree of trated. Logistics was the exception in this case, as it discipline and respect. The integrated approach was was partially integrated using a common central meant to be the vehicle facilitating this implementa- warehouse. tion. Physical and functional integration was less pro- The Seville agreement provides for the designation nounced in FR of Yugoslavia than in both Albania of a lead agency in a given country, entrusted with and FYR of Macedonia. Cooperation between the the task of carrying out the general direction and International Federation, the Yugoslav Red Cross coordination of the Movement’s international relief (YRC) and the ICRC in the FR of Yugoslavia were activities. In accordance with the agreement’s provi- strengthened by the opening of four joint field of- sions, the ICRC was entrusted with the role of lead fices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Kraljevo. A

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Memorandum of Understanding, on the field office Early on in the crisis, several PNS developed these structure, signed in early July between the three or- activities by using military infrastructures or in close ganizations, outlined their respective roles and re- cooperation with their national armed forces. This sponsibilities and provided for mutual support and situation raised policy issues for the Movement. consultation. Close ties between a National Society and relief ac- tivities undertaken by NATO or states party to the A degree of integration was achieved in the FR of conflict could have, by association, threatened the Yugoslavia once the Movement resumed its activi- presence of the Movement in Serbia and Montenegro ties in Kosovo. The ICRC reopened its sub-delega- or prejudiced its efforts to resume activities in Kosovo. tion in Pristina in late May and this became a mis- sion in early July. In June the International Federa- As a consequence, it was imperative that PNS oper- tion reopened its own sub-delegation in the prov- ate strictly within the framework of the Integrated ince, which was housed in the same building as the Appeal and its plan of action. It was also crucial that ICRC. National Societies were given the opportunity to choose activities or projects that would offer them c) Coordination of participating National Societies sufficient visibility within this framework. Similarly, it (PNS) was essential that PNS activities on the ground oc- cur within the framework of the Integrated Appeal to Integrating the contributions of the PNS in a Move- ensure a degree of synergy between the projects ment-wide action was of paramount importance, in undertaken and because of the precarious security view of the size of needs. Their response to the Bal- situation. The Joint Steering Group endeavoured to kans crisis was truly outstanding. PNS spontaneously provide such opportunities, notably by incorporating took steps to mobilize their national constituencies a number of delegated projects within the Integrated and public opinion. They were able to send signifi- Appeal that PNS could choose from. Notwithstand- cant resources to the field without delay. Their ac- ing all its efforts, the Joint Steering Group was not tion greatly contributed to meeting the urgent needs always in a position to respond to PNS requirements of refugees, particularly during the first phases of with sufficient speed. This also explains in part why the relief effort. some National Societies developed activities on a unilateral basis, outside the Integrated Appeal. Coordinating the PNS was both a necessity and a challenge, especially as regards logistics. Shipping d) Operating National Society (ONS) coordination large amounts of relief assistance was the priority during the first phase of the crisis. The mobilization During the crisis, the PNS and Geneva-based insti- of resources in kind, notably by PNS, and their ship- tutions demonstrated their capacity to mobilize ex- ments to the countries affected was extremely rapid. tensive supplies for the refugees and the displaced Yet, available capacity at field level, in terms of flight persons. However, these components of the Move- slots, customs clearance, warehousing capacity and ment would not have been in a position to provide means of transport were limited and in danger of relief to the most vulnerable people in Albania, the becoming congested. FR of Yugoslavia and the FYR of Macedonia with speed and flexibility were it not for the National Red The need to identify and prioritize required supplies Cross Societies of the countries directly concerned. was therefore of prime importance. This was one of Owing to their logistical capacities and extensive lo- the tasks of the Joint Logistics Cell. Early on in the cal networks, they were essential for the distribution crisis, this body issued the PNS with a list, identify- of assistance for both the Movement and other hu- ing the priority relief items at any given stage of op- manitarian actors. They already had previous expe- erations as well as flight schedules. National Socie- rience of population flows and, as national actors, ties were urged to work within this framework and were in a position to facilitate speedy customs clear- this call was largely heeded. ance of humanitarian supplies.

Another challenge encountered by the Movement Owing to the magnitude of the crisis, the resources was that many PNS wished to develop field activi- of the ONS were stretched to the limit, both at head- ties themselves. Contributing to the integrated ap- quarters and in the branches. In response, their staff peal in cash or in kind was neither sufficient nor sat- and volunteers worked extremely long hours with a isfactory for many of them. PNS, like many other substantial effect. With the assistance of the Geneva- humanitarian institutions, were under pressure from based institutions, they were able to markedly ex- domestic constituents to develop a high degree of pand their capacities during the crisis period. visibility. They considered that this could only be achieved by a presence on the ground. Despite severe financial constraints imposed by cuts in state funding and a limited ability to raise dona-

- 9 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis tions from individuals and companies affected by the tive appeals in order to ensure the highest possible economic crisis, the 210 branches of the YRC re- degree of operational complementarity. In addition, mained the largest and most effective distribution assistance in both Albania and the FYR of Macedo- network in the FR of Yugoslavia. A high level of co- nia became the subject of specific agreements. operation was possible here between the Interna- tional Federation, the YRC and the ICRC and this In the case of Albania, a formal accord was reached was reflected in the establishment of the four joint between the Movement, the World Food Programme field offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Kraljevo. (WFP) and UNHCR. This agreement, which came In Kosovo, the absence of an effective Red Cross into effect on 26 April, redefined the responsibilities organization reflecting the actual fabric of society of the different organizations in relation to the provi- precluded the development of similar cooperation. sion of relief assistance to refugees. Under the terms of the contract, the Movement was entrusted with The Albanian Red Cross (ARC), with its network of the task of providing food assistance to refugees liv- 36 branches and some 2,500 volunteers and staff ing with host families (and to the host families them- directly involved in the refugee operation, proved its selves) while the UN agencies were to be responsi- ability and willingness throughout the crisis to cope ble for assisting refugees in camps and collective with a major disaster and thereby enhanced its repu- centres. tation as Albania’s foremost domestic humanitarian agency. The role played by the Red Cross Society of Of the 446,000 refugees that entered Albania be- the FYR of Macedonia (MRC), with 34 branches tween late March and mid-June, approximately throughout the country, was no less central with a 100,000 were accommodated in tents and collec- total of 125 staff and about 600 Red Cross volun- tive shelters while the remaining 346,000 were given teers involved in the relief operation for refugees and refuge by local Albanian families. The proportion of the vulnerable. refugees with host families was far larger than origi- nally expected and the initial accord was comple- mented by an agreement signed on 3 June between IV. Rationale behind the approach: External co- the International Federation, the WFP, UNHCR and ordination and relations the Albanian Government. This document stipulated that, from 1 August, the WFP would provide all the Securing tight coordination within the Movement was food commodities required by the Red Cross/Red essential. Speaking with one voice towards the out- Crescent Movement to feed 300,000 refugees living side, to humanitarian, military or governmental ac- with host families. tors, was no less important. In this respect, the scale reached by the Red Cross/Red Crescent operations In the case of FYR of Macedonia, a similar division within the framework of the integrated approach had of labour was agreed upon. The coordination of all a marked impact on these relations. This strategy distributions to refugees living with host families was enabled the Movement to reach a critical mass, and assigned to the MRC. The WFP supplied the food, be clearly identified as the independent humanitar- while the International Federation supplied non-food ian pole during the crisis. In a competitive, crowded relief items, such as blankets, mattresses and hy- environment, the Movement, speaking with one giene parcels. voice, was in a position to defend its impartial ap- proach in an environment characterized by the Ensuring a high degree of complementarity was also militarization and bilateralization of humanitarian aid. the norm in Kosovo once humanitarian organizations returned to the province after the end of hostilities. a) The Movement and UN agencies Although not a structural part of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Cooperating with the other humanitarian actors, and the Movement endeavoured to fill the gaps and help notably UN agencies and their implementing part- sectors that the wide-ranging programmes coordi- ners, was of prime importance. Duplications had to nated by UNHCR or the WFP, could not cover. be avoided at all costs and complementarity achieved. This was crucial during the initial phase of b) The Movement and the military the crisis in view of the acute needs and the limited logistical capacities of the countries affected by the As previously mentioned, the Movement had to re- consequences of the crisis. main strictly independent of the military in order to preserve the impartial, neutral nature of its opera- Consultations were held between representatives of tions. This, however, did not mean that there was no the Joint Steering Group and UN agencies, notably communication with these actors. On the contrary, of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refu- links had to be maintained for a number of reasons. gees (UNHCR), during the preparation of the respec- Firstly, there was the security issue. The Movement

- 10 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis was initially operating in Serbia and Montenegro, and c) The Movement and donors at a later stage in Kosovo, whilst NATO was pursu- ing its air campaign. The ICRC established a direct Securing the amount appealed for by the Movement communication line with the headquarters of the At- to carry out its activities was a challenge and sub- lantic Alliance to notify them of all journeys made by mitting an integrated plan of action and budget pre- the Movement’s personnel in the FR of Yugoslavia. sented real advantages. For the Movement, this ap- Secondly, the ICRC kept channels of communica- proach provided a critical mass when appealing to tion open with NATO to present its views on the hu- donors; and for the governmental donor community, manitarian consequences of the conduct of hostili- it represented a plus as it entailed closer coordina- ties. Finally, a liaison had also to be maintained as tion and simplified the processing of proposals. In- the military took on extensive functions in Kosovo at stead of receiving various, uncoordinated applica- the end of the crisis, notably in the fields of civil or- tions from different components of the Movement, der and security. these came through one channel and were based on a comprehensive plan of action. Finally, it facili- tated the integration of activities with donor strate- gies.

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PART C

Operational activities ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Operational activities

I. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia On 24 March, the ICRC sent a diplomatic note to the Atlantic Alliance and its member countries, remind- a) Background ing them of their obligations under international hu- manitarian law, in particular of the four Geneva Con- The ICRC, in the role of lead agency, was responsi- ventions of 1949. On several occasions, the ICRC ble for coordinating the Movement’s relief assistance intervened with NATO on the conduct of hostilities in Yugoslavia. It also endeavoured to fulfil the spe- and the consequences of the air campaign for the cific mandate conferred upon it in the Geneva Con- civilian population. ventions regarding prisoners of war, the civilian popu- lation or other protected persons. The International Similarly, the ICRC repeatedly made its concerns as Federation concentrated its efforts on continuing to to the fate of the population in Kosovo known to the provide assistance to refugees from Croatia and Yugoslav authorities urging them to fully investigate Bosnia-Herzegovina, and on the long-term capacity allegations of violence perpetrated by security forces building of the YRC structures and programmes. The against persons not involved in the fighting. In late involvement of PNS in this country was particularly April, ICRC President, Dr Cornelio Sommaruga, dur- marked. A total of 20 National Societies implemented ing his visit to Belgrade, directly confronted the high- some 35 projects and programmes in Kosovo and est Yugoslav leadership with findings on the fate of Serbia (18 delegated and 17 other RC/RC projects). civilians in Kosovo. On this occasion, he also ob- tained personal assurances from President Slobodan Throughout the crisis, keeping expatriate staff in the Milosevic that the ICRC would be able to move freely FR of Yugoslavia was felt to be essential, in order to and safely in the province to carry out its humanitar- be able to work in proximity to the victims of the con- ian role. After securing working arrangements with flict. However, both the ICRC and the International the relevant authorities in Belgrade, ICRC assess- Federation were forced to close their offices in ment missions entered Kosovo and activities re- Kosovo from late March until late May in view of the sumed on 24 May. increasingly precarious situation and the restriction on the mobility of their personnel. Tracing activities

The ICRC sub-delegation in Pristina was made a The number of families split up by the crisis was a mission in July 1999 and regional offices were constant concern and major Red Cross priority. opened in Pec/Peja, in Prizren, in Gnjilane/Gjilane Countless people, after suffering the shock of hav- and in Mitrovica (with premises on both the Albanian ing to abandon their homes, were desperately look- and Serb sides of the town). Two smaller offices were ing for relatives of whom they had lost trace. As opened in Dakovica/Djakova and Urosevac/Ferizaj. Kosovo Albanians had fled to many different loca- Throughout the crisis, the ICRC and International tions, tracing services had to take on a truly regional Federation delegations in Belgrade remained opera- dimension. The ICRC tracing agency provided serv- tional, as did their sub-delegations in Serbia and ices through its offices in Montenegro (Podgorica, Montenegro. To further strengthen cooperation within Ulkinj, Rozaje), in Belgrade and in the four joint RC the Movement, four joint field offices (YRC, ICRC, field offices. Information gathered in the FR of Yugo- Federation) were also established in Belgrade, Novi slavia was matched with that collected in Albania and Sad, Nis and Kralijevo. in the FYR of Macedonia. Within the framework of this regional approach, a web site was launched with b) Protection the support of the American Red Cross to help re- store family links. The ICRC put cellular phones at Following the decision of NATO Secretary General the disposal of the refugees and displaced persons to authorize military action against the FR of Yugo- throughout the region, enabling them to re-establish slavia, the ICRC emphasized its readiness to fulfil contact with their relatives. Names of the displaced the mandate conferred on it in the Geneva Conven- were broadcast on local and international radio sta- tions, and offered its services as an independent and tions. neutral intermediary. With the return of the vast majority of the refugees It remained in permanent contact with all the war- to Kosovo in June, the re-establishment of contacts ring parties to convey concerns about compliance with friends and family took on huge importance. To with the rules and principles of humanitarian law. reflect this priority, ICRC mobile teams, each with several satellite telephones, travelled to towns and villages throughout Kosovo, providing members of

- 13 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis both Serb and Albanian communities with the op- Dissemination and other programmes portunity to contact their relatives. The service was extremely useful, particularly in remote villages and The ICRC continued to urge the Yugoslav authori- for vulnerable and isolated members of non-Alba- ties to include training in the law of armed conflict nian communities. The mobile teams also collected and in humanitarian principles in the curricula of mili- allegations of arrests, requests for family tary and police institutes. In Kosovo, it developed reunifications, Red Cross messages and details of programmes tailored to the new situation on the unaccompanied children. ground, holding sessions on the law of armed con- flict for KFOR personnel and the new Kosovo police In September, delegates began collecting tracing force. requests from people whose relatives had disap- peared. Some 2,950 people were still unaccounted The ICRC mine-awareness programme was for at the end of the year, and delegates in Kosovo launched in 250 villages in Kosovo and had 11 offic- made the systematic collecting and cross-checking ers trained in the community-based approach work- of names a priority. In a bid to provide psychological ing out of the various offices in the province. As the support to the families concerned, the ICRC set up lead agency for gathering data on mine incidents, six family link centres. The ICRC coordinated the the ICRC collected information on people who had activities of international organizations working on died or sustained injuries because of mines and other this issue and centralized all data. unexploded ordnance.

Detention and missing persons c) Relief and health activities

High on the ICRC’s list of priorities was also the fate Kosovo of the prisoners held in relation to the conflict. The ICRC visited the three American servicemen de- After the Movement returned to Kosovo on 24 May, tained by the Serbian authorities on 27 April. Con- the focus of its effort was aid to the internally dis- ducted in conformity with ICRC modalities, the visit placed persons (IDPs). Those who had remained in allowed the detainees to exchange Red Cross Mes- the province during the conflict received food and sages (RCMs) with their families. Later, on 2 May, non-food assistance. (See annex 2-B) The focus of the ICRC witnessed the release of the servicemen. activities then shifted to the needs of the returnees. The ICRC also visited Serbian prisoners of war held Large-scale distributions drew to a close in Septem- by NATO forces. These detainees and their families ber, but the ICRC continued to plug the gaps in the were able to contact each other using RCMs. WFP pipeline whenever necessary. In fact, during the summer, the most immediate food needs were Around 2,000 ethnic Albanians were held in Serbian met by general distribution in areas not covered by prisons in relation to the Kosovo conflict. While the the WFP’s wide-ranging programme. These activi- Dayton Agreement contained clauses pertaining to ties were progressively adapted in the autumn, and the release of detainees and the search for the miss- transformed into a kitchen programme for people in ing, no such provisions were incorporated into the need and with no cooking facilities. Military Technical Agreement signed by NATO and the Yugoslav army on 9 June. After successful ne- By the end of the year, some 15,700 meals were gotiations with the Serbian Ministry of Justice, the being provided daily. PNS were particularly active in ICRC was able to visit all ethnic Albanians held in this domain: places of detention in Serbia. It organized the trans- fer of 343 released detainees from Serbia to Kosovo • the American Red Cross participated in the soup in 1999. kitchen programme in both north and south Mitrovica and Vushtrri/Vucitern, for more than Relatives of missing persons were given the oppor- 2,000 beneficiaries; tunity to consult lists of detainees who had been vis- • the Belgian Red Cross (Flemish section) partici- ited by the ICRC. Detainees and their families were pated in the soup kitchen programme, in Prizren then able to contact each other using Red Cross and Suharekë/Suva Reka, for 2,150 beneficiar- Messages. Delegates also visited persons held in ies; the six detention centres under KFOR’s responsibil- • the German Red Cross participated in the soup ity, including those arrested on suspicion of having kitchen programme in the Pec/Peja region, serv- committed war crimes. In Kosovo and elsewhere in ing almost 10,000 people in September and Oc- the FR of Yugoslavia, the ICRC gathered informa- tober, 9,500 in November, and 6,000 in Decem- tion from hundreds of families from the Serb, Roma ber; and other communities who reported that their rela- • the Netherlands Red Cross participated in the tives had been abducted. soup kitchen programme serving beneficiaries

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daily in the Gnjilane/Gjilane,Viti/Vitina and Support to public health facilities was the third main Kamenica regions (1,525 people in November, axis of this focus on long-term needs. The ICRC vis- 2,975 in December); ited these facilities and provided them with technical equipment. The blood transfusion institute in Pristina, While a winter programme to provide heating units covering the needs of six hospitals, received mate- and warm clothing for 240,000 beneficiaries was rial assistance. PNS were particularly active in this carried out through the emerging local Red Cross in field: the autumn, the general emphasis of activities had shifted by the end of the year. While initially focusing • the Finnish Red Cross distributed 1,200 hygiene on emergency relief, the Movement endeavoured to kits and 200 kits with supplies for babies, ran a implement more structured programmes that ad- hospital management project in Gnjilane/Gjilane dressed wider segments of the community. The aim hospital, carried out rehabilitation work on the Viti/ was to help returnees, minorities and other people Vitina health centre, and coordinated a basic to cope with the emotional scars of the conflict, start health care project in this city; rebuilding their lives and regain a degree of self-suf- • the Japanese Red Cross carried out emergency ficiency. repairs on small first-aid posts in the Decane/ Decan region; This new emphasis focusing on long-term needs in- • at the request of the ICRC, the “Magen David cluded five different programmes. Firstly, the Adom” evaluated the blood services in Kosovo; agronomy programme provided 18,277 Serb and • the Norwegian Red Cross helped with the hospi- Albanian households with 3,400 tonnes of seed and tal management programme at the Shtimle/ 2,835 tonnes of fertilisers by year-end. An additional Stimlje Institute for the Mentally Handicapped; fertiliser was to be provided in the spring to ensure • the Spanish Red Cross renovated a first-aid post crops in June 2000.1 The agronomy programme was in Llabjan. complemented by a farm machinery programme, implemented by the Norwegian Red Cross within the The fourth element of this focus on long-term needs framework of a delegated project. was the rehabilitation of schools, a task mainly as- sumed by PNS. The British Red Cross completed This PNS held six agricultural workshops in repairs on 15 schools in regions south-west of Skenderaj/Serbica, Gllogovc/Glogovac and Lijpan Pristina (Gjakova/Dakovica, Malishevë/Malisevo, and, from November onwards, repaired an average Gllogovc/Glogovac, Rahovec/Orahovac, Suharekë/ of 60 to 100 tractors per week. A farm machinery Suva Reka) by the end of December and continued programme was also implemented by the Spanish work on other buildings in the region. The Spanish Red Cross in Suharekë/Suva Reka. Red Cross for its part completed repairs on nine schools. Secondly, water and sanitation programmes ensured that the population had access to sufficient quanti- Serbia and Montenegro ties of safe drinking water. Some 4,500 village wells were cleaned and disinfected by the end of the year. In Serbia and Montenegro, the Movement’s relief The ICRC provided support to the water boards of operations changed dramatically as a result of the several municipalities by carrying out structural re- war and its aftermath, both in character and in mag- pairs to war-damaged facilities, supplying essential nitude. spare parts and providing maintenance equipment. With a view to implementing longer-term projects to Urgent measures had to be taken to meet the needs improve water supply in towns and villages, surveys of the individuals fleeing Kosovo. The ICRC assisted were conducted by the ICRC in cooperation with the the Red Cross of Montenegro in providing emer- American, Swedish and German Red Cross Socie- gency food and non-food relief to more than 80,000 ties. displaced persons seeking shelter in or transiting through this republic. It also supported the local Red An important component was the Psycho-Social Pro- Cross in establishing temporary reception centres. gramme (PSP), run by the International Federation in close cooperation with the local Red Cross. This Action had also to be taken to address the direct programme aimed to strengthen individual, family consequences of the air campaign. The ICRC pro- and community development by reducing the likeli- vided medical supplies to health structures and hood of debilitating psychological disorders, through branches of the YRC. It provided technical support the provision of traumatic stress interventions, psy- to hospitals and health structures to maintain and chological support and therapeutic social activities. run vital services such as operating theatres and

1 See annex 1-B

- 15 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis maternity wards, notably through the provision of regional centres.3 More than seventy percent of these electricity generators. items were distributed by the end of the year. In ad- The indirect consequences of the air campaign left dition, some 10,000 stoves were procured and dis- many Yugoslavs in an extremely difficult situation. tributed in the regions covered by the ICRC and the Many lost their homes and many their means of live- joint field offices. lihood. By late summer, in cooperation with the YRC, the ICRC had launched a soup kitchen programme, The 1999 Balkans conflict generated new needs in with distributions made from roughly 230 points Serbia, but it could not overshadow the hardship that across Serbia. Some 65,000 people were supplied half a million long-term refugees, who had fled pre- with one hot meal per day by November, while 25,000 vious conflicts in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina lunch parcels were delivered to beneficiaries who and settled in the FR of Yugoslavia, were still facing. were unable to reach distribution points.2 PNS were These refugees had little means of supporting them- fully integrated in this programme within the frame- selves and many were still living in collective cen- work of a regional approach. The Belgian Red Cross tres or with friends/relatives in often desperate con- (French section) ran a soup kitchen in Mladenovac, ditions. The International Federation, which had a the Canadian Red Cross in Novi Sad, the Danish long- standing programme for these refugees, con- Red Cross in Kraljevo, the Italian Red Cross in centrated its relief activities in Serbia on providing Kragujevac and the German Red Cross in Nis. them with assistance. This programme aimed to pro- vide essential hygiene sets to meet the needs of The cessation of active hostilities with NATO was 225,500 persons as well as to provide beans, oil and soon followed by the exodus of Serbs and Roma sugar for 125,500 refugees, thereby complement- living in Kosovo towards the rest of the FR of Yugo- ing WFP basic food assistance. It also included the slavia. The precarious situation of the Yugoslav provision of cleaning kits for 780 collective centres, economy made these people particularly vulnerable. where over 35,000 refugees were accommodated, The ICRC initiated an assistance programme for and baby hygiene parcels for 8,100 refugee moth- these IDPs in August, consisting of the distribution ers with new-born babies, as well as winter jackets of monthly food parcels and of hygiene parcels every and shoes for 80,000 refugee children. two months. At the end of the year, this programme covered more than 200,000 beneficiaries. The implementation of this programme was affected by logistical constraints and there were a number of Once the conflict ended, its longer-term conse- different problems. A gap in contracts and deliveries quences had to be addressed. Rehabilitating the during the conflict was followed by a build-up of items, water supply systems was a priority. Following its overloading the already stretched YRC pipeline sys- destruction, some 50,000 people in Novi Sad had to tem. While just under half a million hygiene parcels be supplied with safe drinking water by the ICRC. were distributed at beneficiary level, this only met Spare parts and chemicals were provided to ensure 73% of the planned refugee hygiene parcel needs. stable water treatment supply systems, notably in In addition, less than 50% of the food needs were localities in southern Serbia. From September on- met between April and December. There were diffi- wards, the Swedish Red Cross ran a water quality culties in coordinating and agreeing with the WFP programme in health institutions. on beneficiary numbers. Items under the winter pro- gramme were late in arriving for similar reasons. Medical institutions had substantial supply and re- habilitation needs. The ICRC in cooperation with the Furthermore, in November, it was discovered that a YRC supported them with technical equipment, proportion of the hygiene parcels for the refugees mainly generators. In addition, free medicines were had been distributed to non-authorized beneficiar- distributed to twenty pharmacies, covering the needs ies in 10 Belgrade branches of the YRC. The Move- of an estimated 700-800,000 people (IDPs, refugees ment took this matter extremely seriously and distri- and welfare cases). A glass programme was imple- butions of hygiene parcels to these branches were mented by the ICRC to replace broken glass in dam- stopped, pending an independent audit. Supporting aged hospitals and in health care, gerontology and and strengthening the YRC’s distribution system had collective centres. A total of 41 institutions, mostly in been a priority for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Vojvodina and southern Serbia, were newly glazed. Movement. The YRC remained the main vehicle for humanitarian assistance and as such was the main The consequences of the conflict also necessitated implementing partner for most agencies operating the launch of a winter programme. By December, in the region. To reinforce this distribution system, the ICRC completed the delivery of winter clothing the Movement set up a Red Cross task force at field and boots for some 240,000 beneficiaries to YRC level (comprising the YRC, the ICRC and the Inter-

2 See annex 1-C 3 See annex 1-C

- 16 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis national Federation) entrusted with the task of ad- financial support and the re-establishment of tradi- dressing all logistical issues. The International Fed- tional Red Cross programmes. The International eration field offices were reinforced, more stringent Federation and the ICRC also actively supported the monitoring systems were established and the deci- setting-up of a unified, functional Local Red Cross sion to computerize logistical data taken. The YRC (LRC) structure for the benefit of the most vulner- fleet of trucks was also markedly increased. able. d) Support to the National Society An assessment of the local structures and opera- tional capacity was carried out by the International Institutional development programme Federation between July and August, and a branch support programme was initiated in September. The International Federation supported an institu- While the working environment in Kosovo was diffi- tional development programme aiming to implement cult, much progress was made and many of the ob- the YRC’s Institutional Development Action Plan, ul- jectives for the post-conflict 1999 programme timately leading to a change of structure within the achieved. This paved the way for the implementa- National Society and enabling it to increase its ca- tion of the planned institutional development pro- pacity to respond to the most vulnerable in the FR of gramme for the year 2000. Yugoslavia. In 1999 various management, language and technical training programmes were planned. However, due to the crisis situation, headquarters II. Albania and branch staff/volunteers were fully focused on emergency relief operations, which took precedence a) Background over longer-term development programmes. In an impressive show of solidarity, Albania wel- Health and social programmes comed nearly half a million Kosovo refugees in all. Most were taken in by host families, while the re- In 1999, the Movement pursued its support for a mainder found accommodation in camps and col- series of ongoing social and health related pro- lective shelters. While numerous agencies were ac- grammes run by the YRC. tive in Albania, the vast majority only addressed the needs of the refugees in collective accommodation. The International Federation supported the YRC health programme, which aimed to raise public The ARC, the International Federation, the ICRC and awareness regarding health issues, disseminate a more than 20 National Societies joined forces within strong health-conscious culture and improve health the framework of the integrated approach, with the behaviour. The support of the International Federa- International Federation assuming the role of lead tion was also directed at the YRC health camp pro- agency. This cooperation was essential, as it was gramme and summer school programme, designed through the ARC network (with 36 branches and respectively for Red Cross volunteers aged between 2,500 volunteers) that the Red Cross/Red Crescent 13 and 18 years old, and for 10-12 year old children. effort was able to reach the refugees and the local population. The ARC, International Federation and The International Federation continued its support the ICRC reinforced their respective delegations in to the YRC first-aid programme, which aimed to pro- Albania as the crisis unfolded. Some twenty PNS duce training materials, as well as equip and train delegations were also set up during the crisis and Red Cross first-aid teams in disaster preparedness similarly reinforced as the workload increased. and first-aid response. Support was also continued for the YRC voluntary blood donation programme, Six ARC regional offices were established, headed whose aim is to raise awareness regarding blood by officers reassigned from their sectoral duties at donation issues. Finally, a YRC/International Federa- headquarters. These regional offices worked closely tion social support programme to meet the needs of with the integrated movement delegation based in vulnerable people in the FR of Yugoslavia was im- Tirana at ARC headquarters and with PNS bases plemented. established throughout the country. An integrated ARC/Federation/ICRC sub-delegation was estab- Kosovo branch support programme lished in Kukes, from where relief, logistics, health, protection, water and sanitation teams operated. The This programme aimed to strengthen the operational Finnish, Italian, UAE, and to a lesser degree Span- capacity of the Red Cross structures in Kosovo. ish and Danish National Societies, were using the Objectives for the second half of 1999 included dis- Kukes sub-delegation as an information centre on semination and training for Red Cross personnel, movements of refugees. the provision of adequate office space, equipment/

- 17 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Although the majority of Kosovo Albanians returned Mine awareness home after the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 on 10 June 1999, several The widespread presence of landmines, coupled with thousand refugees who either knew that their homes the rush of refugees returning to their homes in had been destroyed, or were situated in insecure Kosovo following the cessation of hostilities, areas, or were viewed by their families as too vul- prompted the Movement to print several thousand nerable to spend the winter in Kosovo, elected to leaflets on mine awareness. Mine-awareness leaf- remain in Albania for the harsh winter months. lets were translated and handed out by ARC volun- teers and ICRC tracing delegates, mainly in Kukes While a plethora of international aid organizations and from other Red Cross branches across the coun- established their headquarters in Tirana during the try during food distributions in June and July. A poster crisis, long-term commitments to help the country and leaflets on the threat posed by cluster bombs in towards economic recovery failed to materialize. the northern part of the country were also produced 1999 had been seen as an opportunity for rebuilding and distributed. following the collapse of the pyramid schemes in 1997. However, unemployment levels ran high Information centres throughout the year, and many Albanians continued to depend on remittances from relatives abroad. Al- The ARC established information centres in the six though the number of incidents of unrest declined, regional offices. The purpose of these centres was crime was cause for serious concern, largely be- to provide concrete information to refugees on is- cause of the ready availability of firearms. Particu- sues where rumours abounded such as health, reg- larly in the north-eastern regions of the country, mines istration procedures, tracing, news from home and and unexploded ordnance stymied economic devel- information on how to apply for resettlement to third opment and posed a threat to the local population. countries of asylum. b) Protection c) Relief and health activities

Tracing Between late March and early June 1999, almost 435,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, entered The bulk of the ICRC delegation work in Albania Albania, joining about 20,000 refugees from Kosovo consisted of tracing activities. Delegates were des- who had fled to Albania the year before. While some patched to various locations throughout the country, 100,000 refugees were accommodated in tents and where they established a network of satellite phones collective shelters, local Albanian families gave shel- that allowed refugees to inform their relatives, pri- ter to the remaining 346,000 Kosovo refugees. Some marily in Europe and North America, of their safe emergency stocks were already in place, but if the arrival in Albania. By the end of June, more than Movement was to be able to provide adequate relief 37,000 people had used this means of communica- supplies, it quickly became apparent that a drastic tion. In tandem with this operation and at their re- resizing of the scale of activities was called for. En- quest, the names of more than 22,000 refugees were suring that all those in need would be adequately broadcast on Radio Tirana and on major international cared for also necessitated a complementary ap- radio networks. proach by the various humanitarian actors active in the field. Despite this and the setting-up of a Web site to re- store family links, thousands of persons remained In April 1999, an agreement clarifying the role of each unable to contact their relatives, and the ICRC col- organization was reached with UN agencies. The lected hundreds of tracing requests from the most agreement stipulated that the Movement would be vulnerable. The ICRC registered 299 children sepa- responsible for providing food and non-food aid to rated from their parents and 470 vulnerable people refugees living with host families while the WFP/ (elderly, disabled, single women with children). It also UNHCR would cover food needs for those in camps issued 891 travel documents and helped people in and collective centres. The number of refugees re- need to contact the relevant embassies so that they ceiving food aid from the Red Cross was estimated could join family members in third countries. at its peak in June 1999 to be 300,000 with an addi- tional 40,000 host families also receiving some ad- Detention ditional assistance. As already mentioned, the pro- portion of refugees with host families was far larger The ICRC continued to visit all prisoners, monitor- than originally expected and the initial agreement ing their conditions of detention and regularly sub- was complemented by an accord signed on 3 June mitting reports to the relevant authorities with a view between the International Federation, the WFP, to improving their situation. UNHCR and the Albanian Government. This docu-

- 18 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ment stipulated that, from 1 August, the WFP would region. Although more expensive than bulk food dis- provide all the food commodities required by the Red tribution, the use of parcels allowed a faster, more Cross/Red Crescent Movement to feed 300,000 refu- secure and hygienic distribution of food to occur. gees living with host families.4 Parcels also made sense in view of the widespread dispersion of the beneficiaries throughout Albania. Providing assistance to such a large number of ben- In addition, the refugees knew that the quality of the eficiaries was a logistical challenge. The ICRC and food was good. more than twenty PNS, within the framework of the logistics cell and at field level, endeavoured to lend Following the cessation of hostilities in mid-June, the support to the International Federation in this respect. return of refugees from Albania to Kosovo was sud- Initial shipments of humanitarian daily rations and den and rapid. By 25 June more than 175,000 refu- high protein biscuits and some medical aid arrived gees had already returned to Kosovo, and by year- by air cargo during the first weeks of the crisis. After end the remaining caseload was less than 4,000 refu- April, the bulk of commodities arrived via Vasto, Italy, gees. While the focus of assistance to the victims of where the Movement had rented a number of large this crisis shifted rapidly to supporting the returnee warehouses and organized for the lease of two fer- population in Kosovo, it was apparent that the im- ries to transport the relief aid quickly and efficiently pact of the crisis would have a lingering effect on into the region. The aid transported on the ferry was Albania. This country is one of the least developed pre-packed into truck trailers to ensure fast unload- nations in Europe and even prior to the refugee in- ing on arrival in Albania. flux, levels of vulnerability were rising. The situation was exacerbated by the refugee crisis and by the The Albanian Government was instrumental in fa- large numbers of international NGOs and agencies cilitating the swift delivery of aid into the country by who had made public commitments of support for fast tracking its usual customs and sanitary clear- vulnerable people in Albania, but who transferred ance procedures. This ensured that delay in the ar- their assistance to Kosovo, without honouring their rival and delivery of the goods was kept to a mini- initial commitments. mum. The Albanian Government also lifted its usual import/sanitary clearance and customs charges for The ARC, supported by the International Federation Red Cross/Red Crescent humanitarian aid coming and by several PNS, therefore continued to provide into the country during the crisis. Finally, the Aus- relief assistance to those refugees remaining in host trian Red Cross provided a telecommunications families (only about 2,000 by the end of 1999) and emergency response unit, to assist in setting up an their host families, providing food, hygiene and baby improved telecommunications structure for the Move- parcels. ment during the relief operations. The changing situation in Albania also led the Move- The distribution of food and non-food aid to both refu- ment to increase its assistance to vulnerable local gees and the vulnerable local population was un- Albanians (up to 70,000 people), with distributions dertaken using the same distribution process - the of food and hygiene parcels. In addition, relief as- beneficiaries were notified by local media and the sistance was provided to 5,500 war-affected people names posted at the distribution points several days (i.e. persons displaced due to unexploded ordnance) prior to the distribution. The Red Cross undertook in the area of Kukes and Has. This was a time-lim- spot checks on the listed beneficiaries, and all per- ited project and is now completed.5 sons receiving aid needed to provide proof of iden- tity of the host family. Most of the refugees had no The bulk of the hygiene parcels were distributed af- identification documents and, unfortunately, the ter June 1999. Once procedures were in place to UNHCR registration scheme failed to materialize. All provide food to the refugee population staying with items taken were signed for. Each ARC branch un- host families, the Movement was able to respond to dertaking a distribution provided a weekly report on increased demand for hygiene parcels. This became the quantity and items distributed to the International a priority as the temperature climbed to uncomfort- Federation. The French Red Cross also carried out able levels in August. a thorough survey of the conditions in which refu- gees were living with host families and monitored Besides food and non-food relief, the Movement pro- distributions throughout the country. vided health assistance to Albania throughout the year. The ICRC supplied medical assistance in the The parcel contents were well received by the ben- form of surgical supplies and essential medicines eficiaries as they provided the refugees with the ba- for district hospitals in Albania’s main towns, where sic ingredients to bake bread - the staple diet in the the influx of refugees taken in by host families put a

4 See annex 1-D 5 See annex 1-D

- 19 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis considerable strain on local health facilities. It also mately seventy-five per cent of branches, all regional donated medicines to several health centres. In mid- offices and every staff member from headquarters April, at the height of the conflict, the ICRC success- involved in logistics, relief and finance. Some of the fully negotiated with KLA leaders and with the Alba- training exercises comprised a regional dimension nian authorities to evacuate the war-wounded from and were carried out with the participation of neigh- the Bajram Curri and Tropoje districts to the Central bouring National Societies, and others targeted spe- Military Hospital in Tirana by helicopter. To support cific areas within Albania. the local medical facilities in the town of Kukes, a basic health care emergency response unit provided Impressively, during the crisis, the ARC managed to by the Finnish Red Cross, covering the needs of pursue its traditional programmes to a greater or 20,000 - 30,000 refugees was set up to prevent over- lesser degree in the branches. Non-remunerated loading the district hospital with minor health needs. blood donor recruitment; various public health pro- A second Finnish Red Cross basic health care unit grammes; assistance to vulnerable people through was positioned in Shkoder. Five ambulances were soup kitchens; vocational training; first aid; institu- stationed in Kukes and another five in Tirana. The tional development and youth programmes were kept Japanese Red Cross provided first-aid cover on the running. major routes during the period of repatriation. Regarding institutional development, the ARC, with d) Support to the National Society the support of the International Federation regional delegation in Budapest, carried out a review of the The ARC has 36 local branches which equals the strategy and plan of action for 1993-1998 and be- number of districts in Albania. In normal times, the gan drawing up a new strategy for the 2000-2004 ARC employs approximately 65 full-time paid staff, period. of which about 30 are based at headquarters. This figure was drastically increased to cope with the con- sequences of the 1999 Balkans crisis reaching over III. Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 200 at its peak. a) Background Support and contributions to the ARC were signifi- cant, in logistical, human and financial terms. In fact, Between late March and June, over 350,000 Kosovo they was too much for the ARC to absorb. This na- Albanians streamed across the Yugoslav border into tional society therefore had the following dilemma. the FYR of Macedonia. The refugees were given Its capacity called for an operation that could cover shelter, albeit at times reluctantly, by the Macedo- only the needs of thirty percent of the refugees; yet, nian authorities. At least 150,000 refugees were ac- it was in a better position than any other humanitar- commodated in host families, 110,000 went to seven ian organization to attempt to meet the needs of a camps built by NATO forces, and close to 90,000 much larger percentage of victims. The question was were evacuated to Western countries. Fears that the whether to work according to capacity or take on the country’s delicate ethnic fabric might unravel follow- greater load and probably operate below usual mini- ing this mass influx of Kosovo Albanians was wide- mum standards. The decision was taken to risk run- spread. The crisis disrupted economic links with ning a large operation. Serbia, causing the country’s already moribund economy to shrink even further. Large public-sector Despite this challenge, the ARC has emerged from enterprises were brought to the brink of bankruptcy, the crisis as a stronger and better organized institu- and unemployment figures spiralled upwards from tion. Its visibility was also positively affected by the 30 to 40 percent. Concerns about political risks significant role it assumed in the massive interna- caused foreign investments to dwindle, although tional relief effort. The lessons learned from the cri- major donor nations did pledge to increase their aid sis showed that the ARC needed strengthening in and trade ties with the FYR of Macedonia, as part of terms of its preparedness. their policy to promote stability in the southern Bal- kans. The ARC established three strategic sites in the coun- try and purchased premises at each location to house The International Federation, assuming the role of a warehouse and a training centre. The technical lead agency, was responsible for coordinating the qualifications of ARC staff were reinforced, especially Movement’s relief activities in the country. An estab- in logistics and relief. Efforts made in 1999 in train- lished Red Cross branch structure existed in the ing were to be continued. These efforts included prac- country at the outset of the crisis, but was not de- tical on-the-job training as well as more formal train- signed to cope with a crisis of such magnitude. The ing sessions carried out for branch staff in logistics MRC and the International Federation started by re- and relief. Training programmes covered approxi- cruiting volunteers, employing experienced workers

- 20 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis to fill positions within branches and rented ware- Detention houses so as to be able to respond to the rapidly developing needs among the refugee population. A total of 160 ex-prisoners, who arrived in the FYR The American Red Cross provided assistance by of Macedonia following their release from the Yugo- renting warehouses in places where most refugees slav prison of Lipjian, were debriefed. resided. The International Federation assigned ad- ditional field delegates to four Red Cross branches Dissemination and other programmes in areas with large refugee populations to support the existing MRC branch structure. The ICRC had The ICRC organized dissemination sessions for upgraded its presence in the country; its Skopje of- NATO troops based in the FYR of Macedonia that fice had been made a delegation in 1998 and a head- were scheduled to be posted in Kosovo and for sen- quarters agreement had been signed on 24 Febru- ior officers from the French brigade in Kumanovo. It ary with the government. also organized dissemination courses and work- shops for Macedonian military instructors and police At the outset of the crisis the International Federa- officers. tion quickly rented central warehouses and estab- lished a logistics base in Skopje to receive incoming The ICRC translated 20,000 leaflets on mine aware- donations of food and non-food relief items and to ness based on material developed after the wars in ensure a regular pipeline of hygiene parcels, blan- Bosnia and Croatia into Albanian and Serbian. With kets and mattresses. the support of the MRC, the ICRC distributed these leaflets as well as those produced by UNICEF at For the International Federation and the ICRC, border points as refugees headed back to Kosovo in Skopje also became an important logistics base for June and July. Kosovo, especially from June as refugees started their return. At the height of the crisis the Federation c) Relief and health activities was renting around 30 trucks to distribute its relief items and using three trucks provided by the Finnish Relief programmes Red Cross. By 13 April, a total of 111,783 refugees had entered b) Protection the country after some 60,000 refugees had been temporarily refused entry by Macedonian authorities Tracing and thus stranded in the so-called ‘no-mans-land’ near the Blace border point. At this time, the MRC A few days after the crisis broke out, the ICRC, in showed its strength and value, as it was the only cooperation with the MRC and the American Red humanitarian organization in the FYR of Macedonia Cross, set up tents in each of the seven refugee allowed entry to the no-mans-land to provide emer- camps in the FYR of Macedonia and opened tracing gency relief. During these early stages of the crisis, offices in Skopje and Tetovo. the ICRC monitored border points and in coopera- tion with the MRC, distributed emergency relief items From April through December, the tracing offices such as thousands of bottles of water and around received 28,878 refugee visits and facilitated numer- 18 tonnes of high-energy biscuits to refugees, and ous telephone calls. It handled 1,670 tracing requests to those in the no-man’s-land. Medical care was pro- concerning vulnerable people and lost children/par- vided to the refugees at Blace and the ICRC con- ents, transmitted 13,370 RCMs and opened 924 fam- ducted medical evacuations and helped speed up ily reunion requests. A weekly list of people who were entry procedures for the most vulnerable persons. traced was broadcast on international and local ra- dio stations. Numerous identities were collected in Following an agreement reached in April between the Web site, often with information provided by the Macedonian authorities, UNHCR, the WFP, the National Societies where refugees had been trans- MRC and the International Federation, the ONS (with ferred. Rapidly, the ICRC database became the ref- the support of the International Federation), started erence tool for the registration of vulnerable persons to provide relief to those tens of thousands of Kosovo and once the family had been traced, in Albania or Albanians who were staying with host families in a third country, reunions were arranged. Good throughout the country. In April, May and June, the working relationships were established with UNHCR MRC distributed a total of 275 tonnes of bulk food and the International Office for Migration (IOM) within on behalf of the WFP (oil, beans, sugar, salt, wheat this framework, with whom information on refugees flour, canned beans, canned meat, canned beans, were regularly exchanged. canned vegetables and canned fruit) to refugees and their host families, through twenty-eight MRC branches and dozens of distribution points. At the

- 21 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis same period of time, 176,454 hygiene parcels were supporting ongoing activities. For instance, the distributed to a total of 588,913 beneficiaries. This American Red Cross provided assistance to the MRC figure included refugees, host families, vulnerable for distributions in the outlying branches and fund- families and people in institutions. In addition, the ing for warehouse space in Skopje. MRC also distributed 130,882 blankets and 110,850 mattresses.6 In the beginning of July, only around 17,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees residing with host families re- The MRC, the International Federation and PNS also mained in the FYR of Macedonia - a figure that re- provided ambulance services to and from hospitals mained relatively stable until the end of 1999. The (mainly between Cegrane camp and Tetovo hospi- MRC, the International Federation and PNS contin- tal), monitored the situation at the hospital where ued to support these refugees. It also provided as- services for one of the largest refugee populations sistance to the newly arrived Roma and Serbian refu- in the FYR of Macedonia were provided, and visited gees staying in collective centres and with host fami- 60 war-wounded on an individual basis. The Inter- lies. This support included the distribution of bulk food national Federation carried out regular assessments on behalf of the WFP and of hygiene parcels.7 of medical facilities inside camps and local health facilities to ensure adequate care was being pro- Collective centres accommodating refugees were not vided. It carried out spot-checks at distribution cen- operational in the FYR of Macedonia until early Au- tres throughout the country, established cooperation gust. At that stage, the MRC took charge of the Dare with emergency councils, and conducted a series of Bombol collective centre for which it received as- water and sanitation evaluations in selected villages sistance and funding for food supplies from the Ger- and towns hosting refugees. Based on its assess- man Red Cross. Later, the MRC took charge of a ments, the International Federation did not see the second centre, Gazi Baba, for which it provided food need to establish a health programme or provide funded by the same PNS. In September, the MRC medical supplies for the refugees staying in host fami- started operations in its Struga collective centre lies, as the beneficiaries resided in urban habitat where it distributed food supplied by the WFP and where the country’s health services could adequately CARE. cope with the needs that arose. In the Integrated Appeal, a winter programme was In addition to the core activities for refugees with host included for those refugees remaining in the coun- families, the Movement provided specific services try, providing for the distribution of plastic sheeting, in the seven refugee camps set up by the Macedo- mattresses, blankets and winter clothes/shoes. The nian authorities. winter programme was not implemented in full, partly because the host families accommodating refugees The German Red Cross (GRC) set up an emergency did not need such items. In November and Decem- response unit 65-bed field hospital in the Stankovac ber, a double distribution of blankets took place. A camp, serving a refugee population of 41,000. The distribution of winter clothing and shoes was also GRC also set up a water/sanitation emergency re- planned, but due to delays in the pipeline, these sponse unit providing the hospital with around 80,000 goods were distributed in January and February 2000. litres of high quality water each day. The unit was later donated to the MRC. The Norwegian Red Cross Social Welfare Programmes (NRC) set up a 100-bed emergency response unit field hospital in the Cegrane-camp providing serv- In July, after consultation with the government, local ices which included internal medicine, surgery, gy- municipalities, PNS and various other donors, the naecology, paediatrics and a special ward for epi- MRC, with the support of the International Federa- demics. The NRC hospital served a refugee popula- tion, began broad, systematic support through the tion of 43,000, and an additional 6,900 refugees from MRC local branch network to families officially con- the Senokos-camp. The “Palestine Red Crescent sidered as social cases. The beneficiaries included Society” contributed 18 medical field personnel to the most vulnerable population of the FYR of Mac- this hospital. edonia, broadly defined as the mentally disabled or invalids unable to work, pensioners with low income, During the first four months of the Movement’s op- large families with only one wage-earner, single erations in the FYR of Macedonia, numerous PNS mothers with a low income and the unemployed. The donated food and non-food relief. In addition to the programme - which was planned to continue until German and Norwegian field hospitals and related the autumn of 2000 - covered over 70,000 such fami- activities, the American, Finnish and French Red lies (or over 280,000 individuals) throughout the Cross were present in the country, supplying and country.8

6 See annex 1-E 7 See annex 1-E 8 See annex 1-E

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The MRC had operated its information centre since MRC, which employed a total of 125 staff and over 1992. During the Balkans crisis in 1999, two centres 800 volunteers during the Balkans crisis. Due to the remained open seven days a week (one in Skopje crisis, the Federation did not go ahead with its in- and one in Tetovo) and were instrumental in provid- come generating activities as projected, but made ing psychological support to those passing by and plans which were to be realized in the year 2000. also over the phone. At the outset of the crisis, the centre served Kosovo refugees in a number of dif- Training programmes intended for MRC staff, aimed ferent ways such as: providing books, school sup- at increasing capabilities and improving manage- plies and bus tickets to students, newspapers, infor- ment, were organized in late 1999. In August and mation about services available in the FYR of Mac- September, the International Federation and the edonia, medicines for chronic illnesses, glasses and MRC organized a disaster preparedness campaign, enabling refugees to receive phone calls from fami- whose objectives were to inform the general public lies living in other parts of Europe. of how to react in the case of a natural disaster. An objective stated in the Integrated Appeal was to distribute educational and recreational kits to refu- gee children. As these items did not arrive before IV. Bosnia-Herzegovina the end of the emergency phase, they were distrib- uted at a later stage, in conjunction with the social As a result of the Balkans crisis, a large number of welfare programme. refugees from the FR of Yugoslavia - 65,000 accord- ing to UNHCR - entered BiH between March and Water and sanitation programme May 1999. Within the framework of the Integrated Appeal, the Red Cross structures in BiH, supported In its efforts to assist communities that had accepted by the International Federation, implemented a pro- refugees, the International Federation conducted a gramme directed at 40,000 of these refugees living series of water and sanitation assessments in se- with host families or in government centres. This pro- lected towns and villages throughout the country. One gramme, which covered both entities of BiH and of the basic assumptions at the initial stage of the lasted six months, consisted mainly in the provision assessments was that communities hosting large of food parcels (individual) and hygiene parcels (one numbers of refugees would be impoverished. This parcel for five people) distributed monthly. assumption proved to be false, as it was soon found that the largest refugee populations tended to re- The implementation of the programme was hindered side in more affluent communities that had better by delays in the shipment of relief items. At the on- access to municipal services. By the end of July, the set of the crisis, relief items originated from existing project’s original objectives were no longer applica- International Federation stocks or were supplied by ble. Hence, it was possible to consider other sites the Czech and Slovenian Red Cross societies. As with fewer refugees but greater need for improve- stocks were not replenished until July, the second ments with regard to the water and sanitation sup- wave of distribution only got underway in August, ply. when the worst of the crisis was over.

Three villages (located in Debar, Kichevo and Struga Staff from the two Red Cross entities cooperated in municipalities), each representing a different ethnic the implementation of this programme, with the sup- make-up of society, were selected after a thorough port of four International Federation delegates. The evaluation process. In November, the International need to strengthen the ties between the various units Federation had finalized water and sanitation con- of each entity became apparent during this process, struction work in the villages providing a total ben- but invaluable experience in dealing with humani- eficiary population of 3,302 people with clean water tarian and governmental actors was gained. The In- and sanitation systems. ternational Federation and the two Red Cross enti- ties were invited to take part in the sessions of the d) Support to the National Society interagency relief group set up to coordinate the as- sistance to Kosovo refugees, beside UNHCR, ICVA The International Federation and PNS operating in and the Ministry for Civil Affairs and Communica- the country provided material and financial support tions of BiH. to the headquarters and numerous branches of the

- 23 - PART D

Conclusions ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Conclusions

On 7 April 1999, the International Red Cross and management tools were inadequate to support such Red Crescent Movement launched an ambitious a model. appeal in response to the crisis in the Balkans. It stated its intention to help meet the needs of the sev- The evaluation stressed that close attention has to eral hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanians be paid to the harmonization of procedures and sys- affected by the events, and also those of the popula- tems, notably in the areas of logistics, statistics, fi- tion of Serbia and Montenegro. It formulated an in- nance and communication, if the Movement is to tegrated regional strategy to this end. capitalize on the Balkan experiment. The role and responsibilities of the joint bodies set up within the The combined participation of all the components of framework of the integrated approach also need to the Movement confirmed the potential impact of a be reviewed, so as to clearly define the hierarchy of concerted Red Cross/Red Crescent operation. It accountability at headquarters and in the field. The enabled the Movement to pull its resources together conclusions of an internal management review of the and to allocate them in the most efficient way possi- integrated operation, carried out by the Arthur ble by relying on the support of sound local struc- Andersen auditing firm in the second half of 1999, tures in the form of the operating National Societies. were largely similar. Thanks partly to this approach, the Movement was able to work both inside Yugoslavia and in neigh- The evaluation report makes 30 recommendations. bouring countries, and to achieve a high degree of These are now under consideration by International proximity to the victims. It enabled the Movement to Federation and ICRC senior management, which has assist more than one million beneficiaries between set up internal ICRC/Federation working groups to March and December 1999. address the question of the harmonization of oper- ating systems and procedures. National Societies In the heavily politicized context of the Balkan crisis, are associated with these discussions within the this joint approach had another significant impact. framework of the Standing Commission’s Working The confusion that prevailed between military and Group on the conduct of international relief opera- humanitarian operations was unprecedented and the tions. Finally, numerous workshops bringing together challenge to maintaining a strictly impartial humani- members of various International Federation and tarian approach was real. The creation of a strong ICRC services are being organized to consider strictly and substantial Red Cross force, under the leader- technical matters. ship of the International Federation and the ICRC, at least ensured that a space for independent and Although significant improvements in efficiency could neutral humanitarian action was preserved. be made by reviewing management tools and coor- dination mechanisms, the overall structure of the The activities of the International Federation and the Movement and the specific roles entrusted to its dif- ICRC in the Balkans have been the subject of exter- ferent components are not called into question by nal and internal audits. A team of independent ex- the integrated approach. Quite the contrary: the in- perts has already evaluated the results, relevance, tegrated model enabled the Movement to achieve effectiveness and efficiency of the approach adopted critical mass in an extremely competitive and by the Movement. Their final report, released in crowded humanitarian environment, thereby enhanc- March 2000, indicated that the decision to integrate ing the ICRC’s ability to fulfil its protection mandate the operation through a joint management structure and the ability of the International Federation to sup- was appropriate in view of the regional dimension of port the development of the Albanian, Macedonian the crisis, and enhanced the impact of the Red Cross and Yugoslav Red Cross Societies. response. The final results of the emergency opera- tion were favourable, with high levels of satisfaction All in all, the need for certain adjustments does not recorded among beneficiaries. However, the report contradict the fact, made apparent by the 1999 Bal- also concluded that even though there was a firm kans crisis, that when acting as a whole the Red resolve to adopt a common approach for the Move- Cross and Red Crescent Movement is greater than ment, the existing coordination mechanisms and the sum of its individual parts.

- 25 - ANNEX 1

Graphs and charts

The information presented in these graphs and charts relates solely to operations implemented within the framework of the integrated appeal. These graphs and charts do not include or cover RC/RC activities implemented outside this framework. ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

1 - A * Cover activities in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo

- 27 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

1 - B

Graphs and charts - Kosovo

NO. OF EXPATRIATE STAFF* 120

100

80

60

40 No. of expatriate staff 20

0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ICRC International Federation

* Average per month

RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS - NO. OF BENEFICIARIES**

120000

100000

80000

60000

40000

No. of beneficiaries 20000 Non-food

0 Food Apr May Jun Agro Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

** Figures are indicative and include different types of beneficiaries

- 28 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

1 - C

Graphs and charts - Serbia and Montenegro

NO. OF EXPATRIATE STAFF* 40

35

30

25

20

15

10 No. of expatriate staff

5

0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ICRC International Federation

* Average per month

RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS - NO. OF BENEFICIARIES**

300000

250000

200000

150000

100000

No. of beneficiaries 50000

0 Apr May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Food and non-food

** Figures are indicative and include different types of beneficiaries Figures do not include the existing refugee caseload

- 29 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

1 - D

Graphs and charts - Albania

NO. OF EXPATRIATE STAFF* 70

60

50

40

30

20 No. expatriate staff

10

0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ICRC International Federation

* Average per month

RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS - NO. OF BENEFICIARIES

350000

300000

250000

200000

150000

100000 No. of beneficiaries 50000 Refugees

0 Social Cases April May June July Host Families** Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

** Five beneficiaries per family

- 30 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

1 - E

Graphs and charts - FYR of Macedonia

NO. OF EXPATRIATE STAFF* 45

40

35

30

25

20

15

No. of expatriate staff 10

5

0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

ICRC International Federation

* Average per month

RELIEF DISTRIBUTIONS - NO. OF BENEFICIARIES

140000

120000

100000

80000

60000

40000 Vulnerable families** Ref. in host families No. of beneficiaries 20000 Persons in institutions 0 Host families*** Apr May Jun Ref. in camps Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

** Four beneficiaries per family *** Five beneficiaries per family

- 31 - ANNEX 2

Other National Society Projects ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Other National Society projects

The ICRC, the International Federation and National Societies closely coordinated their activities in the Balkans within the framework of the integrated appeal. PNS also implemented projects outside this frame- work. These other Red Cross/Red Crescent projects are catalogued below. The list is however not exhaus- tive.

In Kosovo, the following bilateral projects were implemented:

Ÿ the Austrian Red Cross provided 26 villages in the Istok/Istog area with food, non-food items, seed, farm tools, firewood and construction materials;

Ÿ the Belgian Red Cross (French section), distributed 162 tonnes of food and 21 tonnes of hy- giene material, clothes, blankets, tents and bean seeds and rehabilitated buildings in Suharekë/ Suva Reka;

Ÿ the Canadian Red Cross supported the well cleaning programm in Kosovo;

Ÿ the Danish Red Cross worked on shelters and on reconstruction of 1,500 houses, two schools and two clinics in the Vushtrri/Vucitern and Mitrovica areas, and assisted the Shtimle/Stimje Insti- tute;

Ÿ as part of repair programme, the French Red Cross finished work on 800 houses in the Skanderaj/ Serbica region and in Mitrovica, and distributed monthly food and non-food rations to 10,000 beneficiaries;

Ÿ the German Red Cross delivered building supplies for the construction of 500 houses in the Pec/Peja region, competed renovation on its paediatric clinic, rehabilitated a health centre in Strpce/Shtrpce and in November distributed winter items to 10,000 beneficiaries;

Ÿ the Italian Red Cross completed an assessment of the gynaecological clinic in Pec/Peja and started renovation work;

Ÿ the Kuwaiti Red Crescent carried out ad hoc relief distributions through the local Red Cross;

Ÿ the Saudi Red Crescent provided seven ambulances to seven hospitals in Pristina, Ferizaj/ Urosevac, Decan, Gnjilane/Gjilane, Pec/Peja, Prizren and Mitrovica, and medicines to 10 health centres;

Ÿ the Swiss Red Cross rebuilt 340 houses and two schools in Voksh/Voksa and Isniq/Istinic, and is involved in assistance programme in the region;

Ÿ the Kuwaiti Red Crescent carried out relief distributions in Kosovo from its base in Skopje;

Ÿ the Turkish Red Crescent distributed food and non-food items to 26,000 people in the Prizren region, while a Turkish Red Crescent mobile medical team covered 36 villages around Prizren, providing 6,000 people with primary health care services;

Ÿ the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent reconstructed 1,000 houses in five villages in the Vushtrri/Vucitern region and in July and August supplied relief assistance for 27’000 beneficiar- ies. It also worked on reconstruction in the region of Djakovica/Gjakova and Pec/Peja.

- 33 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

In Serbia and Montenegro, the following bilateral projects were implemented:

Ÿ the Finnish Red Cross began reconstruction of the Dragisa Misovic Hospital in Belgrade (bilat- eral programme);

Ÿ the German Red Cross rehabilitated a health centre in Kragujevac (bilateral programme).

In Albania, the following bilateral projects were implemented:

Ÿ the American Red Cross provided assistance for 30,000 vulnerable people in eight districts;

Ÿ with some 50 delegates, the Austrian Red Cross supported a camp in Shkodra which accommo- dated up to 3,100 refugees. This National Society assumed responsibility for camp management, the provision of food and health care. It also provided other services, such as school and recrea- tional areas;

Ÿ the French and Flemish sections of the Belgian Red Cross ran a camp in Durres, which had a capacity for 3,000 refugees, and provided the refugees and the neighbour population with medi- cal, psychosocial, food and non-food assistance;

Ÿ the Belgian (French section) and Netherlands Red Cross Societies took on the management of a refugee camp based in Vlore, which had a capacity for 5,000 persons;

Ÿ the Danish Red Cross built and managed a refugee camp in Lezha, where some 2,000 Kosovo Albanians were accommodated at the height of the crisis. This National Society provided building materials for the camp, as well as tents, sanitation equipment, hygiene parcels, blankets, mat- tresses, generators, cars and trucks, clothes, food;

Ÿ the French Red Cross rehabilitated the Elbasan psychiatric hospital;

Ÿ in Korce, the German Red Cross provided services to a refugee camp accommodating 5,000 people. These services included the provision of water supply, sanitation and health services as well as the distribution of food parcels. It also implemented a health assistance programme for 14 hospitals and rehabilitated the Kukes hospital;

Ÿ the Hellenic Red Cross ran a refugee camp in the southern town of Pogradec, which housed some 1,100 people.

Ÿ the Italian Red Cross, with an expatriate staff of approximately 300 Italian RC volunteers, ran camps in both Kukes and Durres Kavaje, accomodating some 15,000 refugees at the peak of the crisis. It provided social activities and schools and schools for children in both camps, produced some 370,000 hot meal and organized two field hospitals treating some 14,000 patients. It also provided water and sanitation services in Kavaje.

Ÿ the Kuwaiti Red Crescent supplied food parcels to refugees with host families;

Ÿ working under the umbrella of the Joint Saudi Relief Committee, the Saudi Red Crescent oper- ated several health posts and a 40-bed hospital;

Ÿ the Spanish Red Cross supported a camp for 5,000 near Duress and for 2,000 in Berat, in cooperation with Caritas Spain. It also provided relief assistance for 10,000 vulnerable people for six months in the region of Tirana;

- 34 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Ÿ the Swiss Red Cross provided assistance to refugees remaining in the country following the cessation of the hostilities as well as 3,600 vulnerable people in the south for three months. It continued its rehabilitation work on the Fier hospital;

Ÿ the Turkish Red Crescent supported a camp for 4,200 refugees in Elbasan. Facilities provided included electricity and water supply, six mobile kitchens, latrines, a medical post and two schools where 24 Kosovo teachers taught some 700 pupils;

Ÿ the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent established and managed a camp for 10,000 refugees in the Kukes area. A 200-bed hospital with operating room was included in the camp, which treated some 19,000 patients. This was undertaken in cooperation with other UAE government agencies.

In FRY of Macedonia, the following bilateral projects were implemented:

Ÿ the American Red Cross supported the social case programme, assisting 12,400 families in south-western Macedonia;

Ÿ the German Red Cross supported the Movement ‘s social case programme, providing help to approximately 7,000 families in the cities of Kumanovo, Radovish and Sveti Nikols. In a separate social case programme, it provided 10,000 people in Gostiva with 140 tonnes of flour monthly;

Ÿ within the framework of the social case programme, the French Red Cross distributed food assistance to 6,500 families;

Ÿ the Kuwaiti Red Crescent volunteers completed the packaging of 4,340 food parcels made from 37 tonnes of goods donated by this National Society;

Ÿ the Spanish Red Cross provided help for the MRC summer camp for children in Pretor;

Ÿ the Turkish Red Crescent ran a camp for 5,000 refugees in Boyana. Facilities provided included two schools where 26 Kosovo teachers taught nearly 600 pupils.

- 35 - ANNEX 3

Operational maps

Maps presented in this annex are for information purposes only and are not in- tended to have any political significance. Names used on these maps do not imply official endorsement by the RC/RC Movement. ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Presence of the ICRC and the International Federation

HUNGARY Subotica

Sombor VOJVODINABecej REP. of CROATIA

Vukovar Novi Sad Vrsac ROMANIA Banja Luka Bijeljina Sabac BELGRADE Pozarevac Tuzla Valijevo BOSNIA - HERZEGOVINAZenica Jagodina Kragujevac Paracin Zajecar Cecak PALE Uzice Kralijevo SARAJEVO SERBIA Krusevac Knjazevac Gorazde FEDERAL REPUBLIC of YUGOSLAVIA Prijepolje Nis Mostar Prokuplje Novi Pazar Trebinje MONTENEGRO Rozaje Mitrovica Niksic Berane Pec Pristina BULGARIA Podgorica Dakovica KOSOVO Bajram Curri Gnjilane Urosevac Kruma PrizrenJazince Tabanovce Bar Shkoder Blace Kukes Ulcinj Tetovo SKOPJE Lezhë Bojane Gostivar ADRIATIC SEA FORMER YUGOSLAV REP. of Durres TIRANA MACEDONIA

Elbassan

ALBANIABerat Fier ITALY Korce Vlora 0 0 0 2 _ 2 1 _

Gjirokaster E D E GREECE F _ R

Saranda C _ S E R P _ K L A B

0 75 km /

C R C I ICRC and International Federation delegation ICRC and International Federation delegation sub-delegation /office /mission

- 37 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Delegated Projects - Kosovo

FEDERALBELGRADE REPUBLIC HUNGARY SLOVENIA ROMANIA of YUGOSLAVIA CROATIA

SERBIA BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA FED. REP. of YUGOSLAVIA B U L G

KOSOVO A R I A F Y R of MACEDONIA ALBANIA GREECE 1 Mitrovica 1 Glogovac MONTENEGRO 10 Istok 9 Srbica Pristina 10 8 6 9 SERBIA 4 9 Pec 10 Klina Podgorica 4 10 3 5 7 Decane 9 Gnjilane 4 4 10 8

4 Dakovica 5 Bajram Curri 2 Jazince Prizren 8 31 SKOPJE Kukes FORMER YUGOSLAV 0 0

ALBANIA 0 REP. of MACEDONIA 2 . 2 1

J O R P _ G

TIRANA E L E D _ S O K ICRC delegation ICRC sub-delegation ICRC office 40 km / C R C I 1 American RC 31 Belgian RC 5 Finnish RC 7 Japanese RC 9 Norwegian RC 2 Austrian RC 4 British RC 6 German RC 8 Netherlands RC 10 Spanish RC

- 38 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Delegated Projects - Serbia and Montenegro

HUNGARY

Beli Manastir Osijek VOJVODINA CROATIA Vukovar 2 Novi Sad ROMANIA

Bijeljina BELGRADE Tuzla BOSNIA and 1 HERZEGOVINAZenica SERBIA 4 Kragujevac PALE 31 Kraljevo Gorazde FEDERAL REPUBLIC of YUGOSLAVIA 5 Nis Mostar

MONTENEGRO KOSOVO Trebinje Rozaje Mitrovica Berane

Pec 0

Pristina 0 0 2

BULGARIA .

Podgorica Gnjilane 2 Dakovica 1

J O

Urosevac R P Herceg-Novi Prizren _ G E L E

Ulcinj D _ FORMER YUGOSLAV B ALBANIA SKOPJE R E S ADRIATIC SEA REP. of MACEDONIA / C R C I

1 Belgian RC 31 Danish RC 5 German RC 2 Canadian RC 4 Italian RC

The Swedish RC had delegated activities in Serbia which did not have a set geographical base.

- 39 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Emergency Response Units - Albania MONTENEGRO F . R . Y . Pristina Dubrovnik Podgorica KOSOVO Bajram Curri 31 2 Shkoder Kukes SKOPJE 1 2

Peshkopi ADRIATIC SEA F .Y. R .O 31 MACEDONIA 31

Durres 1 TIRANA Bari Kavage Librazhnd Elbasan Ohrid ALBANIA Fier ITALY Brindisi Korce Vlora

Tepelene Gjirokaster Konitza Delvine GREECE Saranda

Ioannina Corfu

ICRC/ALB_DELEG_PROJ 12.2000 1 Austrian RC 2 Finnish RC 31 Japanese RC

The French RC had delegated activities in Albania which did not have a set geographical base.

- 40 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Emergency Response - Macedonia

FEDERAL REPUBLIC SOFIA Pec Pristina of YUGOSLAVIA Vranje

KOSOVO

Urosevac

Prizren Kriva Palanka 2 Kukes 2 1 Kumanovo Tetovo 1 SKOPJE BULGARIA 3 31 Gostivar Titov Veles Peshkopi Debar Kicevo FORMER YUGOSLAV

RusjaciRE P. ofPrilep MACEDONIA Struga Librazhd Ohrid ALBANIA Resen Suvodol Bitola Pogradec 0 0 0 2 . 2 1

GREECE J O R P _ G E

ICRC office L E D

_ E C A

ICRC sub-delegation M / C R C I 1 American RC 2 German RC 31 Norwegian RC with assistance from “Palestine RC”

The French, British and Finnish RC had delegated activities in FYROM which did not have a set geographical base.

- 41 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Other National Society Projects - Kosovo

FEDERALBELGRADE REPUBLIC HUNGARY SLOVENIA ROMANIA of YUGOSLAVIA CROATIA

SERBIA BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA FED. REP. of YUGOSLAVIA B U L G

KOSOVO A R I A F Y R of MACEDONIA ALBANIA GREECE 4 8 Mitrovica 4 10Glogovac MONTENEGRO 2 Istok 5 Srbica 8 Pristina 6 7 SERBIA Pec Klina Podgorica 8 10 4 8 8 Decane 31 8 Gnjilane 1 10 Dakovica Bajram Curri Jazince Prizren 6 9 SKOPJE Kukes FORMER YUGOSLAV

ALBANIA 0

REP. of MACEDONIA 0 0 2 . 2 1

J O R P

TIRANA _ H T O _ S O K ICRC delegation ICRC sub-delegation ICRC office 40 km / C R C I 1 American RC 31 Belgian RC 5 French RC 7 Italian RC 9 Turkish RC 2 Austrian RC 4 Danish RC 6 German RC 8 Saudi Arabian RC 10 RC of the United Arab Emirates

The Canadian and Kuwait RC had activities in Kosovo which did not have a set geographical base.

- 42 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Other National Society Projects - Serbia and Montenegro

HUNGARY

Beli Manastir Osijek VOJVODINA CROATIA Vukovar Novi Sad ROMANIA

Bijeljina 1 BELGRADE Tuzla BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINAZenica SERBIA 2 Kragujevac PALE Kraljevo Gorazde FEDERAL REPUBLIC of YUGOSLAVIA Nis Mostar

MONTENEGRO KOSOVO Trebinje Rozaje Mitrovica Berane Pec Pristina 0

BULGARIA 0 Podgorica Gnjilane 0 2

Dakovica . 2 1

Urosevac J O

Herceg-Novi Prizren R P _ H T

Ulcinj O _ FORMER YUGOSLAV B ALBANIA SKOPJE R E S ADRIATIC SEA REP. of MACEDONIA / C R C I 1 Finnish RC 2 German RC

- 43 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Other National Society projects - Albania MONTENEGRO F . R . Y . Pristina Dubrovnik Podgorica KOSOVO Bajram Curri

5 7 1 Shkoder Kukes 9 13 SKOPJE

31 Peshkopi ADRIATIC SEA F .Y. R .O ALBANIA MACEDONIA 9 Durres TIRANA 2 10 Bari 7 10Kavage Librazhnd 4 Elbasan Ohrid 12

6 ITALY Fier 9 Brindisi 11 10 9 5 Korce 2 Vlora 8 Tepelene Gjirokaster Konitza Delvine Saranda GREECE 0 0 0 2 . 2 1

Ioannina J O R P

Corfu _ H T O _ B L A / C R C I 1 Austrian RC 4 French RC 7 Italian RC 10 Spanish RC 13 RC of the United Arab Emirates 2 Belgian RC 5 German RC 8 Netherlands RC 11 Swiss RC 31 Danish RC 6 Hellenic RC 9 Saudi Arabian RC 12 Turkish RC

The American and Kuwait RC had non-delegated activities in Albania which did not have a set geographical base.

- 44 - ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Other National Society projects - Macedonia

FEDERAL REPUBLIC SOFIA Pec Pristina of YUGOSLAVIA Vranje

KOSOVO

Urosevac

Prizren Kriva2 Palanka Kukes Tetovo 31 Kumanovo 4 SKOPJE 5 BULGARIA 2 2 Gostivar 2 Titov Veles Peshkopi

Debar Kicevo FORMER YUGOSLAV

Rusjaci REP. of MACEDONIA 1 Prilep Struga Librazhd Ohrid ALBANIA Resen1 Suvodol Bitola Pogradec 0 0 0 2 .

GREECE 2 1

J O R P _

ICRC office H T O

_ E C A

ICRC sub-delegation M / C R C I 1 American RC 31 Kuwait RC 5 Turkish RC 2 German RC 4 Spanish RC The French RC had non-delegated activities in FYROM which did not have a set geographical base.

- 45 - ANNEX 4

Reference material ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis ICRC/International Federation Report on the integrated appeal to the 1999 Balkans crisis

Reference material

Evaluation sponsored by the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement

The Balkans evaluation: An examination of the role of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s response to the Balkans crisis (April 2000)

Joint ICRC/International Federation documents

Integrated appeal of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in response to the crisis in the Balkans (7 April 1999)1

Revised integrated appeal of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in response to the situation in the Balkans (26 July 1999)1

Updates on the Red Cross/Red Crescent response to the crisis in the Balkans1

Crisis in the Balkans - Situation Reports1

International Federation documents

Annual Report - 1999

ICRC documents

Annual Report - 1999

Quarterly Donor Reports

1 These documents can be accessed on the ICRC Web site (www.icrc.org\eng\balkans), on the International Federation Web site (www.ifrc.org) or on the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Web site (www.redcross.altertnet.org\eng).

- 47 -