The ICRC has been present in Georgia since 1992. It visits detainees throughout Georgia, including RUSSIAN FEDERATION Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and supports the authorities in bringing tuberculosis in prisons under control. It contributes to efforts to pro- vide answers to families of missing persons and DORI ABKHAZIA KO VALLEY SOUTH OSSETIA protects and assists displaced people and other Gagra Tkvarcheli Gali Tskhinvali Sukhumi Zugdidi PANKISI vulnerable groups in conflict-affected regions. Ochamchira Kutaisi VALLEY Poti TBILISI The ICRC also promotes the integration of GEORGIA AJARA IHL into the training of the armed and security Batumi AZERBAIJAN BLACK SEA forces and into university and school curricula. ARMENIA georgia In cooperation with Movement partners, the ICRC helps to strengthen the capacities of the TURKEY NAKHICHEVAN National Society. IRAN Security zone 100 km ICRC/AR.2005 ICRC delegation ICRC sub-delegationICRC mission ICRC office ICRC-supported prosthetic/orthotic centre EXPENDITURE (IN CHF ,000) Protection 1,370 Assistance 12,419 Prevention 1,280 CONTEXT Cooperation with National Societies 274 General 3 Georgia continued to receive extensive inter- Following the rerun of the Abkhaz presi- national support for the process of eco- dential election, won by Sergei Bagapsh, 15,346 nomic and social reform. The government both Georgia and Abkhazia confirmed their of which: Overheads 937 was able to raise the State budget on three willingness to resume peace negotiations. IMPLEMENTATION RATE occasions, thanks to the increased income The parties met in Geneva and Tbilisi Expenditure/yearly budget 102.4% from customs, taxes and privatization. under the auspices of the UN, and steps Meanwhile, with rising prices and high were taken to finalize a draft agreement on PERSONNEL 25 expatriates unemployment, much of the population the non-resumption of hostilities. However, 335 national staff (daily workers not included) still had difficulty making ends meet. the agreement had yet to be signed by the end of the year. Likewise, the official return KEY POINTS Following the sudden death of Prime of Georgian IDPs to the Gali district had Minister Zurab Zhvania, repeated reshuffles still not taken place. The security situation In 2005, the ICRC: in the executive at central and regional in this district deteriorated steadily, espe- established a permanent presence in South levels hampered the implementation of cially at the end of the year, while the Ossetia following renewed tensions between ambitious reform plans. Kodori Valley and other parts of the cease- the breakaway region and Georgia; visited 19 places of detention (including fire zone between Abkhazia and Georgia 2 in Abkhazia and 2 in South Ossetia) Georgia pursued its efforts to integrate were relatively calm. to monitor the conditions, including the Euro-Atlantic structures, working to imple- functioning of the health system, and ment an Individual Partnership Action Plan In the conflict between Georgia and South maintained its support for the TB control with NATO and to establish a European Ossetia, there was little progress in imple- programme in prisons; Neighbourhood Policy action plan with menting the agreement signed in Sochi in offered technical support to the authorities the European Union. Georgia and Russia November 2004. Tensions remained high, with a view to clarifying the fate of persons missing in relation to the Abkhazia and finally reached agreement on the closure of and several violent incidents undermined South Ossetia conflicts; Russian military bases and the withdrawal prospects for confidence-building. During distributed food and essential household of troops from Georgia by 2008, which actu- the year, both sides presented similar peace items, as well as grants (agricultural, trade ally began in the second half of the year. proposals, calling for a three-stage peace and craft), to some 51,600 vulnerable people The two countries had tense exchanges process involving demilitarization, socio- in Abkhazia and western Georgia and over Russia’s presence and role in Georgia’s economic rehabilitation and the definition rehabilitated 28 collective centres housing conflicts with the breakaway regions of of the breakaway region’s political status. IDPs (including 3 in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict zone); Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Although negotiations continued, there were supported 3 hospitals in Abkhazia and no tangible results. The economy in South 2 physical rehabilitation centres Ossetia was weakened by restrictions on (1 in Tbilisi and 1 in Abkhazia); trade between the conflict zone and nearby supported IHL training for the armed forces; regions. held a national moot-court competition and a national essay competition for law students as part of its efforts to promote IHL. 229 EUROPE AND THE AMERICASGEORGIA MAIN FIGURES AND INDICATORS PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOM (All categories/all statuses) CIVILIANS AND PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOM Detainees visited 8,165 Economic security, water and habitat Detainees visited and monitored individually 22 Food Beneficiaries 51,697 Number of visits carried out 68 Essential household items Beneficiaries 51,606 Number of places of detention visited 19 Agricultural inputs and micro-economic initiatives Beneficiaries 16,987 RESTORING FAMILY LINKS Water-supply schemes and sanitation systems Red Cross messages (RCMs) and reunifications (completed projects) Beneficiaries 5,974 RCMs collected 3,006 Habitat structures Beneficiaries 350 RCMs distributed 3,203 WOUNDED AND SICK People reunited with their families 6 Hospitals supported Structures 3 Tracing requests, including cases of missing persons Admissions Patients 58 People for whom a tracing request was newly registered 34 Operations Operations performed 819 Tracing requests closed positively (persons located) 14 Physical rehabilitation Tracing requests still being handled at 31 December 2005 21 Patients receiving services Patients 1,077 DOCUMENTS ISSUED Prostheses delivered Pieces 343 People to whom travel documents were issued 30 Orthoses delivered Pieces 653 ICRC ACTION In Abkhazia and western Georgia, the ICRC CIVILIANS continued to distribute food and other Given the ongoing tensions and periodic basic supplies to a core of people who were Family links violence in South Ossetia, the ICRC opened most needy and without any productive While assessing whether its RCM network an office in Tskhinvali in order to monitor capacity, while it helped other beneficiaries was still needed, the ICRC found that, and address humanitarian issues related to to start micro-economic initiatives, enabling although communications between Georgia the conflict. The organization carried out them to earn an income in cash or kind, and Abkhazia had improved, telephone calls basic repairs to centres hosting IDPs, as well thus reducing their dependence on external were expensive and the postal service did not as to the emergency surgical facilities of assistance. It also strove to improve the liv- fully cover Abkhazia. Consequently, some key hospitals. ing conditions of IDPs in western Georgia 6,200 people still relied on RCMs to keep in and in the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict touch with family members. The Chechen The ICRC continued to visit detainees held zone through the rehabilitation of collec- community in the Pankisi Valley continued in Georgia proper, Abkhazia and South tive centres. At the same time, the ICRC to be offered the family-links services, but Ossetia. It urged the Georgian government pursued its dialogue with the authorities, they made limited use of it (8 messages to reduce the severe overcrowding in pre- encouraging them to take measures to exchanged and 3 tracing requests opened). trial detention centres, pointing out the improve security, local economic condi- Compared with 2004, the overall volume potential impact on both detainee and tions and access to health care of civilians in of RCMs exchanged decreased by 30%. public health. In the most urgent cases, the conflict-affected areas. ICRC provided beds and bedding and 3,203 RCMs delivered (of which upgraded prison infrastructure and water- As planned, the ICRC maintained its sup- 1,854 in Abkhazia) and 3,006 RCMs supply systems. Working closely with the port to medical facilities in Abkhazia, as collected (of which 1,560 in Abkhazia) government and other international actors well as to physical rehabilitation services 6 people reunited with their families involved, the organization continued to in Tbilisi and Gagra. In partnership with support the tuberculosis (TB) control pro- the health authorities, it organized an assess- The missing gramme in prisons, expanding activities to ment of the national physical rehabilitation More than 12 years on, around 2,000 people include facilities in western Georgia. The policy in Georgia. remained missing in connection with the ICRC completed a comprehensive assess- conflict in Abkhazia and about 120 in con- ment of the management of health services The ICRC also supported the authorities’ nection with the conflict in South Ossetia. for detainees and submitted its recommen- efforts to enact legislation to meet the coun- dations to the justice and health authorities. try’s obligations under IHL and to integrate Despite having new statutes, the Georgian IHL into the curricula of military train- State commission dealing with the search The ICRC remained focused on the issue ing institutions, universities and secondary for missing persons still had to adopt all of