ICRC in Armenia 2018 OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES ASSISTING CIVILIANS ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER The ICRC is an independent, neutral We support the population of Tavush region, helping to mitigate the consequences organization ensuring humani- of hostilities felt by civilians living along the international border. tarian protection and assistance for We help village population find alternative meters, public taps, pipelines, concrete victims of armed conflict and other income opportunities to farming in insecure manholes and other technical components. situations of violence. Since 1992, areas along the border. Since 2016, we Since 2015, with our partner Armenian Red the ICRC has been present in the launched targeted assistance to most Cross Society (ARCS), we have raised region in relation to the Nagorno- vulnerable households in Barekamavan, community awareness on safe behavior and Karabakh conflict. Through its Dovegh and Aygepar communities, where danger of mines and unexploded devices, socio-economic situations are particularly delegations in Yerevan and Baku and organized training in first aid. In 2018, challenging. As a result, 145 most vulnerable and the mission in Nagorno- with instructors of the ARCS, we organized families received financial assistance to start Karabakh, the ICRC acts as a neutral first-aid courses, provided life-saving skills small-scale businesses, following the intermediary between the parties and first aid boxes to around 200 members detailed household economic survey of civil protection rescue teams, in the scope to the conflict to address issues of conducted together with local Red Cross of the two-year cooperation program primary humanitarian concern. volunteers. Additionally, we provided between the Ministry of Emergency multipurpose cash assistance to 50 Situations of Armenia, the ARCS and the In Armenia, we focus on civilians extremely vulnerable families who were ICRC. living along the international unable to start business activities because of border, missing persons and their their age, health condition or other With the increased security risks in Tavush families, mine victims and people circumstances. In such cases, we work to region, we supported 14 communities to set build multilateral support from within the up passive protective measures, which deprived of their liberty. In addition, community, local authorities and reduced direct exposure of civilians to we promote the dissemination and organizations to accompany our effort in shooting and shrapnel, enabling the implementation of the finding sustainable solutions to their community to live, work and move outdoors International Humanitarian Law problems. In 2019, we will start working in in relative safety. In 2018, we continued to (IHL) among national authorities, Berkaber. construct safer spaces, wall-in exposed windows, and build protective walls for academics and military personnel. For the last eight years, we have helped the kindergartens, schools Our key partner in Armenia is the border communities to increase the quality and other public buildings, Armenian Red Cross Society with and quantity of water by improving the part of which were done whom we coordinate activities condition of infrastructure. In 2018, we thanks to a partnership aimed at assisting people affected supported Sarigyugh, Baghanis, Koti and with the ARCS and the Aygepar through construction of a by the conflict. German Red Cross. pumping station and a water intake, installation of plastic reservoirs, water Overview ՝ CLARIFYING THE FATE OF THE MISSING We support efforts of the sides to the conflict to determine the fate of the missing and to bring answers to their families. Since 1992, we have been working on the ethnic origin registered by its delegations issue of missing people and the plight of in Baku and Yerevan and the mission in their families. Under International Nagorno-Karabakh. This list is a necessary Humanitarian Law (IHL), parties to a tool to help consolidate information and conflict must do all possible to clarify the intensify their efforts towards bringing fate and whereabouts of people who answers to the families. went missing. In line with its mandate, the During 2014-2018, we have been ICRC offers expertise acting as a neutral collecting biological reference samples in intermediary. Through our delegations in the form of buccal swabs from blood Yerevan and Baku and our mission in relatives of the missing. In the future, this Nagorno-Karabakh, we work closely with who might have died during the conflict, data can serve as a complementary tool in Commissions on Prisoners of War, with a view to their future possible identification of human remains when Hostages and Missing People and with recovery and identification. We advise they are discovered or exhumed. Until families of missing persons. members of the working group of the now, in Armenia we have collected Armenian Commission on techniques and Clarification of the fate is a complex samples from 1122 blood relatives of 344 resources to gather and process process which comprises several missing persons. We work on this in information from witnesses, and to components. We gathered detailed data cooperation with the ARCS and jointly identify inhumation sites. We support the on each registered missing person from with the Ministry of Defense and the authorities concerned in terms of the family and handed it over for further Armenian Scientific-Practical Centre of technical equipment and advice for processing to the Commissions. In 2015, Forensic Medicine. fieldwork. the ICRC provided the parties to the We also encourage the parties to the conflict an updated list containing around conflict to map and protect burial sites 4,500 names of the missing people of all believed to contain the remains of people SUPPORTING FAMILIES OF MISSING PERSONS We provide multidisciplinary support to families of the missing, by helping them become financially stable or navigate the legal system, and by offering psychosocial assistance. In their daily lives, many of families of the Cross and other local partners. As part of missing face different economic, social, it, regular group meetings were organized legal and other challenges. Most of all, for the families to address their health, they continue to search for answers, fight social, legal and other issues with for recognition, and talk about their specialists and to have a chance for peer missing relative, not letting him or her interaction. We accompanied families disappear completely in ambiguity and through the long period of uncertainty, as silence. they waited for news about the fate of their missing relative. We organized commemoration events, tree planting and marking the International Day of the Disappeared, to address families’ strong have carried out a housing assistance desire for public acknowledgement of project for vulnerable households in their plight, their need for recognition and cooperation with the Fuller Center for need to remember. These were designed Housing Armenia. Through a revolving to help them find meaning in their loss, fund, 117 selected families received and reaffirm that the family did not interest-free loans and significantly abandon their loved one, while keeping improved their housing conditions. From the memory alive. Since 2011, in the framework of the 2012 - 2018, we have implemented 141 seven-year Accompaniment program, we Economic support to families of the income support projects and provided 88 provided comprehensive support in missing goes hand-in-hand with multipurpose grants to the families of the collaboration with the Armenian Red psychosocial assistance. Since 2011, we missing. 2 ՝ Overview ASSISTING MINE VICTIMS We help mine victims in Armenia to deal with their wide-ranging challenges. We provide support to mine victims and Cross and the Armenian Center for Also in 2018, we provided grants to help their families throughout Armenia, to help Humanitarian Demining and Expertise. In 37 families of mine victims launch income- them deal with their multiple economic, conjunction with the Fuller Center for generating activities, 3 families to cover legal, administrative and physical Housing in Armenia, in 2018 we provided interest on business micro-credits and 2 challenges. We address their issues 22 interest-free loans for families of mine highly vulnerable families to meet the working jointly with the Armenian Red victims to renovate their houses. most pressing needs. ACTING AS A NEUTRAL INTERMEDIARY We work to protect and assist people across the lines. Being neutral and impartial, the ICRC is in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh capable of offering its humanitarian conflict. We help to ensure that they are assistance in conflict situations and to able to maintain contact with their affected people, including prisoners of families and we facilitate their transfer war and civilian internees. Based on its and repatriation on both sides of the mandate enshrined in the Geneva international border and the Line of Conventions, the ICRC has special Contact. prerogatives to access and assist these The ICRC also monitors and documents persons in times of armed conflicts. At the alleged violations of International same time, this role does not involve Humanitarian Law (IHL). These violations negotiating the release of detainees of all highlighting their IHL commitments to include incidents such as the killing or sides of conflicts and may only be enacted distinguish between military and civilian wounding of civilians,