PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT
International Committee of the Red Cross
19, avenue de la Paix
1202 Geneva
Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 730 34 43
Fax: +41 22 734 82 80
press@icrc.org
http://www.icrc.org
ICRC media brief
October 2012
Advance notice of ICRC activities and events, plus information on new footage, films and
photos.
AFRICA
Mali: The humanitarian situation in the north of Mali remains a matter of very serious
concern, as people continue to be hard hit by the effects of the armed conflict and the
ongoing food crisis. The ICRC has stepped up efforts to help address the most urgent needs
in terms of food and health care. Read more in an operational update to be issued in early
October. For further information, please contact Jean-Yves Clémenzo, ICRC Geneva, at
jclemenzo@icrc.org or on +41 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17.
Ethiopia: Visits to detainees held in the federal and regional prisons of the country have
resumed after an interruption of seven years. In Ethiopia as everywhere else in the world, the
aim of the ICRC's visits is to assess treatment and conditions of detention. Read more in an
operational update on the ICRC's activities to be published in mid-October. For further
information, please contact Jean-Yves Clémenzo, ICRC Geneva, at jclemenzo@icrc.org or
on +41 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17.
Cameroon: On the occasion of World First Aid Day, 100 volunteers from the youth branch of
the Cameroon Red Cross in Douala provided street first-aid training for over 3,000 moto-taxi
drivers. Learn more about these activities on our Facebook page in mid-October. For further
information, please contact Marie-Servane Desjonquères, ICRC Geneva, at
mdesjonqueres@icrc.org or on +41 79 536 92 58.
MIDDLE EAST
Syria: As the fighting continues, the civilian population is ever more affected and needs have
increased significantly over the past weeks. The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent
continue to help tens of thousands of people every month. Read our weekly updates at
http://www.icrc.org/eng/where-we-work/middle-east/syria/index.jsp. For further information,
please contact Hicham Hassan at hihassan@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 25 41 or +41 79 563
92 57.
Yemen: In the north of the country, hundreds of heads of families who had to flee their
villages and the fighting have ended up living for years in camps in Sa’ada. The ICRC is
using income-generating projects help people rebuild their lives. Read their stories at
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/feature/2012/yemen-feature-2012-10-01.htm.
In the south, thousands of displaced people have returned home. They now need support to
resume normal lives. Read more about the ICRC's efforts to help them fend for themselves in
an operational update to be published in the third week of October. For further information,
please contact Hicham Hassan at hihassan@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 25 41 or +41 79 563
92 57.
EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
Kazakhstan: Weapons prohibited by international law continue to affect people and the
environment in many places around the world. Under the auspices of the ICRC, about 50
experts from Eastern European and Central Asian countries and regional organizations will
gather in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 2-3 October, to address humanitarian problems arising
from
the
use
of
such
weapons.
Read
the
news
release
at
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/news-release/2012/kazakhstan-news-2012-1001.htm. For further information, please contact Vassily Fadeev, ICRC Geneva, at
vfadeev@icrc.org or on +41 79 536 92 48.
ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
Afghanistan: The ICRC's outgoing head of delegation in Kabul, Reto Stocker, who has been
leading the organization's humanitarian operations in the country for the past six years, will
hold a press conference in Kabul on 8 October to talk about the country's main humanitarian
challenges, the continued lack of safe access to health care and the difficulties in reaching
those in need. Mr Stocker is ending his assignment as the head of one of the ICRC's largest
humanitarian operations. For more information, please contact Robin Waudo, ICRC Kabul, at
rwaudo@icrc.org or on +937 00 28 27 19, or Bijan Farnoudi, ICRC Geneva, at
bfarnoudi@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 21 80 or +41 79 536 92 59.
Bangladesh: A newly built Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed will be inaugurated
in Chittagong on 2 October. A news release will be issued on that occasion. While the A.K.
Khan Foundation has provided the facility with infrastructure and donated property, the ICRC
has equipped the centre's workshop with the necessary tools and supplied prosthetic and
orthotic materials. In 2013, the A.K. Khan-CRP centre expects to treat 250 patients. For
further information, please contact Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Dhaka, at
wsaugeron@icrc.org or on +88 0171 413 3858, or Onchita Shadman, ICRC Dhaka, at
oshadman@icrc.org or on +88 0175 562 1456.
Bangladesh: The eighth edition of the regional Henry Dunant moot court competition for
South Asia will be held in Bangladesh with teams from India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan, Nepal
and Bangladesh on 2 and 13 October. The winner and runner-up teams will represent their
countries at the Asia-Pacific regional competition next year in Hong Kong. A news release, a
photo gallery and a feature will be published on www.icrc.org. For further information, please
contact Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Dhaka, at wsaugeron@icrc.org or on +88 0171 413
3858, or Onchita Shadman, ICRC Dhaka, at oshadman@icrc.org or on +88 0175 562 1456.
Malaysia: The sixth Senior Workshop on International Rules Governing Military Operations
(SWIRMO) will be held in Kuala Lumpur from 7 to 13 October. Jointly hosted by the ICRC
and the Malaysian Ministry of Defence, SWIRMO 2012 will bring together senior military
officers from 70 nations to address the application of international legal frameworks in
modern military operations. For further information and interview requests, please contact
Philippe Stoll, ICRC Geneva, at pstoll@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 31 40 or +41 79 536 92 49,
or Jacqueline Fernandez, ICRC Kuala Lumpur, at jfernandez@icrc.org or on +60 12 334
2635 or +603 2084 1808.
OTHER TOPICS
World Mental Health Day (10 October): In the Eastern province of the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, many inhabitants have been deeply scarred by violence. Former child soldiers
who have rejoined their communities also risk being rejected, feared or stigmatized. In a
photo gallery and a feature story, find out how the ICRC is helping affected communities in
Dakwa, Banda and Doruma by training Congolese Red Cross volunteers, teachers, and
religious or spiritual leaders to better understand symptoms of trauma and to integrate
emotional and psychological support in their own work. For further information, please
contact Marie-Servane Desjonquères, ICRC Geneva, at mdesjonqueres@icrc.org or on +41
79 536 92 58.
World Food Day (16 October): Small producers play an important though often
underestimated role in maintaining food security amid armed conflict. In many contexts, the
ICRC tries to help these producers to continue or to diversify their activities. In an interview,
the ICRC's chief agronomist will explain the challenges facing the organization in its efforts to
help small food producers. For further information, please contact Jean-Yves Clémenzo,
ICRC Geneva, at jclemenzo@icrc.org or on +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17.
Prince of Asturias Award, 25-26 October: The jury of the prestigious award, presided over
by His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, Heir to the throne of Spain, has selected the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for an award in the category of
"International Cooperation." The jury is bestowing the award on the Movement for activities
carried out in armed conflicts such as those in Syria, Libya and Somalia and in connection
with the natural disasters which have beset Haiti, Indonesia and Japan. The Red Cross and
Red Crescent and their volunteers save lives, protect livelihoods, provide support for
recovery after disaster and crisis, enable people to lead a safe and healthy life and promote
social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace. The president of the International
Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, and the president of the International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Tadateru Konoé, will accept the award in the city
of Oviedo on 26 October. A press conference will be held on 25 October in Oviedo. For
further information, please contact Bijan Farnoudi, ICRC Geneva, at bfarnoudi@icrc.org or
on +41 22 730 21 80 or +41 79 536 92 59.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE ICRC
ICRC website: www.icrc.org
ICRC media room: www.icrc.org/eng/media-room/index.jsp
ICRC video newsroom: www.icrcvideonewsroom.org
For ICRC news footage, contact Jan Powell at jpowell@icrc.org or Didier Revol at
drevol@icrc.org
For films and archive footage, contact Marina Meier at mmeier@icrc.org or Florence Zurcher
at fzurcher@icrc.org
ICRC photo collection: www.icrc.org/eng/resources/photos/index.jsp
For photos, contact Fania Khan Mohammad at fkhan@icrc.org, Sabine Haberler Kreis at
shaberler@icrc.org or Thierry Gassman at tgassmann@icrc.org.
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Media contacts: www.icrc.org/eng/who-we-are/contacts/index.jsp