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  • Red Cross faces shortfall of =?UNKNOWN?B?4l7DrDg4bQ==?=

    Red Cross faces shortfall of â^¬88m

    Irish Times
    Sep 30, 2004

    SWITZERLAND: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
    yesterday appealed to donors to make up an â^¬88 million shortfall
    in its operational budget for 2004, largely in response to a total
    of 11 armed conflicts, some forgotten and others that are frequently
    in the headlines.

    The ICRC sought to draw special attention to the on-going humanitarian
    needs arising from armed conflicts affecting millions of lives
    in Afghanistan, Angola, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the
    Congo, Ethiopia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Russian
    Federation, Serbia and Montenegro, Sudan, Uganda and the countries
    of the southern Caucasus (Armenia and Azerbaijan).

    "It is vital for the ICRC to be able to respond impartially to needs
    when and where they arise. The impact and credibility of our action
    depends on our capacity to support people and communities caught up
    in armed conflicts and internal violence around the world," said Mr
    Pierre Krähenb'hl, ICRC director of operations, speaking at the
    organisation's Geneva HQ. The shortfall represents 20 per cent of
    its field budget for 2004.

    ICRC said that public attention and commitments made by the
    international community had not yet resulted in sufficient support
    for the ICRC's operations in Sudan (Darfur and the southern part of
    the country), where the organisation is â^¬13 million short of its
    funding goal of â^¬25 million.

    Sudan is currently the organisation's largest and most complex
    operation, covering enormous swathes of territory, including Darfur
    itself, which is the size of France. It was following a meeting
    between the Sudanese president, Mr Omar El Bashir, and the ICRC
    president, Mr Jacob Kallenberger, earlier this year that Darfur was
    finally opened up to aid agencies in March. The organisation visits
    thousands of prisoners of war throughout the country, including 700
    government soldiers held by Sudanese rebel groups.

    The ICRC is a private, Swiss, independent organisation which, in
    accordance with the Geneva Conventions, has been visiting people
    detained in connection with armed conflicts since 1915. In 2003, ICRC
    representatives visited 450,000 detainees in 80 countries, including
    all those for which this renewed appeal for funds has been launched.

    Donor fatigue is particularly evident in terms of support for ICRC
    operations in Israel and Palestine, Chechnya, Colombia and Uganda. All
    of these operations in response to on-going conflicts are running
    deficits of over 60 per cent.

    The response has also been slow for operations in places like Angola
    where fighting has ended, refugees are returning from neighbouring
    countries but huge problems remain, particularly in the form of
    landmines and other unexploded ordinance, and the restoration of
    basic services to vulnerable populations.

    "The ICRC continues to rely on timely, quality contributions from its
    donor community to pursue its activities. While the overall level of
    support for our work has been remarkable, major humanitarian operations
    remain significantly underfunded. This financial shortfall needs to
    be redressed", said Mr Krähenb'hl.
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