ICRC operations in 2009: A few facts, figures and results

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I C R C

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PRESENCE

In 2009, the ICRC was present in more than 80 countries through

delegations, sub-delegations, offices and missions. Its delegationsand missions were distributed throughout the world as follows:

Africa 27Asia and the Pacific 14Europe and the Americas 27Middle East and North Africa 12

PERSONNEL

The average number of ICRC staff in 2009 was as follows:

Headquarters: 846

Field: expatriates

Expatriates 1,357

National Society staff 143

National staff on temporary mission 16

Field: national staff 9,991

Field: total1

11,507Final total 12,353

FINANCE

ICRC expenditure in 2009 In million

Headquarters CHF 174.2 USD 160.6 EUR 115.5

Field CHF 942.9 USD 869.2 EUR 625.2

The sub-total comes to CHF 1,117.1 million, from which field overheads (CHF 56.8 million) must be deducted in orderto reach the final total.

Final total: CHF 1,060.3 USD 977.4 EUR 703.1

10 largest operations in 2009 in terms of expenditure In million

1 Iraq CHF 85.7 USD 79.0 EUR 56.9

2 Sudan CHF 77.4 USD 71.4 EUR 51.3

3 Pakistan CHF 76.8 USD 70.8 EUR 51.0

4 Afghanistan CHF 75.3 USD 69.4 EUR 50.0

5 Israel and the Occupied Territories CHF 64.7 USD 59.7 EUR 42.9

6 Congo, Democratic Republic of the CHF 60.6 USD 55.9 EUR 40.2

7 Somalia CHF 48.8 USD 45.0 EUR 32.4

8 Colombia CHF 34.6 USD 31.9 EUR 22.9

9 Sri Lanka CHF 30.9 USD 28.5 EUR 20.5

10 Chad CHF 27.8 USD 25.7 EUR 18.5

Exchange rates: USD 1.00 = CHF 1.0848; EUR 1.00 = CHF 1.5080

1. This figure does not include an average of 1,350 daily workers hired

by the ICRC in the field



ICRC OPERATIONS IN 2009: A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES

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VISITS TO DETAINEES

ICRC delegates visited 479,669 detainees, 43,152 of whomwere monitored individually (2,882 women; 1,759 minors), heldin 1,890 places of detention in 74 countries and in 4 differentinternational courts. Of this numbe r, 28,170 detainees(2,425 women; 1,486 minors) were registered and visited forthe first time in 2009.

With support provided by the ICRC, 28,079 detainees benefited

from family visits.

A total of 23,473 detention attestations were issued.

RESTORING FAMILY LINKS

The ICRC collected 253,764 and distributed 254,960 Red Cross

messages, thus enabling members of families separated as aresult of armed conflict, disturbances or tensions to exchangenews. Among these messages, 71,921 were collected from and

70,833 distributed to detainees. In addition, 12,054 phone callswere facilitated between family members, often between detaineesand their relatives. The ICRC also made 12,971 phone calls tofamilies to inform them of the whereabouts of a detained relativevisited by its delegates.

The ICRC registered 2,294 unaccompanied/separated children(598 girls), including 656 demobilized children (10 girls)during 2009. Once their families had been located and withthe agreement of the children and their relatives, it organized thereunification of 1,025 children (272 girls) with their families.By the end of the year, the cases of 1,698 unaccompanied/separated

children (including 272 demobilized children) were still being

handled, which involved tracing their relatives, maintaining

contacts between the children and their families, organizing

family reunification and/or identifying another long-term solutionfor the children concerned.

The ICRC established the whereabouts of 4,128 people forwhom tracing requests had been filed by their families. The ICRCwebsite www.familylinks.icrc.org allowed the publication of 83,093 names of people wishing to contact relatives and friends or

being sought by their relatives. At the end of the year, the ICRCwas still taking action to locate 45,605 people (3,951 women;

5,009 minors at the time of disappearance) for their families.

The ICRC reunited 1,063 people (including 1,025 minors)with their families. It organized the transfer or repatriation of 15,334 people, including 120 detainees after their release. It alsoorganized the transfer or repatriation of 784 sets of humanremains. It issued travel documents that enabled 4,152 peopleto return to their home countries or to settle in a host country.

It relayed 3,790 official documents of various types betweenfamily members across borders and front lines.

A total of 932,905 people contacted ICRC offices worldwidefor services or advice regarding issues related to protection andfamily links.

ASSISTANCE

In 2009, the ICRC ran assistance programmes in 47 countries.The bulk of the work was carried out in Afghanistan, Chad,Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Georgia,Iraq, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan,the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Somalia,

Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

ASSISTANCE SUPPL IES

In 2009, the ICRC purchased or received as contributions in kind the following assistance supplies:

In million

Food items 88,515 tonnes CHF 69

Seed 4,847 tonnes CHF 6

Essential household items 23,217 tonnes CHF 57Including:

885,736 blankets

9,034 tents

366,643 tarpaulins

262,314 kitchen sets

230,945 hygiene kits

1,183 tonnes of clothing

Medical and physical rehabilitation items CHF 35

Water and habitat items CHF 16

TOTAL CHF 183

USD 168

EUR 121Exchange rates: USD 1.00 = CHF 1.0848; EUR 1.00 = CHF 1.5080



ICRC ANNUAL REPORT 2009

ECONOMIC SECURITY

During the year, ICRC activities to ensure economic security,often implemented together with host National Societies,directly benefited households and communities in 37 countriesworldwide. More than 4,068,000 internally displaced people,returnees, residents (in general, people living in rural areasand/or areas difficult to reach owing to insecurity and/or lack of

infrastructure) and people deprived of their freedom receivedaid in the form of food and 4,488,000 in the form of essential

household and hygiene items. Around 23% and 16% of thebeneficiaries of food and essential household and hygiene itemsrespectively were IDPs, around 27% and 26% respectively were women and around 49% and 49% respectively children.In addition, some 2,931,000 people (of whom around 46% wereIDPs) benefited from livelihood support through sustainablefood-production programmes or micro-economic initiatives.These included various response mechanisms ranging from

the rehabilitation of traditional irrigation systems to small-scalecommunity-based cash-for-work and livestock-management/support projects.

WATER AND HABITAT

In 2009, the ICRC expatriate and national engineers and

technicians were involved in water, sanitation and constructionwork in 39 countries. These projects catered for the needs of some 14,249,000 people worldwide (IDPs, returnees, residents –in general, people living in rural areas and/or areas difficultto reach owing to insecurity and/or lack of infrastructure – andpeople deprived of their freedom). Around 32% and 41% of thebeneficiaries were women and children respectively.

HEALTH CARE SERVICES

During the year, the ICRC regularly supported 268 hospitals and373 other health care facilities around the world. An estimated5,587,000 people (50% women; 31% children) benefited fromICRC-supported health care facilities. Community health

programmes were implemented in 20 countries, in many caseswith National Society participation.

More than 25,500 weapon-wounded and 143,300 non-weapon- wounded (surgical) patients were admitted to ICRC-supportedhospitals in 19 countries where more than 161,400 surgical

operations were performed. In these hospitals, more than332,000 other patients were treated,including 129,100 women andgirls receiving gynaecological/obstetric care. Some 1.24 millionpeople were treated as outpatients.The ICRC regularly supported33 first-aid posts located near combat zones, which providedemergency treatment, mainly for weapon-wounded patients.

CARE FOR THE DISABLED

ICRC physical rehabilitation technicians provided support to82 centres in 23 countries, enabling 182,712 patients (including32,479 women and 47,502 children) to receive services. A total of

8,821 new patients were fitted with prostheses and 20,148 withorthoses. The centres produced and delivered 20,057 prostheses

(including 2,741 for women and 1,092 for children; 7,138 for minevictims) and 42,279 orthoses (including 7,166 for women and

23,373 for children; 535 for mine victims). In addition,2,652 wheelchairs and 26,860 crutches and sticks were

distributed, most of them locally manufactured. Training of local staff was a priority in order to ensure sustainable servicesfor patients.

WEAPON CONTAMINATON

Throughout the year, the Weapon Contamination Sector

provided operational support to delegations, National Societiesand political authorities in 22 contexts (19 delegations).The Sector also worked with the UN and NGOs to furtherdevelop and strengthen international mine-action standardsand coordination.

FORENSICS SERVICES

During 2009, the ICRC’s forensic services supported fieldoperations in more than 40 countries in all regions, to help

prevent and resolve cases of missing persons, including inemergencies. Activities consisted mainly of promoting andsupporting the implementation of forensic best practice for theproper and dignified recovery, management and identification of human remains in armed conflict, other situations of violence

and natural disaster. In addition,a variety of internal and externaltraining, dissemination and networking activities, includingfor National Societies, were conducted to build countries’ capaci-ties to deal with the problem and to raise general awareness of the issue.

ICRC COOPERATION WITH NATIONAL SOCIETIES

The aim of the ICRC’s cooperation with National Societies isto strengthen operational relationships and dialogue withMovement partners, for the greater benefit of people affected by armed conflict and internal strife.

In the vast majority of the countries where the ICRC operates,

it does so in partnership with National Societies in their owncountries and with the support of National Societies workinginternationally. Overall, it is estimated that more than one thirdof the ICRC’s operational activities are carried out in coopera-tion with the National Society of the country concerned.

As part of this relationship, the ICRC also contributed to boostingthe capacity of these National Societies.A total of CHF 82.0 million

was spent to help National Societies in their own countriesstrengthen their capacity to carry out their own activities and topartner with the ICRC wherever possible. This included:

CHF 37.0 million for their preparedness and activitiesrelating to health, relief assistance and activities toreduce the impact of weapon contamination on peopleCHF 30.1 million for their work to promote and

spread knowledge of IHL and to support them aseffective members of the Movement networkin respecting the Fundamental Principles

CHF 14.9 million for their work to restore family links,including responding to needs resulting from naturaldisasters, in conformity with the Restoring Family LinksStrategy for the Movement



ICRC OPERATIONS IN 2009: A FEW FACTS AND FIGURES

94

PUBLIC COMMUNICATION

In 2009, thanks to the media relations work carried out by fielddelegations and the Public and Media Relations Unit at head-quarters, the ICRC’s humanitarian concerns and activitiescontinued to be covered by media worldwide. According to theFactiva database, which compiles print and online media sourcesworldwide, the ICRC was mentioned more than 19,870 times

in 2009. For example, in relation to the hostilities in the Gaza Stripat the beginning of 2009, information relating to the ICRC

was mentioned 1,987 times between 27 December 2008 and11 January 2009.

The ICRC also produced some 100 print and audiovisualproducts, including 15 video news items, which were issued tobroadcasters worldwide, and 29 other video news items and filmsfor use with various target groups.

The ICRC website received around 3.5 million visitors whoviewed about 16.2 million pages in total. This represents anincrease of about 9.5% compared with the previous year.

The ICRC distributed some 8,468 copies of films and 525,527publications worldwide.

Broadcast tracking showed that the ICRC’s news footage was

widely broadcast all over the world, with nearly 700 news itemsbroadcast on over 35 channels, including Al Jazeera Internationaland BBC World.

In 2009, in order to mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of

Solferino and the 60th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions,the ICRC and the International Federation jointly launched the

“Our world. Your move.” communication campaign. More than560 public events were organized in over 130 countries, fromexhibitions to first-aid demonstrations and round-table discus-sions. National Societies in 135 countries used the campaign

slogan and tools to promote the campaign and its key messages,with 74% saying that the campaign increased their media cover-

age. The campaign received broad media coverage at global andlocal level with preliminary analysis showing that it was pickedup by news outlets, such as Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN, in at least40 countries. More than 100,000 people “made a move” via thecampaign web portal. By the end of 2009, there had been nearly half a million page views on the portal, with traffic coming from

over 200 countries. In addition, the campaign Facebook pageattracted more than 9,000 fans and hundreds of thousands were

reached by the “Our world. Your move.”Twitter stream. The cam-paign’s viral video “Simple Gestures” was watched 70,000 timeson YouTube, with 98 videos shared through the “Our world.Yourmove.” YouTube channel.

STATE PARTICIPATION TO IHL TREATIES AND

DOMESTIC IMPLEMENTATION

The ICRC continued to develop an active dialogue with nationalauthorities worldwide in order to promote accession to IHL

treaties and their domestic implementation. It provided legal andtechnical advice to governments. It encouraged and supportedthem in their endeavours to establish national interministerialcommittees entrusted with the national implementation of IHL.In 2009, 2 new national committees were created (in Mexico and

Switzerland), bringing the total number worldwide to 93.

The ICRC organized, or contributed to, 25 regional events inrelation to IHL and its incorporation into domestic law, whichwere attended by more than 800 people in some 112 countries.

This work contributed to 90 ratifications of IHL treaties (including1 of Additional Protocol I, 1 of Additional Protocol II and 15 of

Additional Protocol III) by 16 countries and the adoption of 23 pieces of domestic legislation relating to various IHL treaties in21 countries.



ICRC ANNUAL REPORT 2009

RELATIONS WITH WEAPON BEARERS

Throughout the year, ICRC delegates met with various weaponbearers present in conflict zones, from members of the military and the police to paramilitary units, armed groups and staff of private military companies.

31 specialized ICRC delegates conducted or took part in

more than 100 courses, workshops, round-tables andexercises involving some 10,000 military , security and police

personnel in more than 80 countries; 38 military officersfrom 24 countries received ICRC scholarships to attend9 military courses on IHL in San Remo47 general and senior officers from 46 countriesreceived ICRC scholarships to attend the Senior Workshopon International Rules Governing Military Operationsin Switzerlandthe ICRC maintained relations with the armed forces of

160 countries and with nearly 80 armed groups (in some30 contexts, mostly in non-international armed conflicts)specialized delegates in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North

America represented the ICRC and observed theimplementation of IHL or international human rights lawduring some 15 international military exercises

RELATIONS WITH ACADEMIC CIRCLES

In practically every country covered by the ICRC, university lecturers in law, international relations and journalism haveincorporated IHL into their teaching. At national level, the ICRCsupported the teaching of IHL at universities by distributingbooks and other teaching materials and co-organizing academicevents on IHL, which addressed the theoretical and practical

dimensions of the law, and IHL competitions for students. TheICRC sponsored the participation of academics in key regionaland international IHL events.

In 2009, the ICRC organized or co-organized:

12 regional and international IHL training seminarsfor academics (2 in Africa; 2 in Asia and the Pacific;6 in Europe and the Americas; 2 in the Middle East andNorth Africa), involving over 200 professors, lecturersand graduate students6 regional IHL competitions for students (2 in Africa;

2 in Asia and the Pacific; 2 in Europe and the Americas),involving some 250 students and lecturers

SUPPORTING IHL EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

Education authorities in 50 countries worldwide receivedsupport from the ICRC to work towards the integration of IHLeducation into formal secondary school curricula through itstwo programmes. This support aimed to ensure full ownership

by the education authorities and the long-term sustainability of the programmes.

In 2009:

revised Exploring Humanitarian Law materials,including a new teaching guide on humanitarian law,were published

more than 20,000 people consulted the Exploring Humanitarian Law Virtual Campus, a web-based resourcecentre for the programme2 regional conferences on IHL education were organized(Beijing and Cairo)a global student competition on the theme of humanitarianaction was organized to mark the 60th anniversary of the1949 Geneva Conventions

a multi-disciplinary education project was initiated in7 schools located in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION

MANAGEMENT AND MULTILINGUAL

COMMUNICATION

Some 3,061 people made use of the ICRC’s Library and ResearchService and some 1,419 people, from academia, governmentdepartments, the media, National Societies and NGOs, receivedresponses to their requests for information.

ICRC headquarters received 210 groups totalling some 6,000 visitors (university students: 52%; National Society staff and

volunteers: 17%; secondary school students: 12%; members of armed forces: 8%; diplomatic community: 6%; NGOs andreligious groups: 5%).

Some 8 million words were translated, edited and proofread by translators and editors working for or contracted by the ICRCthrough its language service.

Documents

ICRC operations in 2009: A few facts, figures and results