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Section
ICRC operations in Western and Central Europe and the Balkans
Activities throughout the world: a country-by-country round-up of the ICRC’s work in Western and Central Europe and the Balkans.
Reuniting families: here in Kosovo ©ICRC/ref. yu-n-00376-06h

The ICRC’s activities in Europe have three main objectives: to promote international humanitarian law (IHL) and encourage its adoption into national law; to ensure that humanitarian concerns figure on the political agenda; and to provide support for people still suffering the consequences of the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990s.

Over the past decade the ICRC has also established a presence in Brussels, Budapest, London and Paris. In addition to government and diplomatic circles, their network of contacts includes universities and schools, the military and the media. The ICRC has placed growing emphasis on raising awareness about IHL and the ICRC’s role among members of the armed forces.

In Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and neighbouring countries touched by the conflicts of the 1990s, the ICRC maintains its support for the families of the more than 17,000 people who are still listed as having disappeared during the hostilities. The ICRC assists in registering those who are unaccounted for and urges the authorities to take action to establish their fate.

The International Tracing Service
Since 1955, the ICRC has been managing the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany, which traces Nazi victims and their families.
The ICRC’s presence in Turkey dates back to 2003 and is directly linked with the events in neighbouring Iraq.

In all countries of the region, the ICRC cooperates closely with the national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, particularly in those countries affected by conflict.

  • Key data on the ICRC’s global operational budget for 2010

    The country and region names used herein are intended to facilitate reference and have no political significance.

Key document
    6-7-2010
    Missing Lives – Book and photo exhibition
    The wars that scarred the Balkans in the 1990s cost the lives of about 140,000 people, a quarter of whom simply vanished and were reported missing by their families. In 2010, almost 15,000 people remain unaccounted for. A new book and photo exhibition called Missing Lives highlight 15 moving individual stories selected among thousands. Here we present four stories from the book. Photographs are by award-winning British photographer Nick Danziger, the text by acclaimed Canadian writer Rory MacLean.
    (Focus\Missing persons)
    Feature Includes Photo

    1-6-2010
    The International Tracing Service and the ICRC
    Since 1955 the ICRC manages the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen which traces Nazi victims and their families. The ITS documents their fate and makes its archives available for research.
    (About the ICRC\History\Second World War)
    Includes Photo

Annual Report
    19-5-2010
    Europe and the Americas - ICRC Annual Report 2009
    In 2009, the ICRC’s priorities were to contribute to better protection of people deprived of their freedom, to help clarify the fate of people unaccounted for from past and current conflicts, and to assist, and improve the protection of, people directly affected by ongoing armed conflict, including displaced persons, particularly in Colombia and the Caucasus. The ICRC also continued to promote IHL and to foster a deeper understanding of its role and activities among authorities, armed and security forces, universities and schools.
    (Info resources\Annual Report\2009)
    Annual Report Includes PDF

Event
    23-8-2010
    Missing Lives – Photo exhibition
    Fifteen years on from the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and ten years after the end of the conflict in Kosovo, thousands of families are still waiting for news of the fate of their loved ones classified as missing. Photographs are by Nick Danziger, the text by Rory MacLean. Launched in London, United Kingdom on 7 July, the exhibition will remain there until 26 July 2010, and then proceed to other cities across Europe and North America.
    (Info resources\Events)
    Event

Feature
    6-7-2007
    A strengthened mine action rapid response capacity
    Mines and explosive remnants of war kill and mutilate people and block their access to basic needs. The ICRC is therefore strengthening its capacity to respond rapidly to the threat caused by weapon contamination in emergency situations.
    (ICRC Activities\Mine action)
    Feature Includes Photo

Field newsletter
Interview
    17-12-2009
    Romania 1989: rapid action
    In December 1989, the ICRC reacted rapidly to the violent events that led to the fall of the Ceausescu regime. An interview with Francis Amar, the former head of the ICRC's operations in Europe
    (The ICRC worldwide\Western and Central Europe and the Balkans\Romania)
    Interview

Photo Collection
    16-10-2009
    Romania 1989: the end of the Cold War and the start of ICRC operations in Europe
    The fall of the Romanian government in December 1989 was a key event in the ending of the Cold War. The need for emergency aid was less acute than media reports had indicated, but the ICRC responded swiftly to the crisis: a first team landed in Bucharest on 22 December, only eleven hours after the fall of the regime. On the ground, the ICRC had its hands full reminding parties of their obligations under IHL and managing the huge quantities of relief goods generously donated by National Societies and others.
    (Info resources\Photos\Western and Central Europe and the Balkans)
    Photo Collection Includes Photo

Press article
    31-8-2006
    War crimes and punishment
    The repression of war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia is principally the remit of the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague, which focuses on the most high-profile cases. For several years, however, national war crimes tribunals have been set up in Croatia and Serbia to complement the work begun in The Hague. The ICRC regularly visits individuals charged and sentenced by these courts and, in certain cases, arranges for the families to visit their detained relatives. – Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No. 2, 2006
    (Humanitarian law\International criminal jurisdiction)
    Press articleJean-François Berger

Report

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© 2010  International Committee of the Red Cross
2-09-2010