In brief

Programme purpose The Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent programmes are aligned with the Global Agenda goals to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and impact from disasters; to reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies; to increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability; and to reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.

Summary

The present report on the Central Emergency Response Fund is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 63/139 of 11 December 2008 and covers activities from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

In brief

Programme purpose: The Central Asia programmes are aligned with the Global Agenda goals to reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and impact from disasters; to reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies; to increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability; and to reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.

Following independence, Kyrgyzstan embarked on a transition to a democratic system of governance and market economy. The so-called Tulip Revolution of 2005 brought a new leadership, but frequent public demonstrations and equally frequent changes of state officials contribute towards concerns over stability.

Poverty levels in Kyrgyzstan significantly exceed those in many developed and developing countries. Besides, lately the country has been hit hard by rising food and fuel prices globally and throughout the central Asian region. There exist regional and urban/ rural

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in Kyrgyzstan include 580,000 people classed as food insecure and 250,000 people at risk because of electricity and water shortages.

Central Asian winters can be extremely harsh, particularly in the mountainous regions of southern Kyrgyzstan,

The Soviet-era radioactive waste dump is about 2km from Min-Kush and close to the River Tuyuk-Suu.

"We are afraid of a huge mudslide triggered by heavy rain. It could destroy the radioactive waste dump, leading to contamination of the river. What will we do?" asked 35-year-old Saparkul Burkokbaeva from Min-Kush.

The area is mountainous and earthquake

At least 24 persons were killed and some 25,000 persons were evacuated from their homes after days of torrential rains, landslides and flooding, particularly in low lying northeast parts of the country. Rivers swelled and around 60 percent of the country's roads were damaged.

JICA air freighted tents, water tanks, purifiers, blankets and sleeping mats from its regional warehouse in Miami to the San Pedro Sula area of Honduras.

The supplies, which included power generators, were airlifted from JICA's emergency warehouse in Frankfurt, Germany, via Moscow and arrived in the worst affected areas of the country, Wednesday (October 15).

Some 74 persons were killed and 142 injured during the tremor October 5. At least 70% of one village, Nura in southern Osh province, was destroyed.

The government rushed medical staff and