Fact Sheet

BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND LABOR

April 19, 2013

This report covers the period from 01/01/2011 to 31/12/2011.

Programme summary

Published: 26 April 2012 20:44 CET

by Giovanni Zambello

On 26 April 1986, an unprecedented nuclear explosion happened near Chernobyl, northern Ukraine. Large quantities of radioactive material was blasted into the atmosphere and affected over 8 million people across Ukraine, Belarus and parts of Russia.

February 7th 2012, Budapest - The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has increased its emergency support and operations across Europe as temperatures remain in double digits below freezing across much of the continent.

A total of 576,000 Swiss francs (477,300 Euro, 625,000 USD) is being disbursed from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to help national Red Cross Red Crescent societies bring direct relief to some 50,000 of Europe’s most at-risk. More allocations are expected in the coming hours and days.

After unusually mild weather in December 2011 and early January 2012 almost all over Europe, the weather situation changed abruptly in the middle of January. An incursion of cold polar air, coming from northern Russia at the south flank of an extensive high pressure area brought extremely low temperatures over large parts of Europe and also some considerable snowfall especially over various parts of the continent.

With temperatures expected to drop below -30 in Eastern and Central Europe this week the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has warned that thousands of homeless people are at risk. Over 80 people have already died in Poland and Ukraine. The sudden cold snap has affected a huge swathe of Europe, from southern Italy to Turkey, and north to Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Russia.

1. Who are we?

The IFRC Europe Zone is one of the five decentralised geographic areas, with several regional and country offices, covering the European continent in the broadest political meaning, i.e. 52 countries including the successor states of the former Soviet Union in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

This report covers the period from 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2011

In brief

Programme outcome: Effective medical, social and psychological assistance is provided to targeted individuals in the regions affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Programme summary: The Federation regional representation in Moscow worked with the National Societies of Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine to support them in their work aligned with the Global Agenda Goals. Most of this support is laid out in the individual plans for each country, and is reported on through separate annual reports, which can be found here: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia. As such, the plan for the regional representation tried to capture cross-country and regional themes.