Humanitarian Assistance in the Northern Caucasus (Russian Federation) Information Bulletin: 16 - 31 Mar 2000

HIGHLIGHTS
Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and UK Pledge Contributions to UN Appeal

In response to the United Nations Consolidated Inter-agency Appeal for the Northern Caucasus, launched in Geneva on 15 March 2000, the following donors have indicated verbal pledges.

(N.B. Precise figures will be forthcoming once pledges have been deposited.)

Russian Government Works to Resolve Customs Issues

UN agency food and non-food relief items have experienced delays in being cleared through customs. The UN Resident Coordinator and UN agency heads raised this issue with the Russian Government, members of which intervened to help clear goods. It is hoped that further imports will benefit from expedited clearances so that aid can reach beneficiaries promptly.

NGOs Move into Chechnya

Non-governmental organisations are increasingly moving into the Republic of Chechnya to assess needs and provide assistance. Almost one dozen NGOs have now visited the republic. For example, the Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA), working under the auspices of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) programme, has become the latest NGO to assess needs inside Chechnya. HIA travelled to Nadterechni district and found some 60,000 IDPs living in the district. 38,000 out of them stay with host families and 22,000 are accommodated in spontaneous and official camps established by the Ministry of Emergencies (EMERCOM). Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) - Holland recently completed a preliminary assessment of the health sector in the republic. This showed that damage amongst health facilities is considerable. Clean water supplies and adequate sanitary facilities are in very short supply; the incidence of diarrhoea and typhoid appears to be high. While sufficient personnel exist to address many of the needs, they do not have enough inputs.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Food Aid

As reported in the weekly EMERCOM meeting in Nazran, the Federal Migration Service (FMS) will continue to provide bread and hot meals in the IDP camps in Ingushetia.

As of 26 March 2000, the World Food Programme (WFP) had delivered 3,399 MTs of food commodities to the region targeting 120,000 IDPs. The agency plans on covering the food needs of 150,000 IDPs by delivering 10,104 MTs of food products by 30 June 2000.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will start its food distributions in Malgobek region pending deliveries of WFP supplies. DRC will cover the food needs of the IDPs in Sunzhenski region as well, excluding the camps of Severni and Sputnik, and Nazran district. As agreed between DRC and the European Union Food Aid Programme, DRC would be in charge of distributing 2,041 MTs of canned beef to IDPs in Ingushetia to complement the food supplied by WFP. DRC is planning to expand its logistics operation in Ingushetia to cover host families as well, to be initiated when food from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is delivered to the DRC operated warehouses in Ingushetia.

Shelter & Relief

As of 31 March 2000, UNHCR had carried out 51 convoys in the region: 42 to Ingushetia; 6 to Dagestan; 1 to Chechnya; 1 to Karachai-Cherkessia; and 1 to North Ossetia.

The Regional Migration Service in Ingushetia has resumed registration of IDPs arriving in Ingushetia mainly from the southern regions of Chechnya. A new camp is to be established for them and UNHCR has already provided 150 tents to be erected in the town of Karabulak.

Health & Nutrition

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is supporting immunisation of children in camps, spontaneous settlements, and host families in Dagestan and Ingushetia by providing cold chain equipment and vaccination supplies. The agency has also provided oral rehydration salts (ORS) to relieve suffering caused by diarrhoea.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had delivered surgical kits to several hospitals in Ingushetia, and is planning to make a similar purchase for Dagestan. WHO prosthesis workshop is operating in Vladikavkaz. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development of North Ossetia is responsible for transportation, protection, and accommodation of disabled IDPs arriving from Ingushetia. Due to the limited capacity of the prosthetic workshop, WHO is appealing for funding to set up an additional workshop in Nazran.

MSF-Belgium distributes relief goods, including hygiene kits, to 30,000 IDPs in Ingushetia’s Malgobek district, and has mobile medical teams providing primary health care services focussing on reproductive health. The number of mobile teams will gradually increase depending on the security situation, drug supply, transport and capacity of monitoring. (OCHA apologizes for mistaken information on MSF-Belgium’s programme in the previous bulletin.)

MSF-Holland has supplied medical kits to hospitals and polyclinics of Ingushetia. In addition, six dispensaries received essential drugs and materials to enable them to cope with high number of displaced people. As a follow-up to its assessment of the situation in Chechnya, the NGO has provided emergency medical supplies in two divisional hospitals and six district centres.

Medecins du Monde (MDM) is planning to provide medical supplies to clinics and medical points in Chechnya, and basic drugs to IDP camps in Argun, Gudermes, and Sernovodsk.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation

The Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development (CPCD) provides psychosocial assistance to IDP children in Ingushetia aimed at helping them adapt to their living conditions and develop basic social skills. CPCD is implementing a similar programme in Chechnya.

Water and Sanitation

UNICEF bladders are being installed in partnership with International Rescue Committee (IRC). The agency is also making available water purification tablets, as well as water containers.

Produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Moscow
Tel: 232-3011; Fax: 232-3017; email: Kamalyan@ocha.ru