OCHA Humanitarian action in Chechnya and Neighbouring Republics (Russian Federation) 16-31 Dec 2003

I. HIGHLIGHTS
Chechen Authorities Assist Victims of a Landslide

The Chechen authorities evacuated 250 people from the zone of a landslide in the village of Zandak in Nozhay-Yurtovsky raion of Chechnya, which happened on 29 December. The landslide inflicted damage on 50 houses, out of which 14 were completely destroyed. In addition, a gas-pipe, a power line, and a road were damaged. The Chechen Ministry of Agriculture and Food organised food distributions to the victims at the places where they had been evacuated. A joint Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - France and MSF - Holland team visited the disaster area and identified 17 families who had been displaced and needed assistance. The organisations intend to deliver relief supplies (mattresses, blankets, buckets, water tanks, etc.), and basic drugs and medical materials on 10 January.

UN Agencies Conduct Missions to Chechnya

During the reporting period, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and World Food Programme (WFP) conducted missions to Chechnya to monitor their programmes there and to discuss them with the authorities. UNHCR representatives met the Deputy Head of the Chechen Migration Department and visited the office of Vesta, UNHCR NGO partner, in Grozny. The Chechen migration authorities welcomed UNHCR's proposal to install "box tents" for IDPs returning to Chechnya. The UNICEF delegation met President of Chechnya Kadyrov and briefed Chechen authorities on UNICEF's plan of activities for 2004. WFP, together with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation/Swiss Humanitarian Action (SDC/SHA), a Swiss government structure, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires (OCHA), conducted a monitoring mission to Achkhoi-Martanovsky and Urus-Martanovsky raions of Chechnya. In Achkhoi-Martan, the mission witnessed a WFP food distribution, conducted by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), visited a DRC-run information centre, and met food-for-work project participants, as well a relief aid beneficiaries. The local administration expressed appreciation of WFP activities in support of the needy people and suggested to further expand the food-for-work project. In Urus-Martan, the delegation monitored the implementation of the school feeding project and discussed the community support to education with parents, teachers and pupils committees.

II. HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Protection

As of 31 December 2003, a total of 66,997 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Chechnya were registered for assistance in Ingushetia in the database managed by DRC, a UNHCR implementing partner. Of this total, over 7,000 persons were registered in three tent camps (camp A was closed in early December), about 24,000 persons in temporary settlements, and more than 36,000 persons in private accommodation.

Food

WFP, together with DRC, the Islamic Relief (IR), and the People in Need Foundation (PINF), provided some 1,240 MTs of food commodities to over 141,000 beneficiaries in Chechnya and Ingushetia. The NGOs distributed some 780 MTs of food to about 103,000 members of 'very poor' and 'poor' households in Chechnya and around 450 MTs of WFP food rations to about 39,000 IDPs in Ingushetia.

Shelter

The Ingush authorities and SDC/SHA decided to extend the joint programme aimed at integrating IDPs from Chechnya in Ingushetia to the year of 2004. The programme provides for the construction of houses for IDPs of Ingush origin who decided to settle down in Ingushetia. While the President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov confirmed that the Ingush republic was unable to finance the construction works, as he had promised before, it was agreed that the Ingush Republic will be responsible for providing land plots with all infrastructure as well as for construction plans and permissions and SDC/SHA will provide construction materials, finance the construction works, and select beneficiaries and villages, where the houses will be constructed.

Health

On 23 December in Nazran, the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a meeting of representatives of UN agencies and 12 international and local NGOs to discuss the results of the implementation of WHO Mother and Child Health Care strategies in the North Caucasus and plans for 2004. On 22 December in Grozny, WHO, together with CARE Canada, Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development (CPCD), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Let's Save the Generation, PINF, and Serlo NGOs, organised a New Year festival under the motto "Let 2004 be the year of peace for all children and adults". Over 500 inhabitants of temporary accommodation centres (TACs) and beneficiaries of psychosocial assistance, who attend UN/NGO-supported rehabilitation psychosocial centers, enjoyed a colorful performance, participated in a lottery, and received New Year's gifts.

From 16-18 December in Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conducted the first-ever seminar on war surgery attended by 26 surgeons from civilian and military hospitals in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Stavropolsky Krai. The purpose of the event was to exchange information and share experience in the field, upgrading surgical knowledge of the participants.

Water and Sanitation

UNICEF, together with the Polish Humanitarian Organisation (PHO), continued delivering drinking water and providing sanitation services in Grozny. The average amount of water distributed during the reported period was 402 m3 per day (enough for about 26,800 people). The average daily garbage disposal amounted to 57 m3. Two trucks emptied 169 containers in 54 locations in Grozny, including medical and educational facilities. The sewage truck disposed daily of 10 m3 of sewage, serving 18 locations in the public and private sector per week. In addition, PHO finished the construction of latrines in three schools in the city.

Produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
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