Field priorities for 2014 - An ambitious yet realistic budget

Location: Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Yemen
Length: 09’51”
Format: Mpeg4 SD and HD 16:9
Production: Didier Revol
Editing: Pascal Baumgartner
Date: 2013 footage
ICRC ref: AV129N

Copyright: ICRC access all

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which works in more than 80 countries all over the world, is asking its donors for 1.29 billion Swiss francs (1.05 billion euros, or 1.33 billion US dollars) to cover its activities in 2014.

In 2014, the ICRC's largest operations in terms of expenditure will be in Syria – one of the severest and bloodiest crises to erupt in a long time, for which the budget will amount to more than 105 million Swiss francs, or 10 per cent of the organization's total annual outlay – and Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Iraq, Mali, Israel and the occupied territories, Sudan and Colombia. In the Philippines, relief activities in the areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan will be stepped up.

Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations: “The ICRC will be focusing strongly on health related issues, we’re engaging into major efforts to strengthen the surgical response but also the first aid part, health in detention, but also our activities in physical rehabilitation. This is part of a major push.”

“Another aspect is anything related to our activities in the field of sexual violence. This a major abuse in armed conflicts which requires a more robust form of action from the ICRC. We have new activities in that regard in a number of countries.”

While some conflicts and other situations of violence receive widespread attention, others are almost forgotten by the media and the international community, despite the seriousness of the humanitarian situation. Every day, civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence in countries experiencing long-term conflict and instability, such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, to name but a few.

Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations: “The importance for the ICRC is to engage very actively in dialogue with beneficiaries themselves for them to also influence how our programmes are shaped and that we insure that they will be as relevant as possible for them.”

In addition to working in conflict areas, the ICRC will continue to bring aid to people suffering the effects of other situations of violence, including situations of State repression, intercommunal violence and armed violence in urban settings.

The ICRC will continue to mobilize other organizations and expand contacts with groups of influence in order to spread knowledge of the basic principles of humanitarian law and enhance the likelihood that security and timely, unimpeded access will be granted to aid workers in the field.

Syrian Crisis

00 00 Refugees with luggage 

00 04 Refugees before tent

00 09 Two ICRC trucks in Jordanian desert heading to Bustana assembly point (Ruwaishid area) to deliver essentials items to newly arrived Syrian refugees

00 15 Board hanging on main gate with “Royal Border Guard Battalion No.6”

00 18 Large view of main gate

00 23 Refugees in front of prefab dwellings provided by ICRC

0026 Group of refugee children and women

00 31 Food distribution for Syrian refugees in Bustana assembly point (2 shots)

00 42 Refugees before tent

00 47 Refugees in front of prefab dwellings provided by ICRC

00 52 Sunset at border between Jordan and Syria

00 55 Exteriors of Tal Dar Al Shifa hospital, Aleppo (2 shots)

01 06 Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulance – evacuating wounded in Aleppo (2 shots)

01 16 Travelling shot from ambulance of Aleppo

01 23 Interior of ambulance with wounded and relative

01 27 Evacuation of wounded across the border to Turkey (2 shots)

01 44 Syrians walking towards border post (3 shots)

01 56 Syrians crossing the border

02 12 Turkish border crossing

02 17 ITW Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations (English – 21“)
Some contexts have seen increased needs very clearly. Syria is one, the Central African Republic… We’ve also seen increased needs in South Sudan. The importance for the ICRC is to engage very actively in dialogue with beneficiaries themselves for them to also influence how our programmes are shaped and that we insure that they will be as relevant as possible for them.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

02 38 Medium shot of Bukavu street (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

02 45 Entrance to Panzi hospital in Bukavu, specialised in treating victims of sexual violence

02 50 Groups of women in Panzi hospital with medical staff

02 56 Patients walking along corridor

03 03 Medium shot of female patients

03 07 Medical staff in Panzi taking blood sample (2 shots)

03 18 Various shots of the "maison d'écoute" (“listening house”) in Minova (North Kivu) and Congolese Red Cross volunteers working there (5 shots), talking with rape victim.

03 52 3 shots of IDP camp in Minova

04 10 Close shot on feet of people heading towards distribution in the surroundings of Minova

04 16 Medium shot of people walking

04 24 Distribution site (3 shots)

04 44 Young child undergoing surgery in Ndosho hospital in Goma, North Kivu (3 shots)

05 04 ITW Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations (English – 30“)
The ICRC will be focusing strongly on health related issues, we’re engaging into major efforts to strengthen the surgical response but also the first aid part, health in detention, but also our activities in physical rehabilitation. This is part of a major push. Another aspect is everything related to our activities in the field of sexual violence. We see this as a major abuse in armed conflicts which requires a more robust form of action by the ICRC. We have new activities in that regard in a number of countries.

IRAQ

05 34 Several views of busy street in Baghdad (4 shots)

06 00 ICRC livelihood support programme for vulnerable farmers who lost breadwinners during sectarian conflict (surroundings of Bagdhad) – (7 shots)

06 39 Views of Suleymaniye, northern Iraq (2 shots)

06 45 Main jail of Suleymaniye (2 shots, exteriors)

06 51 ICRC delegates in courtyard (2 shots)

07 02 ICRC delegates walking in corridor and inspecting one confinement cell (3 shots)

07 25 Delegates talking to detainees (2 shots)

07 34 Delegate talking to female detainee (2 shots)

07 47 ITW Pierre Kraehenbuehl, ICRC director of operations (English – 28“)
The challenge for the ICRC in armed conflicts is always related to the changing nature of warfare. Here of course we see everything from contexts where very sophisticated armed forces deploy with new methods of warfare, all the way across to the most destructured armed conflicts and loosely equipped and organised armed groups. And the security paradigm has evolved in that, the safety of our staff in the ability to reach populations remains a major challenge.

YEMEN

08 15 ICRC convoy leaves Sa'ada in the direction of Dammaj, 8 km away (3 shots)

08 26 ICRC convoy at Khaniq checkpoint in Sa'ada, where delegates, including the head of delegation, can be seen outside the cars, waiting

08 29 Armed men manning checkpoints check medical assistance and boxes carried in ICRC vehicles intended for distribution

08 36 General shot of medication boxes offloaded for searching at checkpoint

08 40 Convoy leaves checkpoint to enter Dammaj

08 45 Critically injured lying in the back of an ICRC vehicle, on the way from Dammaj to Sa'ada airport

08 49 Convoy arrives at Sa'ada airport, where military helicopters are waiting to take the wounded to Sana'a for treatment

08 54 ICRC cars and military helicopters

09 01 ICRC and military staff carry wounded evacuees from vehicles to a helicopter (3 shots)

09 24 Close shot on pilots

09 28 ICRC vehicles pull out as helicopters get ready for take-off

09 51 ENDS