The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization ensuring humanitarian protection and assistance for victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. Year 2022 marks 30 years of the ICRC presence in the region in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Since 1992, through its delegations in Yerevan and Baku and the mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ICRC has been carrying humanitarian work to assist people affected by the conflict, promote the dissemination and implementation of the international humanitarian law (IHL) and act as a neutral intermediary between the conflict sides.
In Armenia, through our delegation in Yerevan and sub-delegations in Goris and Ijevan we continued to support those affected by the conflict escalation in autumn 2020. We continued facilitating resilience-building programs in communities situated along the border with Azerbaijan. We cooperated closely and worked in complementarity with the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) supporting their activities as well as their response to the civilians affected by the escalation.
We continue getting calls and visits from families of people unaccounted for following the conflict escalation and logged hundreds of tracing requests for both civilians and the military. In addition, we have provided technical and material support, including forensic expertise, to the process of identification of the human remains so that they can be handed over to families.
We kept visiting those detained in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, whose detention had been confirmed by the respective authorities. During our visits, we assessed treatment of the detainees and conditions of their detention as well as facilitated the exchange of news with their families. With the consent of the authorities, the family contact was maintained by means of Red Cross messages, phone calls, oral greetings or pre-recorded video messages. This is always an important emotional lifeline for the detainees and their loved ones, and often the proof for families that their detained relatives are alive.
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Missing, Detained and the Dead
More than 1,450 calls and individual visits were received from families of the missing at the ICRC delegation in Yerevan. 4 families requested ICRC support to clarify the fates of their missing relatives by opening tracing requests with the ICRC. 12 families learned about the fate of their relatives. In total, 303 persons from Armenia are still missing in relation to the 2020 escalation.
65 families of missing related to the 2020 escalation were visited as part of an ongoing assessment of the needs of the families.
8 information sessions about the ICRC work and last developments in the region were attended by families of 66 missing persons from the conflict in the 90s.
Around 600 oral, video and written Red Cross messages were shared with the families of those detained in relation to the conflict. The ICRC visited the detained individuals on a regular basis and helped them restore or maintain contacts with their relatives.
9 DNA extraction kits were provided to the Scientific Practical Center of Forensic Medicine (SPCFM).
The DNA Lab in Yerevan received an amplification kit for the DNA analysis of post-mortem and biological reference samples, and a specialized piece of equipment (cryogenic mill instrument) for more efficient preparation of samples for DNA extraction.
2 advisory visits to the SPCFM’s DNA laboratory were paid by ICRC’s Genetics Specialists aiming to support the process of DNA testing and kinship matching through expert advice and delivery of training sessions on interpretation of DNA analysis results.
1 cold chamber and one hydraulic trolley was donated and installed in Yeghegnadzor Morgue.
The SPCFM was supported with consumables (scalpels, blades, body bags etc.) for dignified and professional management of the dead, as well as 1000 PPE for COVID response in relation to the process of the management of the dead.
5 SPCFM staff members participated in the 2nd DNA Forensic Symposium organized by DNAforAfrica and ICRC as an online event.
5 SPCFM’s DNA Laboratory Genetics Experts attended online training in Quantstudio5 Realtime PCR quantification delivered by senior field application specialist.
Continuous support and training of the SPCFM’s Genetics Experts provided on requirements and implementation of the formal quality management system based on international standards and best practices.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
348 persons, residents of communities near the international border in Syunik, Gegharkunik and Tavush regions, participated in 30 information sessions about the basic mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) provided jointly with the psychologists and volunteers of the ARCS.
103 persons benefitted from the basic MHPSS during group sessions and 68 persons from individual MHPSS sessions in the same communities.
Weapon Contamination
Over 4699 civilians living in or near weapon-contaminated areas in 30 border communities participated in door-to-door sessions and townhall meetings organized by the ICRC and ARCS on risks of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).
16 schools staged theatrical performances on safer behavior in case of shooting and shelling with the participation of students aged 10 to 18 years, and specialist of the ARCS and ICRC.
21 border communities hosted puppet shows educating on safer behavior in relation to landmines and ERW for children aged 5 to 10 years, organized by the ARCS volunteers and the ICRC.
2913 children and 1786 adults living in 21 affected communities learned about shooing, shelling and landmine/ERW dangers through attending the performances, puppet shows and townhall carried out by the above young actors and ARCS volunteers.
Economic Assistance
450 households from nine border communities in Syunik region received emergency food and hygienic parcels, distributed by the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) and the ICRC.
4,754 persons displaced following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalation in autumn 2020 received cash assistance from the ICRC in collaboration with the ARCS and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
23 households in border villages of Gegharkunik, Syunik and Tavush regions improved their housing conditions through interest-free loans provided jointly with the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia NGO.
2 families of missing and ex-detainee from the escalation in 2020 received income generation grants, and one family of missing received a multipurpose cash grant to cover education fee.
11 households from border Aravus village of Syunik region received grants to start income generation activities aimed at recovering livelihoods affected by the escalation.
38hectares of land meliorated in Shikahogh village, Syunik region. The community was provided with animal fodder seeds, such as sainfoin and alfalfa, a seeder and diesel fuel, for cultivation and partial solving of the problem of fodder shortage emerged following the conflict escalation in 2020.
1 welding machine and necessary fittings were donated to Tegh village, Syunik region to complete the irrigation system reconstruction project previously launched by other supporters. This enables 270 households to have seasonal irrigation water, thus essentially increasing the income from the lands.
19 manholes in Yeghvard village, Syunik region were rehabilitated with ICRC support, as an integral part of the water network system for ensuring improved drinking water supply.
60 residents of Aygepar village, Tavush region participated in vegetable and fruit tree growing training following the 1,500-meter-long irrigation channel cleaning to supply approximately 50 plots.
29 small-scale producers of Aygepar village received a conditional cash grant to obtain agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers and tools.
55 residents of Chinari village, Tavush region participated in an agricultural training for strengthening capacity in fruit tree growing, with a focus on green agriculture.
131 households of Azat, Kut and Norabak villages, Gegharkunik region and three local experts partook in a beekeeping training to develop and complement capacity in a new livelihood strategy for income increase.
Health Care
1 emergency care unit was rehabilitated and equipped in Vayk hospital, Vayots Dzor region.
2 hospitals in Vardenis, Gegharkunik region and Vayk, Vayots Dzor region received precompiled kits for contingency stocks to organize emergency response in case of mass casualties.
10 primary health facilities in Vayots Dzor, Syunik and Gegharkunik regions received dressing materials to provide initial medical care to the injured.
1 blood analyzer and consumables were procured with the ICRC support to enhance the laboratory’s capacity in the Syunik Regional Blood Transfusion Station in Goris town.
386 persons in 20 communities, including rescuers, health professionals and teachers were trained in basic first aid with the participation of the ARCS First Aid Department.
Water and Habitat
4 schools in border communities of Tavush (one) and Gegharkunik (three) regions improved access to clean water and sanitary-hygiene conditions as follows.
6 sanitary facilities in the schools of Vardenis city, and Artanish and Tsapatagh villages, Gegharkunik
region were rehabilitated.
2 sanitary facilities in the school of Voskevan village, Tavush region were rehabilitated.
Access to Education
29 schools in communities along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan were assessed for identification of access to education needs and possible interventions (9 in Syunik, 4 in Vayots Dzor, 6 in Tavush and 10 in Gegharkunik regions).
A roundtable-discussion with stakeholders was co-organized with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MESCS) on the access to education issues in border schools across Armenia.
1 consolidated report on the access to education needs assessments in 49 border schools was shared with the MESCS aimed helping the Ministry to streamline its efforts, with consideration of the projects and initiatives of other key state and non-state actors supporting the educational field, including international organizations.
6 border schools with shortage of teachers received IT devices, including PCs, laptops, projector and speakers, to ensure proper access to distance learning.
23 schools of border communities of Gegharkunik and Tavush regions with high number of students received disinfection and hygiene materials (liquid soap, alcogels, cleaning liquid).
25 schools in border communities were assessed by the ARCS with the ICRC support for emergency preparedness with a further plan of provision of necessary equipment.
Promotion of International Humanitarian Law
13 representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s Office and three representatives of the Office of the Representative on international legal matters participated in a workshop on IHL and human rights in armed conflict and post-conflict situations jointly organized with the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.
2 open thematic workshops, on the teaching and dissemination of IHL and on the concept of cultural genocide, were organized for the Armenian students and members of academia.
24 students from seven Armenian universities participated in the 2022 national moot court competition on IHL.
12 representatives of major media outlets participated in a workshop on ICRC and humanitarian coverage and press tour organized in border communities, which included an educational part on the essence of IHL, protection and status of journalists in conflict situations.
3 students representing Yerevan State University were able to participate, as a team, in the 37th edition of the Jean-Pictet Competition held in Albania with the ICRC support.
10 officers of the Border Guard Troops of the National Security Service were briefed about the ICRC mandate and activities and IHL basics during an ICRC workshop in Kapan, Syunik region.
Cooperation with the Armenian Red Cross*
450 households from nine border communities in Syunik region received emergency food and hygienic parcels, distributed by the ARCS and the ICRC.
570 children continued attending psychosocial and extracurricular learning activities run by the ARCS volunteers in ICRC-supported Smiley Clubs of five collective centers in Yerevan, Masis, Metsamor, Tsakhkadzor and Hrazdan cities, which hosted displaced children, and in five schools of Vardenis, Mets Masrik, Tegh, Syunik and Geghanush border communities.
20 volunteers responsible for education in the ARCS branches attended a training in Education in Emergencies (EiE), as part of the process of piloting and contextualization of the Movement Approach to Education.
* For operational activities carried out in partnership with the ARCS please refer to other parts of this document.
