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Armed conflict makes people more vulnerable
ICRC record expenditure reflects increasing vulnerability of and improved access to people affected by armed conflicts
Much of this suffering could have been avoided if conflict parties had improved their compliance with international humanitarian law."
Millions of people affected by armed conflict have become more vul-J^use of the combined
S ° na,ural disasters and Impm^ f00d prices, the Cross (1CRQ loday repo'nf™^' ,CRC ’.annual
. exainPl« of countries na,Ur* Masters and high
S P, “ Ufe even hauler for poor peopi,^,.
'Ie report show, th,, ,t Rr ’Penthnghitan all timehto ,n am
Africa recount for 47% 0( ndd expenditure, while 20% went to Ihe
Middle East. The increase in expenditure is due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in many countries, such as Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Pakistan, but it also reflects improved ICRC access to people affected by wars. "2008 clearly showed that the ICRC's neutral and independent humanitarian action does bring significant benefits for victims of armed conflicts," said Mr Kellenberger. "It allows the ICRC to have access to and help people in places others often can t reach. Notable examples include Iraq, the Sahel region, Somalia and Georgia.”
The ICRC president deplored the fact that in 2008 untold numbers of civilians continued to suffer either because they were deliberately targeted or because conflict parties
failed to distinguish sufficiently between civilians and civilian objects on the one hand, and combatants and military objectives on the other: "Much of this suffering could have been avoided if conflict parties had improved their compliance with international humanitarian law."
Looking ahead, the ICRC presi-
dent said it was hard to predict the exact impact of the global economic crisis on people already made vulnerable by war. However, he expressed concern that the increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty, rising unemployment worldwide and a significant drop in remittances from migrant
workers to their families in conflict areas could have a particularly severe effect on the poorest victims of armed conflicts. Mr Kellenberger said the organization had the capacity to step up its humanitarian activities if required.
Last year, the ICRC distributed over 121,000 tonnes of food, more than twice as much as in 2007, with the number of people receiving food aid rising from 2.52 million in 2007 to 2.79 million. Seventy-two per cent of these were internally displaced persons (IDPs), a six per cent increase over 2007.The ICRC's water, sanitation and construction projects benefited more than 15 million people, while health facilities supported by the organization treated nearly 3.5 million patients. The ICRC visited almost half a million detainees in 83 countries and handled over 667,000 Red Cross messages, including 218,000 exchanged between detainees and their families.
Source: Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)