Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you. It’s a non-comprehensive sampling of the larger and/or more intriguing aspects of our global work…
KYRGYZSTAN: In July and August the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF, gave free polio vaccinations to 95 percent of children aged under five throughout the country.
MALI/NIGER: In response to the food crisis, the ICRC has distributed aid to more than 300,000 people.
WORLDWIDE: Is the law of war suited to today’s conflicts? The ICRC has just completed a two-year study on the current state of international humanitarian law.
WORLDWIDE: “For the first time in human history more people live in towns and cities than in the countryside, but the world has not kept pace with this change. This is why more people live in slums or informal settlements than ever before, and this will lead to more people being affected by urban disasters like the terrible earthquake which struck Haiti earlier this year, ” says Bekele Geleta, IFRC Secretary General, referencing the findings of the newly launched World Disasters Report.
WORLDWIDE: Are you between the ages of 18-25? Involved in youth and humanitarian issues? Apply for the ICRC’s Young Reporter Competition before October 1.
GLOSSARY:
ICRC = International Committee of the Red Cross
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IFRC = International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies