OCHA Situation Report
Chechnya and Neighbouring Republics (Russian Federation)
Report for September 2005
20 October 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

HIGHLIGHTS
Humanitarian Community Starts Transitional Planning for 2006

UN and other members of the humanitarian community have started planning 
their activities for 2006 in the North Caucasus. In recognition of the 
unique situation in the region, in which aid is no longer of a purely 
emergency or humanitarian character, the planning document this year 
will be entitled the 2006 Transitional Workplan. As suggested by the 
title, the document will be developed with a strong understanding that 
humanitarian aid is still very much needed in the region, while at the 
same time allowing for planning of projects aimed increasingly at 
recovery and development. The geographical coverage of the document has 
also been broadened. While the humanitarian community expects that the 
majority of programs, especially humanitarian, will remain operational 
mostly in Chechnya, the 2006 Transitional Workplan will cover the five 
republics of the North Caucasus: Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, 
Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan.

Based on the good practices established and maintained within the 
Consolidated Appeals Process framework, UN and its NGO partners are 
looking forward to working closely with the Russian Government on 
preparation and implementation of the 2006 Workplan.

Swiss Ambassador Visits the North Caucasus and Reassures Presidents of 
Continued Support

The Ambassador of Switzerland in the Russian Federation, Mr. Erwin 
Hofer, visited North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia and Chechnya from 13 to 
15 September 2005. During the mission the Ambassador met with President 
of North Ossetia Mamsurov, President of Chechnya Alkhanov and President 
of Ingushetia Zyazikov. He also visited several projects supported by 
the Swiss government in Ingushetia and Chechnya as well as a temporary 
settlement of IDPs from Chechnya in Ingushetia. At the meeting with the 
President of Chechnya Mr. Hofer said Chechnya was a priority region for 
Swiss humanitarian organizations. He also reassured the presidents of 
the North Caucasus republics that Switzerland would continue its support 
to the humanitarian assistance and recovery processes in the North 
Caucasus.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Protection

As of 30 September, a total of 28,275 internally displaced persons 
(IDPs) from Chechnya (6,390 families) were registered for assistance in 
Ingushetia in the database of UNHCR's implementing partner, the Danish 
Refugee Council. Of this total, 17,720 persons (4,074 families) were in 
temporary settlements and 10,555 persons (2,316 families) in private 
accommodation.
>From 1-30 September, Vesta, who monitors the Adler and Spartak 
checkpoints, reported individual returns of 141 persons (32 families) 
from Ingushetia to Chechnya and new arrivals of 13 persons (3 families) 
from Chechnya to Ingushetia. During September, 366 persons (72 families) 
were de-registered by DRC in Ingushetia and registered for assistance in 
Chechnya.

During September, the legal counseling centers (LCCs) of UNHCR's 
partners in Ingushetia and Chechnya offered more than 450 free legal 
consultations to provide citizens with information or support them in 
addressing administrative, law enforcement and judicial structures. Of 
this total, 125 requests were brought to administrative and law 
enforcement structures, the majority relating to reinstatement in the 
beneficiary lists of the migration services. In addition, 71 cases were 
brought to courts in Ingushetia and Chechnya. Of the 37 decisions taken 
by courts in Chechnya and Ingushetia during the month, 31 were in favor 
of the LCCs' clients.

Food

In September, WFP continued implementation of its main programmes: 
Relief Distribution, School Feeding and the Food Fund (including food 
for work, TB and Dining Hall projects). Within the relief distribution 
programme WFP through its cooperating partners finalized the August 
cycle in both Ingushetia and Chechnya with some 1,570 metric tons (MT) 
of food distributed in both republics, the distribution was postponed 
due to the delayed arrival of food commodities to the WFP warehouses. 
School Feeding was recommenced with the beginning of the new school 
year, and currently covers over 130,000 primary and secondary school 
children through provision of hot meals on a daily basis. FFW 
participants received food for the works implemented in August, and the 
FFW projects in Chechnya were continued in September when some 1,400 
participants implemented the works aimed at rehabilitation of 
infrastructure. The TB projects in Chechnya and Ingushetia and Dining 
Hall project in Grozny were continued as in previous months. Altogether 
in September, over 1,900 tons of WFP-supplied food commodities were 
distributed to about 273,700 beneficiaries.

As of the end of September, donations reached about 83% of the funding 
required for the completion of the programme in December 2005. The WFP 
office is currently in the process of preparing the follow-up 12 months 
project EMOP 10128.2, starting from January 2006. Within the next six 
months WFP expects considerable shortfalls of food commodities, unless 
resources are mobilized soon, it is expected that this will be a 
shortfall of over 10,000 MT, which is equal to 4 months distribution 
requirements for WFP operation in the North Caucasus. To enable local 
procurement and therefore to rapidly address these imminent shortfalls, 
donors are urged to immediately confirm contributions.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Appropriate Donations for International Disaster/Humanitarian Needs
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International                  web: www.cidi.org
    Disaster Information             listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
                                   guidelines: www.cidi.org/donate.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -