MCIC Situation report Macedonia no. 22/2001

October 29 - November 4, 2001

Skopje, November 5th, 2001


HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

The Macedonian Red Cross shall report on the number of the IDP (total number of displaced population) on monthly basis. The last information states an IDP number of 53,797.

The number of the refugees returning from Kosovo.
According to the data gained from the UNHCR in around 14,000 refugees ( ethnic Albanians) are in Kosovo, where as 62,000 has came back to Macedonia.


HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Food


The branch of El Hillal from Gostivar distributed 10 tons of basic food products for the residents of the village of Vishtica on 1st November.

"Mesecina" from the region of Gorna Reka distributed 100 packages of humanitarian aid (food and hygienic parcels).

ICRC distributed food packages to 18,000 persons out of which 11,400 are for IDP that are sheltered in host families, 2,800 IDPs that are sheltered in collective centers, 3,800 for people who are from the crises regions.

Health

The American Red Cross / ARC performs health education of IDPs in the host families that provide shelter to migrants from the crises regions and the refugee centers. The health education is completed in two refugee centers in Skopje, Stiv Naumov and Pelagonija (student's hostels). The activities of their program shall start the performance in Tetovo, as well.

Handicap International has completed the distribution of 100,000 diapers for IDP with chronicle diseases, at the age of above 60 and from 0 to 12 years. These people shall be protected with a vaccine against flow. The activities shall be coordinated with the Ministry of Health.

AAR from Japan is distributing a primary health care for the refugees, IDP's and the social cases in Kumanovo, Skopje and Tetovo.

Shelters

The humanitarian organization El Hillal, performed distribution on 1st November of aid for the residents of Lipkovo, composed of 650 blankets, and 650 covers as well as winter clothes. It also distributed 150 packages for refugees (blankets, mattresses, building tools, plastic covers, water canisters, cutlery and kitchen appliances and hygiene products) for the residents of Selce, Tetovo area.

The UNHCR distributed packages for people who return in the crises region on 30th November, 30 in Jazince and 40 in Odri. In cooperation with the office of the President of Tetovo Municipality, UNHCR distributed 300 packages on 2nd November for residents who came back after the crisis in the residential areas of Kupenik and Drenovec. 100 packages were distributed in Glodji, 95 in Neproshteno and 11 in Leshok, for ethnic Albainans and Macedonians.

Water Supply and Sewage

UNICEF has announced that most of the projects for repairs or reconstruction of the water supply systems and sewage shall be implemented in the year to come, when the security conditions will be improved and the mine danger shall be reduced.

Schools and Education

MCMS initiated the repairs of the primary school in the village Matejche that shall be carried out in cooperation with the Cooperatzione Italiana.

UNICEF distributed textbooks for the IDP childrens, 15,000 for ethnic Albanians and 5,000 for ethnic Macedonians.

Humanitarian aid in mine displacement

The activities concerning the locating and displacement of mines and other explosive devices in the village Lavce , according to the ITF has been successfully completed. Their operation principle is to check all buildings and yards in the village, but so far, they have not issued a document for performed displacement of mines.

ICRC was performing activities covering mine danger, especially in Lipkovo, Kumanovo,Shipkovica and Tearce.

Human Rights Protection

No new activities in the current period.

Psycho-Social Activities

The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Macedonian Red Cross has established info - center for psychosocial support of IDP's.

Post-crisis rehabilitation

Teams of " ELEKTROSTOPANSTVO" Macedonia performed an estimate of the electrical network in 16 villages in the area of Lipkovo municipality on 29th October and registration of the damaged long0distance power line and cut cables. For the purpose of functioning of the electrical network and provision of normal living conditions in these villages, repairs and sanation of the same was performed.

The coordinative body for dealing with crisis, after the appraisal performed on behalf of the expert teams, presented its Action Plan for reconstruction of the damaged objects in the crises regions, as well as the damages in the economy. From the estimation it has been assessed that the total damage is 75 million Euro, out of which 12 million Euro refer to the damages in the energy supply system, 3.06 million Euro refer to the road and rail traffic, 0,43 million Euro to the water supply network and 62 million Euro to the damages of the building sites.

UNHCR bus started a line on the relation Kumanovo-Vaksince-Lojane. The bus shall cover the line twice a day.


HUMANITAREAN ORGANIZATION

Financing

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Netherlands has warned Macedonia, that if the Frame Agreement is not implemented the promised financial aid of US$23 million US$ shall not be realized. The reason that brought to this warning is that the budget year is over on 20th November in the Netherlands, and after that date there is not a possibility of assets transfer. Since the assets are approved for the current year, they can not be granted to Macedonia additionally, for the year to come.

Coordination

Fourteenth meeting of the NGO humanitarian coordination.
On the meeting the present representatives submitted a report on the completed activities in the course of the preceding week. The state of the displaced persons from the region of Gorna Reka was emphasized as a particular issue. They have organized a convoy for the purpose of visiting their houses twice so far, with the support from the OSCE. It was as well pointed out that increased attention shall be paid to the housing families that have sheltered displaced persons and the persons who have returned in their homes, so that they could be financially supported, as well as to realize the announcement of the UNHCR for heating material supply. The representative of the DAJA organization pointed that the displaced persons that are sheltered in Chichino live in the utmost inadequate conditions. The following was concluded: to follow-up a request to the Coordinative Body of the Government for the organized convoy for IDPs from the Gorna Reka region; and to initiate mutual post-crisis activity, where the NGO humanitarian coordination should undertake action directed towards the needs of the IDPs , for the purpose of normalization and return to normal life.

Fifteenth meeting of the NHC.
The present organizations informed about the performed activities. The representative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Politics, from the Refugee Department, concluded that the representatives of some Ministries and international organizations were absent from these meetings. It also pointed out the problem of heating in the refugee center Olimpisko Selo. The WHO informed that the condition estimate of the health institutions with the Ministry of Health is completed. UNICEF informed that the first phase of textbooks distribution is completed, and the completion of the second is due in two weeks. The UNICEF report for psychosocial valuation of the IDPs is completed. The representative of the FAO informed that the distribution of fertilizer in the area of Sv. Nikole and Tetovo started. The provision of heating wood for the households that shelter IDPs and oil for the refugee centers were highlighted as problem issues, as well as the warm clothes provision for the sheltered IDPs in housholds, and the MRC Kumanovo that refused to shelter IDPs that were legally registered with the Macedonian Red Cross.


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