Overview
The Europe Zone Office of the Secretariat of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is covering 53 countries from the Atlantic Ocean in Western Europe to the borders of China in Central Asia – countries and regions that are highly diverse in political and socio-economic terms, geography, demography and culture, as well as public health trends and proneness to natural disasters. Membership services and programme support to the Red Cross / Red Crescent National Societies are therefore to be adapted to the real needs and local specifics.
Some National Societies are still very much dependent on Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners as their main funding source. This situation puts the sustainability of services to vulnerable people at a very high risk. The recent long-lasting economic crisis, newly emerged vulnerabilities like homelessness, food security, migration, etc. are putting the Red Cross Red Crescent in a difficult situation, and they are creating a growing demand for humanitarian services.
Over 5.5 million young people were unemployed in the EU-28 area in 2014. This represents an unemployment rate of 23.3%. More than one in five young Europeans on the labour market cannot find a job; in Greece and Spain it is one in two. 7.5 million young Europeans between 15 and 24 are not employed, not in education and not in training (NEETs). In the last four years, the overall employment rates for young people fell three times as much as for adults. The gap between the countries with the highest and the lowest jobless rates for young people remains extremely high. This presents a huge challenge also for RCRC among other stakeholders, emphasizing the importance on investing in youth development and supporting them for preparing life today’s Europe.
In the given context, there are several National Societies that are undergoing a major internal crisis that has been triggered by the economic crisis but the root causes are traced back to the past when the necessary organisational changes had not been undertaken. The traditional way of thinking that only National Societies in transition countries are underperforming is not true any more. The situation is more complex than that. Some of the National Societies in our region are engaged in the implementation of their planned change processes (Italy for instance) and some others are embarking on that painful journey just now (Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Tailored support and individual approach have been the working philosophy of the Secretariat of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and it will continue to be like this.
Many National Societies in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Caucasus had a reliable funding source for years, first from the respective Governments that came to an end in the 1990s, and then from the International RC / RC Movement. At present, the Government funding stream is, by and large, unknown and untapped; while funding from the RCC Movement is on a steady decline. In response to the reducing funding trend from Movement partners, a growing number of National Societies in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and South Caucasus are recognising the need to review their resource mobilisation (RM) approaches and to strengthen their RM practices. Three NSs (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Georgia) requested IFRC support in conducting a market research as a pre-requisite for their Fundraising Strategy Development. Two market researches that have been conducted recently indicate that fundraising in Central Asia is in its infancy. The reports also highlight that RC Societies could take a lead role in “making the market” for philanthropy giving in their countries if the right investments are made and the right fundraising strategies and approaches are chosen.
There is a pronounced interest in the Organizational Capacity Assessment and Certification Initiative (OCAC) as a self-assessment tool with the possibility to plan for more focused Organizational Development interventions and development plans within the NSs in the Europe Zone. To date, 19 NSs have undergone the self-assessment process in Europe and the majority either have developed their plans of action or are in the process of developing a plan of action linked to the OCAC outcomes.
The National Societies of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Russia and Hungary are in the process of discussions with their own governments about the adoption of Red Cross/Red Crescent Laws. A number of National Societies have completed the revision of their Statutes and some others have started this process (Kazakhstan, Greece). The IFRC Europe Zone Office will continue to accompany the NSs along this process and will interact closely with the Governance department at the Federation`s Geneva-based Secretariat.
Throughout the reporting period, the European disasters landscape was determined by the armed conflict in Syria and northern Iraq and the civil unrest in Ukraine. The spill-over effects of these conflicts have been causing direct humanitarian consequences in Europe.
In Turkey the number of Syrian citizens under temporary protection has increased by 1336% in the past two years, and the total number now is estimated at 1.6 million people who are staying mostly outside the camps.
While the ceasefire in February 2015 has led to a considerable decrease of hostilities in most parts of eastern Ukraine, clashes continued in various locations. By 11 March 2015 more than 1.1 million people have been displaced within Ukraine and more than 743,000 Ukrainians have been seeking asylum or other forms of stay in neighbouring countries, chiefly Russian and Belarus.
In terms of natural disasters in 2014, the floods in the Balkans were the most devastating ones of their kind for the last 120 years with an enormous economic impact, affecting mostly Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The recovery costs are estimated at one billion Euros in Serbia and hundreds of millions of Euros in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Croatia, the damage to agriculture alone was expected to be at least 30 million Euros. More than 3 million people were affected by the disaster in those three countries with nearly one million people evacuated, and 53 people reported killed.
As a result of the armed conflicts and instabilities in and around Europe and Central Asia, migration flows have become more complex and dynamic in the region. The European Agenda on Migration with regards to labour recruitment and immigration policy is focused on two main areas: (1) preventing unauthorised migration and the illegal employment of migrants who are not permitted to work, and (2) promoting the integration of immigrants with legal status into society. While it acknowledges the protection needs of asylum-seekers, it fails to respond to the vulnerabilities of the growing volume of mixed flows of migrants who enter the EU irregularly.
Working in construction, manufacturing, and agriculture, labour migrants in Russia from Central Asia send billions of dollars in remittances to their home countries, many of which depend on the inflow to buttress their economies. According to analysts, migrants and their families will be negatively influenced by the bad fiscal year in the Russian Federation and the fall of the Russian Ruble, which could in the future change migration patterns between Central Asia and the Russian Federation.
With the growing needs and shrinking donor base, many National Societies in Europe and Central Asia which have been beneficiaries of external humanitarian aid are struggling to continue with the programs they have been involved in over the past years. TB, HIV and community based health programs are some of those which have been impacted most. Due to this challenging situation National Societies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are to start exploring opportunities to diversify their income sources including through such streams as the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria, the European Commissions DG Development Cooperation, through approaching corporate sector for partnership and through developing individual programmes to raise funds from the public. According to WHO, mental health has been the area that is most sensitive to economic changes. A long-term decline in suicides in the European Union reversed in 2013, with an increase affecting males of working age. In 2014, the key investments of the IFRC Europe Zones Health Program were made around first aid (FA), active aging and the promotion of healthy life styles. Older people are identified as a special focus group for Red Cross Red Crescent action in Europe by promoting their social inclusion and a culture of solidarity within communities. The aim is to improve the quality of life of older people in need of care and social assistance, and to contribute to more resilient communities.
