CERF allocates $2 million for 92,000 people affected by the violence in Kyrgyzstan in Uzbekistan.

Kyrgyz refugees in a camp in Uzbekistan  [Photo: UNHCR]

9 July 2010: Over $1.5 million has been allocated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for shelter and non-food items for 30,000 refugees. The World Food Programme (WFP) will use $540,000 to assist 92,000 refugees from the Kyrgyz Republic while the World Health Organization (WHO) will use $23,000 to support for emergency care for these people, particularly for the wounded.

As a direct consequence of the violence in southern Kyrgyzstan, a wave of mainly Kyrgyz refugees began crossing into Uzbekistan as early as 11 June 2010. By June 2010, there have been at least 75,000 refugees from Kyrgyzstan registered by the Uzbekistan’s authorities. By 22 June the number of refugees officially registered increased to 92,000. This figure began to quickly decrease, as the last registered refugees left Uzbekistan to Kyrgyzstan on 24-25 June. According to the registration data of the refugees, some 60% were women; 35% of the children were under the age of 18; and 15-20% of this caseload are under-five children. Men constituted a very small proportion of the refugees, and were mostly elderly or wounded.

The influx of refugees caused the ethnically motivated violence that engulfed Osh, Jalal-Abad and neighbouring areas of southern Kyrgyzstan on 10-11 June 2010. During the night and into the early morning of June 11, groups of ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek youths armed with guns, sticks, and steel rods fought each other in Osh city centre. The violence soon spread to other Uzbek communities in southern Kyrgyzstan. Unidentified armed groups targeted mainly Uzbek quarters shooting indiscriminately at civilians, looting and burning private and public property.

The refugees remained in Uzbekistan for approximately two weeks. During this time, the Uzbek Government and the international community provided assistance valued over $6 million. The refugees from Kyrgyzstan were sheltered almost exclusively in tented refugee camps or in public buildings, such as school, summer camps or disused factories. According to the inter-agency assessment team that visited the Andijan province on 17-18 June, the initial reception facilities and refugee sites were well organized and run by the Uzbek authorities. The Government with the support of the provincial authorities put considerable effort in catering for the basic needs of the refugees, including shelter, material needs, medical care and the provision of three meals per day. The authorities faced considerable logistical problems, among others related to maintaining a food commodities pipeline so that the refugees were provided adequate food in the canteens which were set up in each camp.

[Last updated: 20 August 2010]

CERF allocated $902,000 to aid 2.9 million children affected by a polio outbreak

Polio vaccination in Uzbekistan [Photo: UNICEF]

30 June 2010: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have received $790,000 and $112,000 respectively for emergency polio immunization and surveillance for close to 2.89 million children under the age 5.  

On 21 April 2010, seven cases of the wild poliovirus were confirmed in Tajikistan, and by 14 June, 616 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, mostly in the south-western districts and the capital Dushanbe, have been reported with 239 cases were confirmed as polio, with eleven polio related deaths.
 
The WHO European Region was certified polio-free in 2002, and this is the first recorded importation and outbreak since 2002. As recommended by the WHO European Regional Office, the Ministry of Health is conducting four rounds of National Immunisation Days against poliomyelitis. During the first two rounds, 4-8 May 2010 and 18-22 May 2010, an estimated 1.1 million children aged 0-6 years were immunised against polio. The two subsequent immunisation rounds will cover an estimated 2.98 million children aged 0-15 years due to occurrence of confirmed polio cases in older age groups – 6-14 years (15%). The Ministry appealed to international partners, including WHO and UNICEF requesting support in planning and conducting the campaign, provision of vaccine, in-country logistics and operational and social mobilisation of the targeted population.

A similar allocation was made to WHO and UNICEF in Tajikistan. 

[Last Update: 19 July 2010]