What progress is being made regarding internally displaced children?
Up to a couple of years ago, one of the key priorities for the humanitarian community in the North Caucasus was precisely the situation (in terms of assistance and protection needs) of internally displaced persons (IDP) living in the republics surrounding Chechnya, and particularly in Ingushetia. In 1999-2000, in fact, some 250,000 people were forced to leave the war-torn republic. Gradually, over the years, IDPs have started to return to Chechnya and now only 20,000 remain in Ingushetia. We can therefore say that the peak of the IDP crisis has long gone, and more emphasis is being placed on supporting the resettlement and reintegration of the returnees, although a sizeable number of IDPs continue to be reported inside Chechnya. This summer UNICEF completed the process of hand-over to the Ingush Ministry of Education of the remaining ‘parallel’ schools for IDP children that UNICEF, in cooperation with a few NGOs, created in 2000 and continued to support until last June. A similar hand-
