ICRC

We opened our delegation in Brussels in 1999 to engage more systematically with NATO and the institutions of the European Union, a major donor to the ICRC.  

Winding down the Afghan conflict dominated the recent NATO summit in Chicago so I asked Francois Bellon, our head of delegation in the European capital, for an update on our interaction with the organization.

Afghanistan remains the cornerstone of our operational dialogue with NATO but our interaction with the relationship is multi-faceted and is expected to endure well beyond 2014. 

As Mr. Bellon explains, we regularly discuss legal, operational and training issues with NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. In addition, we provide training and briefing sessions on international humanitarian law in context of NATO interest. 

Reportage by Getty Images just published The Caucasus - A Place Seldom Seen, by ICRC staff photographer Marko Kokic.

Mr. Kokic's striking black and white photographs document life in South Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan and North Ossetia, regions where the ICRC has been active for years.

We don't hear much about the humanitarian situation of thousands of people affected by violence, insecurity and poverty in the Caucasus, much less see it, but life is grim for many.