January 2026 – December 2027
Globally, ICRC staff often witness poor living conditions in detention facilities, such as limited access to essential needs like drinking water, hygiene, outdoor, exercise, activities, health care and visiting facilities. In particular, limited access to fresh air, unpleasant odor, excessive humidity, compounded by overcrowding and high risks of airborne transmission of infectious diseases, present critical environmental health concerns that require immediate mitigation.
The Beyond Bars: Fresh Air Matters project will:
By leveraging ICRC’s longstanding relationships with detention authorities and using a hybrid research method that couples intermittent air quality monitoring with advanced ventilation simulation, this project aims to improve indoor air quality and ventilation in detention facilities, restoring a sense of dignity, advancing health, while promoting sustainable design. By delivering practical guidelines, demonstrating systemic benefits, and engaging key stakeholders, it seeks to catalyze broader reforms and reduce health and environmental burdens worldwide. Eventually, outputs of the project will support authorities in their journey to meet the United Nations Minimum Standards for the treatment of detainees in improving working and living conditions for the staff and the persons deprived of liberty.
Flood Impact Forecasting for Humanitarian Anticipatory Action