OHCHR/STM/00/30
TBILISI (17 May 2000) -- At the
invitation of the Government of Georgia, the Representative of the United
Nations Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis
Deng, undertook an official visit to Georgia from 13 to 17 May. The mission
of the Representative followed his participation in a workshop on internal
displacement in the South Caucasus, held in Tbilisi from 10 to 12 May,
which was co-sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR),
the Brookings Institution Project on Internal Displacement (of which the
Representative is Co-Director) and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The objectives of the Representative's official mission were to study the situation of internal displacement in the country and to dialogue with the Government, international agencies, non-governmental organizations and other relevant actors towards ensuring effective responses to the current conditions of the more than 250,000 internally displaced persons in Georgia.
In Tbilisi, the Representative was received by His Excellency of the Republic, Eduard Shevardnadze, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Refugees and Accommodation, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and the Chairman of the Abkhaz Government in Exile. He also met with representatives of United Nations and other international humanitarian, human rights and development agencies, the donor and diplomatic community, the Friends of the Secretary-General on Georgia and civil society. The programme included visits to Tskhinvali, Tskhaltubo, Kutaisi, Tsaishi, Zugdidi, Ingiri and Sukhumi, in the course of which meetings were held with local authorities, international agencies and non-governmental organizations, representatives of civil society and internally displaced persons themselves. In Tskhinvali and Sukhumi, the Representative also met with the de facto authorities in the regions and, in Sukhumi, with the United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia.
As a basis for his dialogue in these meetings, the Representative used the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. The Principles, which were developed under his direction by a team of experts in international law, set out the rights of internally displaced persons in all phases of displacement, providing protection from arbitrary displacement, protection and assistance during displacement and for safe and dignified return or resettlement and reintegration. Presented to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1998, the Principles have gained significant international standing and authority and are being widely disseminated and applied. The Principles are available in all official United Nations languages (including Russian). They have been translated into Georgian and are being disseminated throughout the country.
Over the course of the mission, the Representative has concluded that with several years having passed since the emergency phase of the displacement crises, the challenge now is one of assisting the internally displaced to rebuild their lives in dignity in a humane transition from relief to development and in accordance with the full range of their rights as citizens. This means a return to normal conditions of life in terms of decent accommodation, education, health care and psychosocial assistance, access to land, gainful means of employment and income-generation and equitable participation in public affairs. Indeed, internally displaced persons with whom the Representative met expressed a strong desire to become self-reliant and contribute to society. In so doing they stand to improve not only their own conditions but to become agents for the development of the country as a whole. Moreover, building the capacity of the displaced now means that they will be better prepared to return, as many indicated they wished to do, and engage in the reconstruction of their areas of origin. The right of the internally displaced to voluntary return to their homes in safety and dignity, which has been consistently articulated by the international community, remains uncompromised.
Improving the current conditions of the displaced while continuing to support their right to return in safety and dignity is the thrust of the "New Approach" to internal displacement in Georgia that has been developed by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Bank and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and endorsed by the Government. The Representative is encouraged by the commitment of the Government and the international community towards ensuring a rapid and effective implementation of the New Approach, including through the convening of coordinating mechanisms and the mobilization of resources. Recognizing the critical role of civil society in Georgia in promoting better conditions for the internally displaced, the Representative welcomes the emphasis in the New Approach on partnership with local non-governmental organizations and encourages their active involvement.
The Representative is also encouraged by the commitment of the authorities to ensure realisation of the full rights of the internally displaced as citizens in compliance with international standards. In this connection, particular attention must be paid to ensuring for the internally displaced equitable access to social services, including education and health care, access to land, opportunities for income-generation and the right to fully participate in the civil and political decision-making processes that affect their lives.
Notwithstanding the importance of progress on assistance and response to the plight of the internally displaced, it must be underscored that the root causes of internal displacement in Georgia are inherently political in nature and call for the intensification of efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflicts.
The Representative will elaborate upon the findings of his mission in a report which will be presented to the Commission on Human Rights at its next session and made publicly available. He will also share the findings of the mission with the Secretary-General and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which is composed of the main international humanitarian and development agencies and non-governmental organizations, and of which he is a member.
Dr. Deng has been the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons since the position was created by the Commission on Human Rights in 1992. For further information, contact Ms. Erin Mooney in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva: tel. +41(22) 917.9280.