UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution on Georgian IDPs’

The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday evening adopted a Georgia-initiated resolution reiterating the right of return for the more than 250,000 Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were driven from their homes during a series of Russian-backed separatist wars in Georgia’s breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The information was released by Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The UN General Assembly has passed similar resolutions since Georgia fought a brief war against Russia in 2008.

On June 12, the vote passed with 86 in favor, 16 against, and 62 abstentions. Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nauru, Nicaragua, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe voted against the resolution this year.

UN General Assembly Resolution on "Status of IDPs and refugees from #Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, #Georgia" adopted wiht 81 votes in favour. Thank you to all our supporters.#IDPs #RighttoReturn #SustainingPeace #UNGA72 pic.twitter.com/uAUhg2tWbe

— Elene Agladze (@eleneagladze) June 12, 2018

The document fully defines who qualifies as an IDP or refugee and demands that their property rights be respected by both the de facto leaders of the occupied regions and the Russian Federation.

The document also stresses the urgent need for unimpeded humanitarian access to all those residing in conflict-affected areas throughout Georgia.

Georgia says the goal of annually pushing the resolution is to keep the issue on the international agenda.

According to the MFA, the resolution “condemns the forceful demographic changes in Georgia’s occupied regions, reiterates the right of the displaced persons to safe and dignified return, regardless of their ethnicity, and underlines the necessity of respecting and protecting their property rights.”

Official Tbilisi thanked all the states that supported the resolution.

By Thea Morrison