UNGA Adopts Resolution on Georgian IDPS, Refugees from Abkhazia & Tskhinvali

On September 3, the UN General Assembly, within its 74th session, adopted the Resolution on the 'Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia' that was initiated by Georgia and 53 sponsoring states.

The General Assembly has been adopting the Resolution consecutively since 2008, reaffirming the fundamental rights of forcefully displaced persons, first and foremost their right of voluntary, safe and dignified return to their homes.

For the first time last year, United Nations Member States were given the opportunity to co-sponsor the Resolution and thus participate more actively in a global effort to resolve this important issue.

In 2019 the Resolution was joined by 44 UN Member States from different regions, this year number of co-sponsoring states has reached 54. Co-sponsoring states are: GEORGIA, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, AUSTRALIA, BULGARIA, CANADA, COSTA RICA, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FRANCE, GERMANY, ICELAND, IRELAND, ITALY, LATVIA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA, MARSHALL ISLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, TURKEY, TUVALU, UKRAINE, UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ALBANIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, DJIBOUTI, FINLAND, GREECE, HAITI, HUNGARY, JAPAN, LUXEMBOURG, MALTA, MICRONESIA (FEDERATED STATES OF), MONACO, MONTENEGRO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NORTH MACEDONIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, SAN MARINO, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA SOLOMON ISLANDS, TONGA.

Adoption of the Resolution during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the work of the United Nations, highlights even more strongly the importance of the issue and the urgency of the humanitarian message.

The Resolution condemns the forced demographic changes in the occupied regions, emphasizes the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees, regardless of their ethnicity, to a safe and dignified return to their places of origin, and focuses upon the need to fully respect and protect their property rights. The Resolution reiterates the importance of unimpeded humanitarian access in the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region.

Apart from the humanitarian context, the Resolution has a practical significance, as it tasks the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on the situation of internally displaced persons residing in Georgia as well as on the implementation of this resolution. The above-mentioned has even greater importance in the light of the deplorable human rights situation in the occupied territories in the absence of international human rights monitoring mechanisms, which constitutes an impediment to the safe and dignified return of forcefully displaced persons.

The Resolution calls upon the participants of the Geneva International Discussions to reinvigorate their efforts to ensure security and human rights protection in the occupied regions, which in turn will facilitate the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes.

"Adoption of the Resolution by the General Assembly highlights that the situation in Georgia still remains on the agenda of the world’s most important forum. The diplomatic service of Georgia will continue its effort on the international arena to protect the fundamental rights of IDPs and refugees who were displaced as a result of ethnic cleansing, as this issue, that implies the full de-occupation of Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and ensuring the safe and dignified return of the internally displaced persons, is and will continue to be the main priority of Georgian Government until its final resolution.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia would like to express its sincere gratitude to all states that have supported and co-sponsored the resolution on the right of return of the IDPs and refugees and thereby once again expressed their solidarity to each and every forcibly displaced person," reads the statement released by the Georgian MFA. 

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has thanked all of the states that voted for the resolution. 

"UNGA passed #IDP Resolution! Occupation of regions &violent demographic changes once again condemned from t/world`s highest tribune! Adoption of the resolution, especially during pandemic reaffirms that Georgia is always on the international agenda. Deep gratitude to our partner countries!", he tweeted. 

By Ana Dumbadze