In New York, the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution “Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia,” initiated by Georgia and backed by 63 countries.
As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported, 100 states supported the resolution.
The Ministry noted that Georgia has consistently presented this resolution to the UN General Assembly since 2008. The resolution strongly condemns the forced demographic changes carried out in Georgia’s occupied regions by Russia. It reiterates the fundamental right of internally displaced persons (IDPs), regardless of ethnicity, to return to their homes safely and with dignity, emphasizing the critical importance of respect for their property rights.
“Besides the humanitarian context, the resolution also has a practical impact, since it instructs the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on the situation of the displaced population living in Georgia and the implementation of the resolution. This is particularly important in light of the problematic human rights situation in the territories of Georgia occupied by Russia and the lack of international monitoring mechanisms, which is another obstacle to the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons and refugees, and is especially important now, when as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, a significant increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons has further aggravated the dire humanitarian situation in the world.
The resolution also calls on the Geneva negotiators to intensify their efforts to improve the security and human rights situation in the regions of Georgia occupied by Russia, which will facilitate the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes,” noted the Ministry.
During the discussion of the IDP resolution initiated by the Georgian side, supporting statements were made by the delegations of Australia (CANS – on behalf of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), Lithuania (on behalf of NORDIC/BALTIC), the European Union, the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Ukraine, who urged other UN members to support the resolution.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia thanked all the states that supported the resolution.
