UN backs Georgia-sponsored resolution on refugees and displaced persons from Abkhazia and South Ossetia
The UN General Assembly has once again backed a Georgia-sponsored resolution concerning the rights of refugees and internally displaced persons from Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Assembly considered the resolution on 4 June during its 80th session. A total of 107 countries voted in favour, matching last year’s level of support.
Fifty-five countries abstained, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Israel. Last year, 49 countries took a neutral position.
Eight countries voted against the resolution: Russia, Belarus, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Burundi.
Georgia has submitted this resolution to the UN General Assembly every year since 2008. The document focuses on humanitarian issues and condemns demographic changes brought about by force in the conflict zones.
The resolution also reaffirms the right of internally displaced persons and refugees, regardless of ethnicity, to return safely and with dignity to their homes. It further stresses the need to protect their property rights.
The resolution has practical significance as well. It instructs the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on its implementation. According to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is particularly important given the human rights situation in the regions concerned and the limited access available to international monitoring mechanisms.
The resolution also calls on participants in the International Geneva Discussions to intensify efforts to address existing security and human rights challenges in order to create conditions for the return of internally displaced persons and refugees.
International support for the resolution has gradually expanded in recent years. According to Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the number of co-sponsoring countries increased by four this year, reaching 68.
The ministry said this reflects growing international support in the face of the humanitarian challenges resulting from Russian aggression and occupation.
During the debate, the President of the UN General Assembly, the European Union, Lithuania on behalf of the Baltic and Nordic countries, the United Kingdom, Australia on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, as well as Ukraine and Japan, spoke in support of the resolution.
Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked all countries that voted in favour of the resolution and joined its group of co-sponsors. According to the ministry, this support once again demonstrates the international community’s commitment to the right of internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes.
Resolution on refugees from Abkhazia and South Ossetia
