SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPRESENTATIVE ON INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS CONCLUDES VISIT TO TURKEY

5 June 2002




The following statement was issued today by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis M. Deng:

ANKARA/GENEVA (5 June 2002) – At the invitation of the Government of Turkey, the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis M. Deng, undertook an official visit to Turkey from 27-31 May.

The objectives of the Representative’s visit were to study the situation of internal displacement in the country and to dialogue with the Government, international agencies, representatives of donor countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) towards ensuring effective responses to the conditions of the internally displaced in Turkey.

In Ankara, the Representative held official meetings with the Minister of State for Human Rights, Mr. Nejat Arseven, the Minister of State for Children and Women’s Issues, Mr. Hasan Gemici, the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Rüstü Kazim Yücelen, Ambassador Ugur Ziyal, Under-Secretary, and Ambassador Daryal Batibay at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Selçuk Polat, Assistant Under-Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, Dr. Olcay Ünver, Director of the South Eastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration, and the Vice-Chairman and some members of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights. He also held meetings with representatives of United Nations agencies and other international organisations, representatives of donor countries and local non-governmental organisations. The programme included visits to the provinces of Diyarbakir, Sirnak and Sanliurfa in the south-east of the country where the Representative met local Government officials, including the Governor of the Region of the State of Emergency, Mr. Gökhan Aydiner, and the Governors of Sirnak and Sanliurfa, as well as local NGOs and displaced persons.

Prior to undertaking the mission, the Representative was acutely aware that the problem of internal displacement in Turkey, in particular that arising from the conflict in the south-east of the country between security forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), was the cause of extensive concern for a number of governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental actors. Indeed, there appears to be a widely shared perception that the Government has been largely in denial of the problem to the point of not seeking international assistance in meeting the needs of those affected. As a result of the alleged sensitivity of the Government to the issue the international community, in particular United Nations agencies in the country, avoided open discussion of the problem with the authorities and refrained from providing protection and assistance to those displaced by the conflict, except within the context of projects implemented in areas of the country in which the displaced were located but for which they were not specifically targeted.

In his discussions with the authorities, the Representative began by explaining the approach he has adopted for the discharge of his mandate, which is based on recognising the problem as internal and therefore falling under state sovereignty, but seeing sovereignty not as a barricade against international cooperation, but as a positive concept of state responsibility to protect and assist its citizens, if necessary, with the support of the international community. In this context, his task is to explore a common ground for international cooperation to support the Governments of affected countries to discharge their responsibilities toward the needy populations.

On the basis of his discussions with Government Ministers and officials, the Representative noted a gap between the negative perception of Government policy and the positive attitude he found during his mission. The Representative’s discussions with Ministers and officials at all levels revealed surprising openness and transparency on the part of the authorities to discuss the various aspects of the displacement problem, including its causes, in particular the conflict in the south-east and the responsibility of both sides for the displacement of the civilian population, as well as the steps which are being taken to facilitate the return and resettlement of the internally displaced, following the marked reduction in the level of hostilities towards the end of the 1990s. Indeed, the Government’s decision to invite the Representative to visit the country was taken as an initial indication of a possible change in approach on its part. The continuing improvement in the situation was reflected by the Government’s decision to lift the state of emergency in two of the four provinces during the Representative’s mission, with the declared policy of lifting it in the remaining two in the near future.

What is critically important in the view of the Representative is that an opportunity now exists for the international community to assist the Government of Turkey in the challenging task of facilitating the voluntary return, resettlement and reintegration of the displaced population. To facilitate this process the Representative made several preliminary proposals, among them the need for the Government to formulate a clear policy on the issue, to make that policy and related programmes transparent to all concerned, to establish focal points within the Government, to improve coordination among the relevant Government institutions, including regional authorities, as well as with the international community and to convene a joint meeting in the near future to formulate programmes and strategies for cooperation with the international community in meeting the urgent needs of the affected populations. In discussions with Government authorities and representatives of the NGO community, the Representative called for close cooperation between them in the service of the affected communities. He observed that an open and constructive partnership involving the Government, civil society, and international agencies would serve to facilitate the timely and effective implementation of the Government’s return policy, while at the same time alleviating the concerns expressed by NGOs and improving the perception of the problem, both within and outside the country.

The Representative will elaborate upon the findings of his mission in a report which will be presented to the Commission on Human Rights. He will also share the findings of his mission with the United Nations Secretary-General and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, composed of all the major human rights, humanitarian and development organisations.

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 Marlene Alejos or Simon Bagshaw in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva: tel. +41 22 917 9160 or 917 9280.



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