UN expert on internally displaced to visit Caucasus

The Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Professor Walter Kaelin, will carry out a follow-up visit to the southern Caucasus region from 13-18 September 2010. Following talks in Tbilisi, he will travel to Sukhum/i and Gal/i, and conclude his visit in Yerevan.

During his visit, the Representative will look into the current situation of those who were displaced in the course of the conflicts in the region. He intends to discuss with authorities, civil society representatives, UN officials, other stakeholders and the internally displaced themselves how the displaced can find durable solutions.

Professor Kaelin will hold press conferences in Tbilisi, Georgia, at the UN House on 16 September 2010 at 15:00, and in Yerevan, Armenia, on 18 September 2010 (timing and venue to be confirmed).

Walter Kaelin, professor of law at the University of Bern (Switzerland), has been the Representative of the Secretary General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons since 2004. Learn more about the mandate and work of the Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/idp/index.htm

For additional information and press inquiries, please contact Ms. Catherine Phuong (Tel. +41 22 917 9271, from 12-19 Sept 2010: 079-201 0116;
e-mail: cphuong@ohchr.org).