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UN EXPERT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS CONCLUDES VISIT TO AZERBAIJAN
06 April 2007
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6 April 2007
The following statement was issued today by the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Mr. Walter Kälin:
“The efforts and achievements to date of the Government of Azerbaijan in addressing the problem of internal displacement are impressive, but a number of challenges still lie ahead to improve the living conditions of the displaced populations,” Walter Kälin, the UN Secretary-General’s Representative for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, said at the end of his mission to Azerbaijan, where he visited Baku, Sumgayit, Bilasuvar, Imishli and Sabirabad.
“Azerbaijan suffers from one of the most serious displacement problems in the world,” the Representative said. “It must be acknowledged that real progress had been made to protect the political, civil, social and economic rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) since my predecessor, Representative Francis Deng, visited Azerbaijan in 1998”.
The overriding desire of all his interlocutors was the timely, peaceful resolution of the conflict, which would allow the displaced to return to their homes and villages. The Representative encouraged the Government and the international community to continue striving for this goal. He shared the Government’s position that the eventual return of those wishing to go back, and the immediate improvement of their living conditions in displacement, are not mutually exclusive.
The Representative said he was satisfied that some of the worst camps, where the displaced had spent over a decade in misery, had finally been closed, and that more dignified conditions had been created for their inhabitants in newly constructed settlements. He welcomed the Government’s plan to shut down the remaining tent camps by the end of the year.
Mr. Kälin also expressed his hope that the Government would go further: “Tens of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis continue to live in run-down, overcrowded collective shelters with completely inadequate sanitary facilities,” he said. Their suffering should no longer be acceptable to a generous and increasingly prosperous society with a Government that takes its responsibility for the displaced seriously and affirms international standards.
Having listened to displaced persons in different settlements, the Representative left with the impression that their basic needs had been addressed to a significant extent. The main challenge now lay in the creation of livelihoods. Jobs were even more difficult to find than in the rest of the country, because settlements were often isolated from local markets, and agriculture was not always an option. For this reason, he stressed the importance of continued Government support, through monthly allowances and subsidies, for the victims of forced displacement. In the same vein, Mr. Kälin encouraged the authorities to strengthen and expand programs to increase the self-sufficiency of the displaced, and to give them a real chance of becoming active and productive members of society again. “Persons who have been dependent on external assistance for many years will hardly be able to muster the energy necessary to rebuild their towns and villages once they can return”, he added.
In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, national policies should be designed in broad consultation with the displaced themselves, the Representative said. Experience in other countries has shown that solutions are more effective and sustainable if IDPs participate in return or resettlement planning from the outset.
The determination shown by the Government to solve remaining problems left the Representative optimistic. He called on international and non-governmental organizations to continue assisting the Government’s efforts.
The following statement was issued today by the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Mr. Walter Kälin:
“The efforts and achievements to date of the Government of Azerbaijan in addressing the problem of internal displacement are impressive, but a number of challenges still lie ahead to improve the living conditions of the displaced populations,” Walter Kälin, the UN Secretary-General’s Representative for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, said at the end of his mission to Azerbaijan, where he visited Baku, Sumgayit, Bilasuvar, Imishli and Sabirabad.
“Azerbaijan suffers from one of the most serious displacement problems in the world,” the Representative said. “It must be acknowledged that real progress had been made to protect the political, civil, social and economic rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) since my predecessor, Representative Francis Deng, visited Azerbaijan in 1998”.
The overriding desire of all his interlocutors was the timely, peaceful resolution of the conflict, which would allow the displaced to return to their homes and villages. The Representative encouraged the Government and the international community to continue striving for this goal. He shared the Government’s position that the eventual return of those wishing to go back, and the immediate improvement of their living conditions in displacement, are not mutually exclusive.
The Representative said he was satisfied that some of the worst camps, where the displaced had spent over a decade in misery, had finally been closed, and that more dignified conditions had been created for their inhabitants in newly constructed settlements. He welcomed the Government’s plan to shut down the remaining tent camps by the end of the year.
Mr. Kälin also expressed his hope that the Government would go further: “Tens of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis continue to live in run-down, overcrowded collective shelters with completely inadequate sanitary facilities,” he said. Their suffering should no longer be acceptable to a generous and increasingly prosperous society with a Government that takes its responsibility for the displaced seriously and affirms international standards.
Having listened to displaced persons in different settlements, the Representative left with the impression that their basic needs had been addressed to a significant extent. The main challenge now lay in the creation of livelihoods. Jobs were even more difficult to find than in the rest of the country, because settlements were often isolated from local markets, and agriculture was not always an option. For this reason, he stressed the importance of continued Government support, through monthly allowances and subsidies, for the victims of forced displacement. In the same vein, Mr. Kälin encouraged the authorities to strengthen and expand programs to increase the self-sufficiency of the displaced, and to give them a real chance of becoming active and productive members of society again. “Persons who have been dependent on external assistance for many years will hardly be able to muster the energy necessary to rebuild their towns and villages once they can return”, he added.
In line with the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, national policies should be designed in broad consultation with the displaced themselves, the Representative said. Experience in other countries has shown that solutions are more effective and sustainable if IDPs participate in return or resettlement planning from the outset.
The determination shown by the Government to solve remaining problems left the Representative optimistic. He called on international and non-governmental organizations to continue assisting the Government’s efforts.