On September 3, the UN General Assembly, within its 74th session, adopted the Resolution on the “Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali Region (South Ossetia),” reported georgiatoday.

The Resolution condemns the forced demographic changes in the occupied regions, emphasizes the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees, regardless of their ethnicity, to a safe and dignified return to their places of origin, and focuses upon the need to fully respect and protect their property rights. The Resolution reiterates the importance of unimpeded humanitarian access in the regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region.

Apart from the humanitarian context, the Resolution has practical significance, as it tasks the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on the situation of internally displaced persons residing in Georgia as well as on the implementation of this resolution. It also calls upon the participants of the Geneva International Discussions to reinvigorate their efforts to ensure security and human rights protection in the occupied regions, which in turn will facilitate the return of IDPs and refugees to their homes.

The resolution passed with 84 votes in favour, 13 against and 78 abstentions. 54 states in total co-sponsored the resolution in comparison to 2019 where it was 44. Like in 2019 Armenia abstained from the voting, while Azerbaijan voted in favour of the resolution (Caucasus Watch reported).