IDPs in Azerbaijan, no longer in headlines, still suffering

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, but "what we need to do is really to refocus on this situation and take joint action at the international level to finally reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict."



Azerbaijan suffers from one of the most serious displacement problems in the world. Tens of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis continue to live in run-down, overcrowded collective shelters with completely inadequate sanitary facilities. So many people have been displaced for so long, and "unfortunately it doesn’t look like there will be peaceful solution to the conflict in the very near future," noted Kallin.



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 constructed in new settlements. He welcomed the Government’s plan to shut down the remaining tent camps by the end of the year.



"Although to date, the efforts and achievements of the Government of Azerbaijan in addressing the problem of internal displacement are impressive, a number of challenges still lie ahead to improve the living conditions of the displaced populations," said the UN expert after visiting Baku, Sumgayit, Bilasuvar, Imishli and Sabirabad from April 2-6, 2007.

The main challenge now lies in the creation of livelihoods. Jobs were even more difficult to find than in the rest of the country, because settlements are often isolated from local markets, and employment in agriculture was not always an option. For this reason, Mr. Kallin stressed the importance of continued Government support, through monthly allowances and subsidies, for the victims of forced displacement

The Government has managed to provide access to schools for almost all displaced children, but the problem in many of these schools is poor quality of education with the need for improvement. On the other hand there are not enough adequate programs to address the mental health of IDPs. "No doubt that for many to be in displacement for such a long time, without any prospect and without a meaningful, productive life, it creates mental health problems that should be addressed," Kallin noted.

In the same vein, Mr. Kallin 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. Experience in other countries has shown that solutions are more effective and sustainable if IDPs participate in return or resettlement planning from the outset.

After the visit Mr. Kallin will present a report on his findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly.
"This is very important because the situation of the IDPs in Azerbaijan is no longer in the headlines and many IDPs feel forgotten and neglected and to a certain extent it’s true," Kallin said.

"I hope the first impact [of my report) will be that the Government will take up some of my recommendations and that it will get assistance and support from the international community in implementing these recommendations."

The displacement in Azerbaijan is linked to the still unsettled dispute over the future status of the Nagorno Karabakh region, fifteen years after the conflict with Armenia.

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Walter Kallin was appointed to the post of Representative in 2004 at the recommendation of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. In carrying out his mandate, he assesses, every year, the implementation of the human rights of internally displaced persons. Since his appointment, he has carried out several visits and country missions, including most recently missions to Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, and Georgia.