UN Expert: "There will be no peaceful solution in the nearest future"

As APA reports, 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 K?lin.

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. K?lin stressed the importance of continued Government support, through monthly allowances and subsidies, for the victims of forced displacement.

After the visit Mr. K?lin 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," K?lin 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 Nagorno Karabakh region, fifteen years after the conflict with Armenia.