Homeward bound: MPs to vote for action on displaced persons in Georgia

COPENHAGEN, 3 July 2012 – With United Nations estimates of more than 359,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Republic of Georgia, Polish MP Michal Szczerba has put forward a resolution calling on OSCE participating States to support the safe and dignified return of IDPs within Georgia and its occupied territories.

The resolution, to be debated at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Annual Session in Monaco on 5-9 July, also calls for the re-opening  of the OSCE Mission to Georgia and the granting of the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unimpeded access to Georgia’s  occupied territories.

“A strengthened Geneva Process and open dialogue among the parties to resolve the protracted conflicts in Georgia are critical to regional stability, but the best way to lessen the suffering of the people most affected is to help them safely return home,” said Szczerba.

The resolution, co-sponsored by 36 parliamentarians from 9 different countries, reiterates many of the objectives of the Geneva Discussions but puts specific emphasis on the repatriation of internally displaced persons and granting EUMM access to the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia.

Parliamentarians from across the 56 OSCE countries will vote on the resolution and declaration in Monaco. The full text of the resolution is available here.

Resolutions adopted at the Annual Session along with the Monaco Declaration help to shape OSCE and national policy. The Annual Session, including committee debates and votes, are open to the press and public.

Media Contacts:  Neil Simon, OSCE PA, neil@oscepa.dk, +45 60 10 83 80 mobile

This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 320 parliamentarians from 55 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international cooperation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.