UN official pledges further aid to Azeri IDPs
The United Nations Secretary-General’s representative on the human
rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kaelin, visiting
Baku, has said the UN was ready to continue providing its
assistance to IDPs in Azerbaijan. The assistance will be provided
in the form of technical consultation, as well as some resources,
he said at the meeting with Ali Hasanov, Deputy Prime Minister and
chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs.
"The biggest problem of the IDPs is the stalling peaceful settlement of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict," Kaelin said.
Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a war in the early 1990s, which claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced about a million Azerbaijanis. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory since then. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but the OSCE-brokered peace talks have been fruitless so far.
According to Kaelin, in recent years much has been done to solve the problems of IDPs in Azerbaijan, but work should be continued on improving the living conditions of the people living in make-shift tents.
Hasanov, for his part, said work was underway to improve the living standards of IDPs on all nine directions indicated by the UN representative during his previous visit to the country in 2007. In 2008 and 2009 $800 million was spent for the purpose, the deputy prime minister said.
Kaelin, who last conducted a mission to Azerbaijan in April 2007, arrived in the country on Wednesday for a follow-up visit, which will last till next Monday. He is due to meet with government representatives, UN officials, and members of civil society and the international community, as well as visit various sites of displacement and meet with IDPs.
Kaelin will present a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2011.*
"The biggest problem of the IDPs is the stalling peaceful settlement of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict," Kaelin said.
Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a war in the early 1990s, which claimed some 30,000 lives and displaced about a million Azerbaijanis. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory since then. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but the OSCE-brokered peace talks have been fruitless so far.
According to Kaelin, in recent years much has been done to solve the problems of IDPs in Azerbaijan, but work should be continued on improving the living conditions of the people living in make-shift tents.
Hasanov, for his part, said work was underway to improve the living standards of IDPs on all nine directions indicated by the UN representative during his previous visit to the country in 2007. In 2008 and 2009 $800 million was spent for the purpose, the deputy prime minister said.
Kaelin, who last conducted a mission to Azerbaijan in April 2007, arrived in the country on Wednesday for a follow-up visit, which will last till next Monday. He is due to meet with government representatives, UN officials, and members of civil society and the international community, as well as visit various sites of displacement and meet with IDPs.
Kaelin will present a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2011.*
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