Top UN Refugee Official Wraps Up Mission To Georgia, Russia
New York, Aug 22 2008 10:10AM
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres today is concluding a four-day visit to Georgia and
Russia, visiting people forced to flee their homes by the conflict that began when heavy fighting erupted on 7 August.
Visiting South Ossetia today, Mr. Guterres – the first senior international official to travel to the area since the
start of fighting – will assess the humanitarian situation and see first-hand the conditions for the uprooted to return
to their homes.
Yesterday, he was in North Ossetia, where he met with Sergey Shoigu, minister for civil defence, emergencies and
disaster response, as well as Konstantin Romodanovsky, who heads Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS).
In the region’s capital Vladikavkaz, the High Commissioner visited refugees and displaced South Ossetians, who expressed
their desire to return to their homes.
Russian authorities believe over 30,000 people from South Ossetia have fled across the border into North Ossetia, part
of Russia.
UNHCR estimates that close to 160,000 people have been uprooted since clashes began between Georgian and South Ossetian
forces, with Russian forces becoming involved in South Ossetia and in the region of Abkhazia in north-western Georgia.
Yesterday, Mr. Guterres met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, with their talks focusing on
UNHCR-Russian cooperation in supplying aid and humanitarian access, both in areas of Georgia where military actions are
still taking place and in South Ossetia.
“We also examined humanitarian assistance and protection in North Ossetia, which has received thousands of people who
fled South Ossetia,” the High Commissioner said, adding that they explored the process and prospects for the voluntary
return of the displaced.
“We also agreed on the principle of the non-discriminatory nature of the right of return for all civilians forced to
flee.”
UNHCR’s large-scale aid distribution is under way, with over 7,000 blankets and 3,200 jerry cans being handed out
yesterday in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, in addition to the nearly 10,000 kitchen sets and other supplies already
delivered earlier.
The agency approximates that up to 25,000 people are in need of assistance in western and central parts of the country.
Yesterday, the first UNHCR convoy to Gori, just south of South Ossetia, left Tbilisi carrying blankets, tents and jerry
cans. Most of the 40,000-strong population has fled the city, with those staying behind being mainly the elderly.
For its part, the World Bank is dispatching an economic assessment team to Georgia at the invitation of the Georgian
Government.
The agency said it will work with authorities to assess the economic effects of the fighting and provide recommendations
on how to generate growth and prevent poverty.
“Georgia has strong economic fundamentals, the result of a committed reform programme and prudent fiscal management by
the Government,” Theodore Ahlers, the World Bank’s acting Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, said in a
statement. “These factors will help the economy to weather the impact of the conflict.”
But he warned that economic growth could be dampened by investors’ cautious attitudes.
Ends