In New York, during its 79th session, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a landmark resolution initiated by Georgia alongside 63 countries from various regions worldwide—titled “On the Status of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia.”
The resolution condemns the demographic changes forcibly carried out in Georgia’s occupied regions, affirms the right of displaced persons—regardless of ethnicity—to return to their homes with dignity and safety, and underscores the importance of respecting and protecting their property rights.
Beyond its humanitarian focus, the resolution holds practical importance by instructing the UN Secretary-General to prepare an annual report on its implementation. This measure is especially vital given the severe human rights violations in the occupied territories of Georgia and the lack of effective international monitoring mechanisms.
The resolution also urges participants in the Geneva International Discussions (GID) to intensify efforts to improve security and human rights conditions in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, which will, in turn, support the safe return of internally displaced persons and refugees.
In recent years, the initiative has gained global traction, with dozens of countries from different regions becoming co-sponsors. During the June 3 discussion, supportive statements were made by representatives of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Lithuania (on behalf of Baltic and Nordic countries), Canada (on behalf of Australia and New Zealand), and Japan.
Notably, Georgia was able to not only sustain but also steadily expand international support for the resolution each year.
The list of co-sponsors includes countries from various regions, such as Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, the USA, New Zealand, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Guatemala, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Spain, Vanuatu, Turkey, Japan, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Cape Verde, Canada, Kiribati, the Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, France, Georgia, Greece, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, Fiji, Croatia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, and Djibouti.
