← Votes

A/RES/63/307 GA

Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia

63
Session
48
Yes
19
No
78
Abstentions
Draft symbol A/63/L.79
Adopted symbol A/RES/63/307
Category POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS
P5 Positions
Russia United States United Kingdom China ~ France
UN Document A/RES/63/307 ↗

Vote Recorded VoteA/63/PV.104 Sept. 9, 2009

— Abstain (78)
✗ No (19)
Absent (47)
✓ Yes (48)
Speeches following this vote (12) may include explanations of vote
The Acting President
Before giving the floor to speakers in an explanation of vote on the resolution just adopted, may I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Mr. Apakan (Türkiye)
I am taking the floor to briefly explain our position. First, I wish to underline that regardless of our position on the issue at hand today, we believe that it is the basic right of any delegation to bring an issue to the attention of the General Assembly and, if deemed necessary, to submit a draft resolution. I would also like to reiterate Turkey’s firm and unwavering commitment to the soverei…
The Acting President
I call on the representative of the Russian Federation on a point of order.
Mr. Churkin (Russian Federation)
I wish to draw attention to the fact that at least two delegations that were indicated on the board as having voted in favour had in fact abstained in the voting. Therefore, the results declared at the outcome of the voting are not fully valid.
The Acting President
With reference to the observation made by the representative of the Russian Federation, I wish to draw attention to the print-out of the voting results that has now been distributed to all delegations. I am looking at the page right now and the observations made by the delegation of Bhutan are fully reflected there. So I do not think that this impinges in any way on the validity of the voting or …
Mr. Moraes Cabral (Portugal)
Portugal’s vote in favour of resolution 63/307 is in line with our strong commitment to fundamental humanitarian principles as expressed, inter alia, in the European consensus on humanitarian aid jointly agreed by the Council of Ministers of the European Union; the representatives of the Governments of the member States meeting within the Council, the European Parliament and European Commission s…
Ms. Halabi (Syrian Arab Republic)
I take the floor to explain our vote on resolution 63/307. My delegation sympathizes with all humanitarian causes throughout the world. We are concerned by the suffering of refugees and the resulting burdens imposed upon host countries. We should have liked the matter to be resolved bilaterally, but as it concerns a purely humanitarian situation in Georgia, we recognize the merits of its being a…
Mrs. Aitimova (Kazakhstan)
The delegation of Kazakhstan advocated against putting resolution 63/307 to the vote by voting in favour of the no-action motion. Although Kazakhstan had no objection in principle to the consideration of the resolution on the status of temporarily displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the region of Tskhinvali, Georgia, we felt that it had been premature to submit the resolutio…
Mr. Morejón (Ecuador)
I will speak briefly. We note the important comments made today with regard to today’s vote. Ecuador voted against the no-action motion today because we believe that all Member States have the right to present matters to the General Assembly. That principle governs our foreign policy. Ecuador voted against the resolution submitted by Georgia because we hope the matter will be dealt with in the …
The Acting President
We have heard the last speaker in explanation of vote. I now call on the representative of Georgia, who wishes to make a statement following the adoption of resolution 63/307.
Mr. Lomaia (Georgia)
We have just adopted a resolution that reinforces the hopes of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children — citizens of Georgia of various ethnic origins who were forced to flee their homes and communities. It is with them in mind that I would like to thank the members of the General Assembly. This timely resolution demonstrates that the international community stands firmly upon the norms…
The Acting President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 13? It was so decided.
Full text of resolution OCR extract — may contain errors
United Nations A/RES/63/307 General Assembly Distr.: General 30 September 2009 Sixty-third session Agenda item 13 09-50640 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 9 September 2009 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/63/L.79)] 63/307. Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia The General Assembly, Recalling all its relevant resolutions on the protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons, including its resolutions 62/153 of 18 December 2007 and 62/249 of 15 May 2008, Recalling also all relevant Security Council resolutions on Georgia relating to the need for all parties to work towards a comprehensive peace and the return of internally displaced persons and refugees to their places of origin, and stressing the importance of their full and timely implementation, Recognizing the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement 0F 1 as the key international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons, Concerned by forced demographic changes resulting from the conflicts in Georgia, Concerned also by the humanitarian situation caused by armed conflict in August 2008, which resulted in the further forced displacement of civilians, Mindful of the urgent need to find a solution to the problems related to forced displacement in Georgia, Underlining the importance of the discussions that commenced in Geneva on 15 October 2008 and of continuing to address the issue of the voluntary, safe, dignified and unhindered return of internally displaced persons and refugees on the basis of internationally recognized principles and conflict-settlement practices, Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General concerning the implementation of General Assembly resolution 62/249,1F2 1. Recognizes the right of return of all internally displaced persons and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout Georgia, including in Abkhazia and South Ossetia; _______________ 1 E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2, annex. 2 A/63/950. A/RES/63/307 2 2. Stresses the need to respect the property rights of all internally displaced persons and refugees affected by the conflicts in Georgia and to refrain from obtaining property in violation of those rights; 3. Reaffirms the unacceptability of forced demographic changes; 4. Underlines the urgent need for unimpeded access for humanitarian activities to all internally displaced persons, refugees and other persons residing in all conflict-affected areas throughout Georgia; 5. Calls upon all participants in the Geneva discussions to intensify their efforts to establish a durable peace, to commit to enhanced confidence-building measures and to take immediate steps to ensure respect for human rights and create favourable security conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and unhindered return of all internally displaced persons and refugees to their places of origin; 6. Underlines the need for the development of a timetable to ensure the voluntary, safe, dignified and unhindered return of all internally displaced persons and refugees affected by the conflicts in Georgia to their homes; 7. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth session a comprehensive report on the implementation of the present resolution; 8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-fourth session the item entitled “Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development”. 104th plenary meeting 9 September 2009
Cite this page

UN Project. “A/RES/63/307.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/A-RES-63-307/. Accessed .