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A/RES/66/283 GA

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

66
Session
60
Yes
15
No
82
Abstentions
Draft symbol A/66/L.50
Adopted symbol A/RES/66/283
Category POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS
P5 Positions
Russia United States United Kingdom China ~ France
UN Document A/RES/66/283 ↗

Vote Recorded VoteA/66/PV.121 July 3, 2012

— Abstain (82)
✗ No (15)
Absent (36)
✓ Yes (60)
Speeches following this vote (7) may include explanations of vote
The Acting President
Before giving the floor to speakers in explanation of vote following the voting, may I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.
Mr. Rey (Switzerland)
Switzerland abstained from the voting on resolution 66/283, which was introduced by the representative of Georgia and entitled “Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia”. As a constant in our policies, Switzerland recalls the obligation that exists to pay particular attention to the situation of internally displa…
Mr. Apakan (Türkiye)
I take the floor to briefly explain our position. We are concerned about the fact that the conflicts in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia remain unresolved. The situation has serious economic, social and humanitarian consequences, primarily for the people of Georgia but also for the peoples of the Caucasus region as a whole. Turkey supports all efforts aimed at the peaceful resol…
Ms. Ivanović (Serbia)
I take the floor to briefly explain our position following the voting on resolution 66/283, which we have just adopted. As a country that has faced a long-standing problem with internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees on its territory, Serbia is fully committed to finding just, comprehensive and sustainable solutions for displacement situations all over the world that include full respec…
The Acting President
I now give the floor to the representative of Georgia.
Mr. Lomaia (Georgia)
Together we have just adopted resolution 66/283, which lifts the spirits of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees who were forced by violence and fear to flee their homes and communities. It is on behalf of those men, women and children, citizens of Georgia of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, that I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to the Gener…
The Acting President
May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 35?
Full text of resolution OCR extract — may contain errors
United Nations A/RES/66/283 General Assembly Distr.: General 12 July 2012 Sixty-sixth session Agenda item 35 11-47580 *1147580* Please rec cle ♲ Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 3 July 2012 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/66/L.50)] 66/283. 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, 62/249 of 15 May 2008, 63/307 of 9 September 2009, 64/162 of 18 December 2009, 64/296 of 7 September 2010 and 65/287 of 29 June 2011, 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 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 resolution 65/287,2 _______________ 1 E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2, annex. 2 A/66/813. A/RES/66/283 2 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 the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia; 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-seventh session a comprehensive report on the implementation of the present resolution; 8. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-seventh session the item entitled “Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development”. 121st plenary meeting 3 July 2012
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UN Project. “A/RES/66/283.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/A-RES-66-283/. Accessed .