A/HRC/10/13
page 12
35. Protection and perspectives aimed at generating durable solutions for IDPs should also
constitute part of the peace agreement itself. An analysis of existing peace agreements,
commissioned and endorsed by the Representative, shows that the issue of internal displacement
is usually not systematically integrated.25 It is often weakly addressed. There are several reasons
for this: IDPs do not have a voice at the negotiating table; they may lack the resources,
education, or political skill to have political influence, and often belong to either ethnic
minorities or other marginalized groups; or they are dispersed, posing an obstacle to coherent
unification of their interests.
36. To facilitate the inclusion of IDPs and their interests in peace processes, the Representative
and the United Nations Mediation Support Unit are developing, in a comprehensive consultation
process, a manual for mediators. This manual will provide mediators guidance on how to better
consult with the internally displaced concerning their needs and interests, how to engage with
them and facilitate their participation at various stages of the peace process, and how to reflect
the human rights and interests of the internally displaced in the texts of peace agreements. The
manual is expected to be published in spring 2009.
II. DIALOGUE WITH GOVERNMENTS, INTERGOVERNMENTAL
AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
37. Pursuant to his mandate, the Representative maintains a regular dialogue with
Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in order to promote
and protect the rights of IDPs.
A. Official country visits
1. Mission to Georgia
38. At the invitation of the Government and in the aftermath of the South Ossetia conflict,
the Representative undertook an official mission to Georgia from 1 to 4 October 2008. The
mission built upon the Representative’s mission of December 200526 and follow-up visit of
December 2006. The Representative’s report analyses the situation, conclusions, and his
recommendations, and is available as an addendum to this report.27 The Representative
deeply regrets the current policies of the parties to the conflict on access to the
Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia and conflict-affected areas, which prevented him from
conducting the planned visit to the area by mid-December, when this report was finalized.
25
Addressing Internal Displacement in Peace Processes, Peace Agreements and
Peace-building, the Brookings Institution/University of Bern Project on Internal Displacement,
Washington, D.C., 2007, available at http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2007/09
peaceprocesses.aspx.
26
E/CN.4/2006/71/Add.7.
27
A/HRC/10/13/Add.2.
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