A/HRC/10/13 page 13 39. As a result of the hostilities that escalated on 7-8 August 2008, some 133,000 persons became displaced within Georgia. The Representative welcomed the Government’s prompt response to the crisis of displacement and their stated intentions to take measures integrating all IDPs who will not be returning to their homes in the foreseeable future, including those who have been in protracted displacement since the early 1990s. 40. An estimated 24,596 persons returned to the Shida Karli region between 7 and 10 November 2008,28 with an estimated 75,000 having returned to the areas adjacent to the administrative border with the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia in August and September 2008. Their main needs relate to the challenge of recovery after return, including safety (such as humanitarian mine clearance) and the re-establishment of law and order. The reconstruction and repairs of destroyed or looted houses, humanitarian assistance, and the re-establishment of basic services such as education and health are important concerns, as is the resumption of economic activities. The Representative urged the Government to take all required steps to ensure that the conditions for sustainable return are created, allowing IDPs to return voluntarily, safely, and with dignity. 41. Government estimates of November 2008 indicate that 37,605 IDPs will not return in the foreseeable future. This figure includes 19,111 IDPs from the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, 1,821 IDPs from the upper Kodori Valley, as well as those IDPs who will spend the winter in displacement, namely 11,500 who cannot return to the area adjacent to the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia for reasons such as security or destruction of property, and some 5,173 IDPs from Akhalgori.29 The Government estimated that they would be able to accommodate some 21,000 IDPs in settlements by the end of 2008. The Representative commended the Government for its decision to provide housing for those IDPs who are unlikely to return home in the foreseeable future. However, he is concerned about the almost exclusive emphasis on the provision of infrastructure, and recommended that the Government develop a comprehensive integration policy with responses to the specific needs of IDPs based on the whole range of their civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Moreover, the full participation of all segments of the internally displaced population in the planning and management of the resettlement plan should be guaranteed. The Representative emphasizes that the decision for resettlement or return must be voluntary, and he reiterates that resettlement opportunities shall be offered in a non-discriminatory manner, with priority being given only on the basis of specific vulnerability or need. IDPs must be enabled to make a well-informed choice about options offered to them. 42. The biggest challenge is the integration of the approximately 220,000 IDPs who have been living in protracted displacement for more than a decade, as described in the Representative’s previous report. The Representative welcomed the adoption, in late July 2008, of the Action Plan to implement Decree No. 47 of the Government of Georgia “On Approving of the State Strategy 28 Office of the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, situation report No. 35 on the situation in Georgia, 6-3 November 2008. 29 Ibid.