A/HRC/26/33
concerns at the establishment of a coiled razor wire fence along the administrative boundary
line of the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, which deprives displaced persons and
displacement-affected communities of their freedom of movement and livelihoods on their
lands.
2.
Serbia and the authorities in Kosovo
6.
Following up on the visit conducted by the previous mandate holder in 2009, the
Special Rapporteur undertook a visit to Serbia and the authorities in Kosovo, at the
invitation of the Government, from 9 to 12 October 2013. The Special Rapporteur visited
Belgrade and Pristina, as well as various sites of displacement.
7.
The Special Rapporteur strongly recommends that both the Government of Serbia
and the authorities in Kosovo, in the context of the European Union accession framework,
cooperate to work towards the implementation of durable solutions for internally displaced
persons. He commends the Government of Serbia and the authorities in Kosovo for
considering local integration as a durable solution option, together with other durable
solutions, where possible. He stresses that the key to attaining durable solutions in Serbia
and Kosovo lies in providing durable housing for all displaced persons on the model of the
regional housing project for refugees, although such a project should be linked to
livelihoods, particularly income-generating activities, employment, health, education, water
and energy. While welcoming the greater openness to consider local integration as a durable
solution, the Special Rapporteur noted that the most immediate need is to improve the
livelihoods of displaced persons in their current locations and to provide them, particularly
displaced Roma, with adequate services.
8.
The Special Rapporteur stressed the need to address other key issues, including the
effective resolution of property disputes, including recovery, where possible, of property in
places of origin, and effective compensation where property cannot be recovered.
3.
South Sudan
9.
From 6 to 15 November 2013, the Special Rapporteur undertook a visit to South
Sudan at the invitation of the Government. During his mission, the Special Rapporteur
visited Juba, Bor and Pibor in Jonglei.
10.
Recalling the Government’s primary responsibility to assist and protect all internally
displaced persons in an equal manner, the Special Rapporteur further emphasized that
humanitarian action, constitutional inclusion, development and peacebuilding measures
were the cornerstones of durable solutions for displaced persons and returnees. He stressed
that civilians, including internally displaced persons, should be spared from violence and
abuse by all parties. He called for capacities to be further strengthened and the response to
displaced persons should be demilitarized.
11.
Following his visit, a new cycle of violence broke out on 15 December 2013 in Juba
and quickly spread to other locations in South Sudan. In two press statements issued on 20
December 2013 and 31 January 2014, the Special Rapporteur expressed concern at what had
emerged primarily as a political crisis and then evolved into an increasingly ethnically
charged conflict across South Sudan, leading to large-scale internal displacement in the
compounds of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). The congested
conditions inside UNMISS compounds where internally displaced persons have taken
shelter has started to create risks for them. The Special Rapporteur, while recommending the
decongestion of the said sites, stresses that this should not be a quick, stand-alone measure
in the ongoing crisis, but must be embedded in a long-term comprehensive strategy on
internal displacement. The dimensions and complexities of internal displacement require a
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