ASSA-IRADA,
12 February 2008,

The unresolved status of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict is the most pressing problem for Azerbaijani displaced persons, a senior United Nations official has said.

The UN Secretary-General for the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons Walter Kalin said in a report issued upon the outcomes of his visit to Baku that a negotiated solution has yet to be achieved to the long-standing dispute.

He said 63% of Azerbaijani IDPs are living below the poverty line despite the government's efforts to improve their plight.

Kalin paid a visit to Baku last April. During the visit, he toured make-shift refugee townships outside the capital and the city of Sumgayit, some 30 km north of Baku, as well as those in the Sabirabad, Imishli and Bilasuvar districts.

Kalin stressed that Azerbaijan was a member of numerous international organizations dealing with human rights and the country's Constitution guaranteed human rights, including freedom of speech and fair treatment of prisoners. He said the government was working to improve the situation with human rights protection, emphasizing that President Ilham Aliyev has signed a relevant action plan. The Ombudsman Institute is operating in the country and playing a key role in advocating for IDPs' rights.

Among key problems faced by the displaced population the UN official cited unemployment, poor living standards and malnutrition. He pointed to some instances of profiling with regard to hiring IDPs, their admission to educational institutions and provision of medical aid. IDPs are receiving assistance in finding jobs in schools and hospitals, but are still facing problems with employment in the private sector. Their integration into society is rather slow, Kalin concluded.

At the same time, Kalin praised a number of steps taken by the government. The authorities have made IDPs exempt from taxes and education fees. Whereas the government was looking to return them to their native land more in the early 1990s, since 2000 it focused on improving the living conditions of these persons, the report said.

Kalin highlighted that the Azerbaijani government has provided thousands of IDP families with housing. However, most of them continue to live in poor conditions, as often four to six people have to share a single room.

Kalin said the volume of state assistance to IDPs has increased with the rapidly growing Gross Domestic Product in the country, but added that work remains to be done to improve their plight.

"International groups should step up effort in addressing the problem. I was amazed to witness the attention paid and care provided to IDPs by local residents. But IDP children are faced with more problems. Although they are benefiting from free education, most of them lack schooling items," the UN representative said.