International humanitarian and local organizations

The United Nations High Commissariat for Refugees

The United Nations High Commissariat for refugees (UNHC) has opened the representative office in Azerbaijan in December, 1992 due to the reference of the government of Azerbaijan and the sanction of the General Secretary of the United Nations. In reply to the sharp needs of thousand IDPs emerged as a result of the Upper Garabakh conflict, UNHC started the urgent rescue operation.

During this period UNHC, alongside with searching ways for the steady solution of questions for rendering assistance to IDPs, the persons looking for asylum, refugees and persons without citizenship, also promoted the government of Azerbaijan in the creation of national refuge system, the perfection of the legislation on citizenship, and the elimination of the cases of citizenship lack, has supported the development of nongovernmental organizations (NGO) sector, strengthened joint approaches towards the question through cooperation with other international organizations.

HELP for IDPs

First of all the UNHC concentrated its efforts in the satisfaction of the most actual needs of IDPs in extreme cases. Since 1995, the UNHC has changed its main direction towards the improvement of living conditions of IDPs by means of profitable kinds of activity. The UNHC has granted asylum or improved the living conditions of more than 39.600 people (9400 families) during the period from 1995 till 2001 the UNHC through its partner organizations, were spent monitoring of construction more than 2800 houses for accommodation 11800 people inside them. Besides in 1996 - 1999 the UNHC assisted the restoration of private houses for IDPs, about 12200 person (2900 families), whose houses had been destroyed at the result of war in Fizuli, Aghdam, Terter and Aghjabadi areas,in the places that can still be accessed. Simultaneously UNHC has undertaken active efforts for providing IDPs with the main sanitary standards, potable water, education and income opportunities.

The government together with other organizations working for IDPs in the region has undertaken the most part of the responsibility and constructed new houses for some of them. Since 2002 UNHC has paid attention also to the improvement of the conditions of IDPs, living in unfit and unforeseen for habitation public buildings (former hostels, office blocks, schools, etc.) UNHC’s Project on joint rehabilitation of public buildings, of 2002 and 2003, is directed to the restoration of 10-15 similar buildings (where up to 2500 persons are to be settled) annually in Sumgait where up to 45000 IDPs live.

The Protection of refugees and the persons looking for asylum

Since 2000 we have witnessed the gradual change of priorities and the center of attention in primary activity of the UNHC connected with refugees and persons from the third countries, looking for asylum.

This is an obligation caused by the inflow of several thousand persons of Chechen nationality from the Russian Federation, and Afghanistan, looking for asylum, as well as the general financial situation, which INHC has confronted.

The Representation of UNHC in Azerbaijan registered 2800 refugees from 3rd countries and persons looking for asylums in 2006. At present moment 3053 persons from this category are registered in the representation of UNHC in Azerbaijan. 2255 of them are Chechens-the citizens of Russian Federation, 579 are afgans and 219 are from different countries. The problems of those people are settled under the cooperative condition with the government.

The Representation of UNHC in Azerbaijan tries to assist all persons looking for asylum, refugees requiring basic legal aid and to render vital help (refuge, food, medical care and education) to the most vulnerable and most needy persons among these people. Where possible, UNHC also tries to find the steady solution of problems of the persons looking for asylum, and refugees by local integration, voluntary repatriation and by directing to a third country.

The Development and perfection of refuge and migration management spheres.

UNHC continues to assist the government of Azerbaijan in effective and humanistic solution of problems related with the establishment of refuges and boundary control, the questions of citizenship according to the international standards. It took part in the development of the legislation on refugees and citizenship, was involved to the implementation of the training sessions for judges of frontier areas and boundary armies, as well as to the creation of local authority structures stipulated for the execution of procedure related with refugee status definition. The government of Azerbaijan will soon be able to create operating national refuge system with the help of the UNHC that, in turn, will lead to the performance of the obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan as a party, signing the convention on refugee status of 1951.
 

INFORMATION
About agencies of the United Nations, international, local humanitarian organizations and the organizations of development founded by them, the activity of which in the Republic of Azerbaijan is coordinated by the republican commission on international humanitarian help

TESHKILATLAR Siyahi 2010.pdf (download, 198kb)

BT.doc (download, 41kb)