Event Summary
Almost one million persons have been forcibly displaced within the countries of the South Caucasus, primarily by armed conflict and ethnic strife but also by natural disaster. Unlike refugees who have an established system of international protection and assistance upon which to rely, the internally displaced often find themselves with no predictable institutions to turn, although they are in equally desperate straits.
To promote more effective solutions to the plight of internally displaced persons in the South Caucasus, a high level gathering will be convened on May 10-12, 2000 in Tbilisi, Georgia at the invitation of the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, Dr. Francis M. Deng. Participants will include officials of the Governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia responsible for displaced populations; NGOs, academic institutions and displaced communities from the three countries; representatives of regional organizations, international organizations, and international NGOs; and international experts.
The workshop is sponsored by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Brookings Institution Project on Internal Displacement, and the Norwegian Refugee Council.