UN General Assembly Passes Georgia IDP Resolution

The United Nations General Assembly adopted on September 3 a resolution reiterating the right of return of all displaced persons and refugees to Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia by a record vote of 84 in favor, 13 against, and 78 abstentions. Alongside Georgia, which initiated the resolution since 2008, it has been co-sponsored by 54 other states.

Similar non-binding resolutions have been passed by the UN General Assembly for thirteen years in a row – the first one, initiated in 2008, was in respect of Abkhazia and all the following ones in respect of both Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia.

In 2019, 79 countries voted in favor, 15 against, with 57 abstentions.

In 2018, 81 countries voted in favor, 16 against, with 62 abstentions.

In 2017, 80 countries voted in favor to 14 against, with 61 abstentions.

Along with the Russian Federation, the following countries voted against the resolution this year: Belarus; Burundi; Cuba; North Korea; Laos; Myanmar; Nicaragua; Sudan; Syria; Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Nauru and Venezuela that voted against in 2019 did not show up this year.

Bolivia, El Salvador and Madagascar, which abstained in 2019, switched to support. Comoros switched from against in 2019 to support this year.

Eswatini, which supported in 2019 did not show up. Panama, that supported the resolution the last year, switched to abstention.

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