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UN Secretary Generalâ€™s representative releases report on state of internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan

12 February 2008 16:18 (UTC +04:00)

The document writes that Azerbaijan is the member of a number of international organizations on human rights and the countryâ€™s constitution ensures human rights, normal treatment of prisoners and freedom of expression. Walter Kalin writes that the government tries to improve the state of human rights and notes that President Ilham Aliyev signed National Action Plan on the Protection of Human Rights.
â€œThere is ombudsman institution in the country, the institution plays one of the most important roles in the protection of human rights of internally displaced persons. The main problems of IDPs in Azerbaijan are low level of employment, low living standards, problems concerning health care and nourishment. There are some cases of discrimination while employing IDPs, admitting them to school and offering medical service to them. Integration of these persons into Azerbaijani society goes slowly. But there are some positive points. The government has exempted IDPs from taxes and tuition fees. Early in 90s the government thought about returning of IDPs to their native lands, but beginning from 2000 the government focused its attention on improving living standards of these persons. This is a positive step. Though there is a special state program in connection with internally displaced persons, the majority of them still live in camps and trains,â€ the report says.
Walter Kalin underlines in his report that Azerbaijani government provided thousands of IDP families with houses.
â€œThe majority of them continue to live in bad conditions, sometimes a family having four or six members is obliged to live in one room. Internally displaced persons are helped to get jobs in schools and hospitals, but they still face problems with getting jobs in private sector,â€ the report says.
Highly appreciating the activity of Heydar Aliyev Foundation and SOCAR, Walter Kalin underlines that the amount of assistances to internally displaced persons has increased thanks to the growth of GDP.
â€œInternational organizations should be more active concerning the solution of this problem. I was moved by the local peopleâ€™s care of IDPs. But IDP children have more problems, though they do not pay for education, most of them have no books or copy-books,â€ he writes.
Walter Kalin also writes that 63% of IDPs live below the poverty line in Azerbaijan.
Walter Kalin visited Azerbaijan in March last year and concerned himself with the camps in Baku, Sumgayit, Sabirabad, Imishli and Bilasuvar.