Oslo Declaration
OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY AND RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED AT THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL SESSION
OSLO, 6 to 10 JULY 2010
RESOLUTION ON THE RIGHT OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS AND REFUGEES TO RETURN TO THEIR PLACE OF ORIGIN
1. Recalling the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees adopted in Geneva in 1951 and its additional protocol, and appreciating the work of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees through the finding of durable solutions that will allow refugees to rebuild their lives in dignity and peace,
2. Recalling the OSCE Charter for European Security, adopted by the Istanbul Summit, which reaffirmed OSCE participating States’ rejection of any policy of ethnic cleansing or mass expulsion, and their commitment to facilitating the voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons in dignity and safety,
3. Noting the human pain and legal vacuum caused by protracted displacement following the conflicts in the early 1990s in Georgia, and realizing that the longer people are displaced, the harder it becomes to provide them with adequate protection,
4. Recognizing and regretting the human suffering amongst the civilian population during and after the August 2008 war in Georgia,
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly:
5. Urges the parties to the conflict in Georgia to fully implement the agreements made on 12 August and 8 September 2008, and calls on them to continue dialogue within the framework of the Geneva discussions;
6. Considers the safe and dignified voluntary return of the internally displaced persons and refugees within and from Georgia of utmost importance and urgency;
7. Therefore calls on the parties involved to co-operate in finding ways to facilitate an early voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons from both sides to their homes of origin in safety and with dignity.