On 16-19 December 2024, the UNHCR Representation in Armenia and the Migration and Citizenship Service (MCS) of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Republic of Armenia were hosting UNHCR International Consultant, Professor Chaloka Beyani, a recognized international expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs), previously the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs.
Professor Beyani visited Armenia on the invitation of MCS to facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations to discuss and generate recommendations for aligning Armenia’s national legal framework for the protection and assistance of IDPs to international standards and best practices.
The Consultation of 16 December were attended by the representatives of the state agencies – MFA, MIA-MCS, Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, the Disaster Risk Management National Platform, UN Agencies: UNICEF, IOM, WFP, UNFPA, as well as international and local organizations and NGOs: Council of Europe, ICRC, ICMPD, Chamber of Advocates, Mission Armenia NGO, Action Against Hunger, and Academia – the Law Faculty and Legal Clinic of the Yerevan State University.
In his opening remarks, the Deputy Minister of MIA, Mr. Armen Ghazaryan, thanked Professor Chaloka Beyani and UNHCR for the multi-stakeholder consultations and expert discussions on IDP issues, and highlighted the importance of the topic and potential to integrate issues related to protection, assistance and solutions to IDPs into existing legislative framework of Armenia.
Presenting the global IDP situation, challenges and best practices in the world, Professor Beyani highlighted the 1998 United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement as an important international framework for the protection of internally displaced persons and the national responsibility as the basis for developing a national framework for the protection, assistance and solutions to IDPs, in cooperation with the national, international and civil society actors.
UNHCR Deputy Representative, Ms. Liv Feijen, commended the initiative of the Government of Armenia of developing national framework on internal displacement and underscored that UNHCR stands ready to further provide all necessary technical support for its successful implementation when it is adopted.
The National Consultation Workshops and Expert Meeting with Professor Beyani were concluded by the Validation Workshop with a broader group of stakeholders with the presentation of the draft IDP legislative framework and hand over of the draft document to the Migration and Citizenship Service.
Acknowledging the debates during the national consultations on the necessity to have standalone IDP law versus mainstreaming IDP protection issues into existing legislative acts, UNHCR Armenia Representative, Ms. Monica Sandri a.i., stated, “UNHCR was called to support and bring in an expertise on IDP issues to advise on the international standards and best practices on the protection of and assistance to IDPs.” Ms. Sandri handed the proposed draft IDP Law on Protection and Assistance to IDPs to Ms. Irina Davtyan, Deputy Head of MCS.
“On behalf of the Migration and Citizenship Service, I would like to express my thankfulness to Professor Chaloka Beyani for the national consultation and crucial expert support, and UNHCR for materializing this joint initiative of sharing international expertise on IDP issues and legislative framework with the Government of Armenia. We shall seek further meetings and discussions to elaborate on these issues in the near future,” Ms. Irina Davtyan stated in her concluding remarks.
UNHCR is thankful to its partners for collaboration and active participation in the national consultation workshops.
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