THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HAS ADOPTED A RESOLUTION ON THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF GEORGIA

On 11 October  2024, in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the occupied territories of Georgia titled "Cooperation with Georgia."

The resolution was presented at the Council's session by Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lasha Darsalia.

In his speech, the Deputy Minister discussed the dire situation in Georgia’s Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, resulting from human rights violations. He emphasized the fact of the Russian Federation's occupation of Georgian territories and its exercise of effective control over them, as confirmed by rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Lasha Darsalia noted that despite numerous calls from the Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the occupying power continues to deny access to the High Commissioner’s office and other international human rights mechanisms in the occupied regions.

During the discussion of the resolution initiated by Georgia, supportive statements were made by the delegations of the European Union, Bulgaria, Japan, Luxembourg, and Finland, urging the Council members to support the resolution.

The resolution was supported by 24 members of the Council. It is noteworthy that the number of supporters has increased compared to the previous year.

For the first time, the resolution adopted on October 11 includes a reference to Russia’s occupation of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. In line with the ECHR’s rulings from 2021-2024, the resolution addresses Russia’s responsibility as the power exercising effective control over the occupied regions and its gross violations of human rights.