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Dept for International Development

Answer

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the humanitarian situation in (a) North Ossetia-Alania, (b) Ingushetia, (c) the Ferghana Valley and (d) South Ossetia and their (i) direct and (ii) indirect sources; and if he will make a statement. [131329] Mr. Gareth Thomas: The overall humanitarian situation in North Ossetia-Alania and Ingushetia remains acute. People affected by the instability in Chechnya are facing their fifth extremely difficult winter amid rising tensions in the region. Four years after the resumption of hostilities in the Republic of Chechnya, more than 80,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Chechnya still live in tents or unsuitable shelters in the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia. In North Ossetia, there are 30,000 Georgian refugees living in poor conditions. In Chechnya, the situation is worse. According to a recent UN report, more than 100,000 of the about 800,000 people living there are still displaced from their homes and surviving indoor conditions. The UK travel restriction to the North Caucasus prevents DFID from making direct assessments of the humanitarian situation. DFID makes regular missions to Moscow and Georgia to meet with key international organisations and government officials who work in the area. Our humanitarian support to the North Caucasus is channelled through the UN, ICRC and international NGO's. DFID has made no independent assessment of the humanitarian situation in the Ferghana Valley. The Department's representatives in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are in regular contact with the UN organisations active in the Valley as well as with the governments concerned. In South Ossetia the humanitarian situation remains acute. A de facto government is functioning. There is little rule of law. The area is economically dependent upon smuggled goods from Russia. Local Ossetians are migrating to North Ossetia due to economic hardship and lawlessness. The UN, Organisation for Security and Co-operation for Europe (OSCE), the EU is active in South Ossetia. The UN through its UNOCHA and (formerly the UNHCR) is responsible for humanitarian assessments and aid provision. The EC has participated in the Joint Control Commission (JCC) on South Ossetia since 1991. This quadripartite body (with Georgia, South Ossetia, North Ossetia and Russia) is conducted by the OSCE. The OSCE continues the search for a settlement. The EU provided in 2000 and 2001 Euro 1.045 million to the Georgia Border Guards, aimed at protecting the unarmed OSCE monitors at the border between Georgia and Chechnya. Most International Organisations formerly involved left as the security situation deteriorated. We are aware of the situation and we have made small contributions through the multilateral organisations and Small Grants Scheme.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

410 c1018-9W;410 c1016-7W; 131329

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Armed conflict International assistance Humanitarian aid Chechnya Georgia Refugees Russia Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan South Ossetia Uzbekistan Ingushetia North Ossetia Ferghana Valley

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk