Promoting IDPs' and Women's Voices in Post-Conflict Georgia

accommodations…[to] get information about…how [IDPs] want to participate in the decision-makingprocess.” DRC then compiles this information and develops recommendations for the MRA so they canincorporate suggestions on participatory approaches into their policy. According to Mzevi Jojua, DRCconducts this work because,“After [a] survey… done by different local IDP NGOs, it turned out that they have quitehigh motivation and willingness to be involved in the process related to them and intheir future perspectives and government policies…And it’s not fair as well to have thisdecision about their future life and their accommodation without knowing what is theirwish and…their willingness.” 221Working with local actors, international organizations further support advocacy on IDPs issuesby financing capacity-building for local NGOs. They seek to enable them to become strongeradvocates for IDPs, thereby supporting an avenue for IDP participation in policymaking.IDPs’ Participation in Policy ImplementationWhile the State Strategy and Action Plan certainly promote IDPs’ participation, assessing theirimplementation highlights the progress that the Georgian government has made but also the remaininggaps in translating policies into reality. As an INGO representative notes, “the issue of involving IDPs inthe policies that affect them is part of the Action Plan. It’s a formal aspiration of the Georgiangovernment...[but what] this means is open to interpretation.” 222 Currently, IDPs’ involvement in theimplementation process occurs through their direct interaction with the MRA, in addition to their localengagement in the process of making available each of the three durable solutions: return, localintegration, and resettlement. However, issues remain in communication with the MRA, minimalsupport for peacebuilding initiatives, a lack of transparency in housing allocation, and most significantly,the evictions of IDPs from collective centers. These aspects of the implementation of the durablesolutions highlight the lack of consistent IDP participation in these processes.Peacebuilding as a Means Toward IDPs’ Right to ReturnPeacebuilding efforts to promote IDPs’ right of return to their former homes serve as one avenue ofparticipation related to implementation of policies on durable solutions. However, these opportunitiesare limited in a number of ways. Peacebuilding as a means to return is a particularly salient issue, as alarge portion of the IDP population identifies return as their preferred durable solution. No country-widesurvey of IDPs’ settlement wishes has been conducted, 223 but, a number of smaller-scale studies and ourown original research has identified return as the preferred wish for the majority of IDPs from both221 Mzevi Jojua, Personal Interview.222 INGO Representative, Personal Interview.223 Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 134.46