From Responsibility to Response: Assessing National - Brookings

Georgia From Solidarity to Solutions: The Government Response to Internal Displacement in Georgia
rights; to create the necessary safety conditions and
socioeconomic living conditions at their places of permanent
residence; to reinstate “their legal heritage” and
personal assets, including house and land; to rehabilitate
damaged shelter; and to process claims for compensation
for damage. 108
Later the ministry’s broader mandate was elaborated. 109
It encompasses IDPs, including not only those displaced
by conflict and accorded the status of forcibly
displaced-persecuted persons but also those “displaced
due to disasters, pandemics etc.”; refugees; asylum seekers;
repatriates; and environmental and other migrants.
The ministry’s main goals include protection of rights;
registration and management of migration flows; organizing
accommodation and resettlement, temporary
or permanent, of persons of concern; “facilitating their
adaptation/integration”; supervising provision of their
social and legal protection; organizing and facilitating
return to their permanent residence, providing appropriate
socioeconomic conditions; and cooperation with
international organizations and NGOs. The ministry’s
functions, among others, are to elaborate strategy and
policy on issues within its competence as well as secure
implementation of decisions adopted by the government;
prepare the legislative framework for social and
legal protection of all persons of concern to the ministry,
in cooperation with appropriate central legislative and
executive authorities; facilitate the “reception/resettlement,
first aid, employment and adaptation/integration
of migrants” in cooperation with relevant executive and
local authorities; organize the return of refugees and
IDPs to their permanent residence in cooperation with
central and local authorities and international organizations;
collaborate with international organizations; and
disseminate relevant information.
108 The obligations discussed in this paragraph can be found
in Government of Georgia, Law of Georgia on Forcibly
Displaced Persons–Persecuted Persons, 1996, as amended
25 October 2010, Article 7; Article 8; Article 5.1 and 5.2a-k.
109 See in particular Government of Georgia Resolution No.
43 of 29 May 2004 spelling out the goals, functions and
structure of the ministry.
201
The ministry has two main departments, each of which
is headed by a deputy minister: one department is
dedicated exclusively to IDP issues; the other covers
migration, repatriation and refugee issues. A legal department,
international affairs department, and administrative
and finance department support all aspects of
the ministry’s work. The ministry also has four “territorial
units” headed by regional field offices. In total, the
ministry currently has 172 staff, of which twenty-eight
are posted to the regional field offices. 110
In addition handling its mandated responsibilities,
the MRA has served as the coordinator of a number
of broader national governmental initiatives. In 2000,
in connection with the “New Approach to IDPs” (see
Benchmark 10 below), the president established a State
Commission for improving the living conditions of
IDPs, although no evidence was readily available as to
the work of this commission and its impact; it appears
that this commission no longer exists. In addition to the
Minister of MRA, who acted as chairperson, the commission
comprised twenty senior government officials,
including the Minister of Health and Social Welfare,
the Minister of Education, the Minister of Food and
Agriculture, the Minister for Finance, and the Deputy
Minister of Justice. Four working groups were established,
charged with developing proposals in the areas
of shelter; income-generation; access to social services;
and community development. 111 In 2006, when the
government established a State Commission for the
Elaboration of a State Strategy on Internally Displaced
Persons (see Benchmark 6), the MRA was assigned the
leading role, with the MRA minister serving as chair-
110 The four territorial units of the ministry are Adjara and
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti division; Imereti, Guria, Racha-
Lechkum and Kvemo Svaneti division; Kvemo Kartli,
Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kakheti division; and ShidaKartli and
Samtskhe-Javakheti division. MRA Mandate, Government
Resolution 343 of 29 May 2004. For staffing information, see
ministry budget for 2011 (www.mra.gov.ge).
111 UN Commission on Human Rights, Report of the
Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally
Displaced Persons, Mr. Francis Deng—Addendum: Profiles
in Displacement: Georgia, 2001, para. 114.