UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution on Occupied Georgian Regions by Consensus

On October 8, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on "Cooperation with Georgia" by consensus. The resolution calls for "immediate and unimpeded access" for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and other international and regional human rights bodies to Georgia’s Russian-occupied territories.

The resolution highlights ongoing human rights violations and humanitarian concerns in Russia-occupied Georgian regions, The Caspian Post reports citing Georgian media.

The UN Human Rights Council, among others, reaffirms its commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and expresses serious concern at various forms of discrimination against ethnic Georgians in the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions.

“By adopting the resolution by consensus, the Human Rights Council expressed unprecedented support towards Georgia,” the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, noting it was the first such consensus since Georgia began submitting the resulution in 2017.

“For 17 years, Russia’s unlawful military grip on Abkhazia and South Ossetia has defied international law and denied ethnic Georgians their basic human rights. This occupation must end,” UK Minister of State Stephen Doughty said on the resolution.