World Refugee Day
20 June

Nearly 80 million women, children and men around the world have been forced from their homes as refugees or internally displaced people. There are around 1500 refugees and 259 247 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Georgia uprooted from their homes in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region.

On World Refugee Day, Public Health Foundation in Georgia (PHF), Georgia Committee on Relief (GEOCOR) and Association Peaceful and Business Caucasus express our solidarity to refugees around the world and stand by the IDPs & returnees of Georgia. We respect them for their patience, strength and courage to rebuild their own lives, despite the limitations and violations of their fundamental rights they face. We stand in solidarity with them and recognize our responsibility to make difference by sharing more humanity, more engagements, more solidarity, more collaboration and more support.

Within the framework of the EU funded project “ Promotion of human rights to health for of the conflict-affected populations in Georgia “, PHF and its partners – GEOCOR and APBC are targeting vulnerable communities in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, as well as IDPs residing in Georgia and returnees living in Gali district with the aim to protect their fundamental right to health by improving access to quality, affordable health care.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional threat to returnees and displaced people, who are among the most vulnerable. PHF is to ensure COVID -19 response and recovery efforts in the ongoing project activities. Since January 2020, within the framework of the project 30 health care workers increased capacity through tailored health care training and 250 IDPs received referral services in Georgia. By the end of the project an access to adequate health services will be improved for around 3000 patients from the conflict-affected Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, including IDPs living in Georgia proper, with main focus on children, youth and women. The proposed project will also build capacity of civil actors, such as, health care workers and authorities from the conflict-affected regions of Georgia.

This year, this day we stay in unity with our IDPs and returnees and conflict affected communities. Together we can make the difference. We can create the better world.

The content of this post is the sole responsibility of the Public Health Foundation of Georgia (PHF) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.