11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found in a study that 8,399 IDPs lived in Armenia ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23137]

"The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found in a study released in 2005 that 8,399 IDPs lived in Armenia. The NRC confirmed that the number has not changed significantly since that time.
During the country's war with Azerbaijan, the government evacuated approximately 65,000 households from the border region, but most returned to their homes or settled elsewhere. Of the remaining 8,399 IDPs, almost two-thirds could not return to their villages, which were surrounded by Azerbaijani territory, and others chose not to return due to socioeconomic hardships or fear of land mines. The government afforded full rights as citizens to IDPs, but did not directly undertake programmatic efforts to help integrate them; however, international organizations supported their adjustment."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

266 persons applied for asylum and the government granted temporary asylum to 164 persons and refugee status to one person ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23138]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. The government granted refugee status and asylum during the year. In practice the government generally provided protection against "refoulement," the return of persons to a country where there is reason to believe they fear persecution. The government also provided temporary protection during the year to persons who may not qualify as refugees under the 1951 convention and the 1967 protocol.
During the year, 266 persons applied for asylum and the government granted temporary asylum to 164 persons and refugee status to one person. Other cases were under review at year's end.
The government cooperated with UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers.
There was an established procedure for granting asylum which included the nonpenalization of illegal entry of an asylum seeker, and access to the territory for individuals seeking asylum. However, some delays and difficulties with refugee processing at airports and land borders arose due to frequent rotations of inexperienced border officials and little training on asylum procedures. International organizations asserted that Russian border guards usually came into first contact with would-be asylum seekers at the borders with Turkey and Iran, and in part at the main international airport in Yerevan, and often refused them entry without informing either the government or the UNHCR. The Russian guards, who operated on the basis of an agreement between the two countries, were gradually being phased out from the Yerevan airport during the year."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Protection of refugees; law provides aslyum or refugee status according to Geneva Convention on Refugees; shortcomings in procedure ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 20223]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to most refugees. In practice the government generally provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution. The government granted refugee status or asylum during the year.
As of December 26, 646 persons had applied for asylum and the government granted 120 of those requests. Two were granted refugee status, and the government provided temporary protection to 118 individuals who did not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 protocol.
The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers.
There was an established procedure for granting asylum; however, a combination of frequent rotations of inexperienced border officials and little training on asylum procedures, at times caused delays and difficulties with refugee processing at airports and land borders. International organizations asserted that Russian border guards usually came into first contact with would‑be asylum‑seekers at the borders with Turkey and Iran, as well as at the main international airport in Yerevan, and often refused them entry without informing either the government or the UNHCR. However, the Russian guards, who operated on the basis of an agreement between the two countries, were being phased out."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Protection of refugees; law provides aslyum or refugee status according to Geneva Convention on Refugees; shortcomings in procedure ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46111],  [ID 17104]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to most refugees. In practice the government generally provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution.

The government granted refugee status or asylum during the year.The government also provided temporary protection to individuals who may not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 protocol and provided it to 50 persons during the year. Most of these individuals were ethnic Armenians fleeing war in Iraq.

The government cooperated with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers.

There was an established procedure for granting asylum, but a combination of frequent rotations of inexperienced border officials--which included Russian border guards (who guard borders with non-former Soviet countries, based on a bilateral agreement)--and little training on asylum issues at times caused delays at airports and land borders. International organizations asserted that Russian border guards likely come into first contact with would-be asylum-seekers, unknown to either the government or UNHCR, at the borders shared with Turkey and Iran, as well as at the main international airport in Yerevan, and refuse entry."

Document(s): Open document

06.02.2006 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

Tendency towards an improvement of the situation of refugees ("Refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia [Doc. 10835]") [#43664],  [ID 17399]

"III.3 Tendency towards an improvement of the situation in Armenia

24. Armenia has made far more progress towards settling the refugee problem than its neighbour; the representative of the UNHCR stated to the Rapporteur that, with a handful of dollars, the problem could be settled once and for all within a few months. This is perhaps due to the fact that the government quickly recognised that refugees in Armenia had virtually no hope of returning to their homes in a foreseeable future, and from the very beginning pursued consistent integration policies towards them. Most of them have grown accustomed to their new life, where conditions are generally somewhat better than in Georgia, but here too, the most able have often gone to work abroad, from where they send remittances to the family members they have left behind.

25. Many "dormitory" buildings which were repairable have been restored with funds from UNHCR or the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and a privatisation process has been set in motion, enabling the people living there to become home owners. Other refugees will be able to acquire new apartments with housing certificates or coupons having a certain exchange value guaranteed by the government16. The refugees currently living in the most precarious conditions are those who are unable or unwilling to move, who are waiting to be rehoused, or who are waiting for the building where they live to be renovated. Others still living in the countryside have had houses built for them in place of the disused train carriages, transport containers or other improper temporary dwellings in which they were housed, but not all members of the community have yet been provided for. It is to these more vulnerable persons that the government is giving priority, a government which has the political will to ensure that the welfare of these remaining refugees takes precedence over other considerations. Refugees receive state compensation for the loss of their temporary housing when they are evicted from it, an indemnity and free medical assistance.

26. The certificate-issuing programme is under way: it started in the nine "marzes" (territorial divisions of Armenia17) other than those with the largest refugee population (Kotayk and Yerevan), and will be extended to the other two "marzes" next year18. It is provided with a substantial budget (2.2 million dollars for the current financial year).

27. However, the implementation of the programme is not free from criticism. Although the money is there, the mechanisms of transfer are not yet completely worked out, and some people have expressed concerns of whether the certificates will be accepted everywhere. The system should operate in the regions where refugees and displaced persons are concentrated19. In the prevailing climate of speculation, property prices are obviously rising fast in the capital and the beneficiaries will have to put in some money of their own if they want to purchase an apartment. The same problem arose in Georgia following the privatisation of the two hotels mentioned above: the prohibitive prices in the capital forced some displaced persons (a fortiori families) to go and live a long way from the dynamic capital, in areas with high unemployment.

28. The question of citizenship also arises in the debate. Refugees have had new cards since 2000, yet their status has remained the same; but legislation was enacted in that year under which persons forcibly displaced from Azerbaijan, who have meanwhile acquired Armenian citizenship are guaranteed the same rights as refugees who have not been naturalised, particularly with regard to housing20. The government subsequently issued three implementing decrees, the aim obviously being to ensure that as many refugees as possible acquired Armenian citizenship. In practice, your Rapporteur found that refugees had previously been afraid that, if they went through the naturalisation procedure, they would lose the material benefits associated with their status, and that most of them opted for citizenship once they had become owners of their apartments, or when they wanted to leave the country temporarily.

29. Concern has arisen among refugees over the new social security cards, which have become obligatory since the enactment of a law on social insurance known as "PROS". They are afraid that they may no longer have access to any medical and social service or receive their retirement pension without these cards, which are distributed to naturalised persons. However, Your Rapporteur was unable to obtain sufficient information on this subject to draw any conclusions, except to say that these refugees have the same rights to welfare coverage as Armenian citizens and that they also receive support from some NGOs. It is important that the government should provide the population with very clear information, and especially elderly people, who, as the most vulnerable group, must continue to receive their pensions and have access to care."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Government cooperates with UNHCR, numbers of refugees and ethnicity; government provided temporary protection, mainly to ethnic Armenians fleeing war in Iraq ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29491],  [ID 3313]

"The Government cooperated with the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and other humanitarian organizations in assisting refugees and asylum seekers.

Since 1988, the Government has accepted as many as 360,000 refugees from Azerbaijan. In February 2003, the law on refugees was amended to improve temporary protection for an estimated 12,000 ethnic Armenian refugees from Chechnya and Abkhazia.

During the year, the Government also provided temporary protection to approximately 96 individuals who did not qualify as refugees under the 1951 Convention/1967 Protocol. Most of these individuals were ethnic Armenians fleeing war in Iraq.

There was an established procedure to recognize asylum, but border officials had little training on asylum issues, which, at times, caused delays at airports and land borders. [...]

Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports of harassment of refugees."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Law provides asylum in accordance with the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention; in praxis, no refugees were granted asylum in 2004 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29491],  [ID 3314]

"The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status to persons in accordance with the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, and the Government has established a system for providing protection to most refugees. In practice, the Government provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution. The Government grants refugee status or asylum; however, during the year, no refugees were granted asylum; 10 were denied asylum."

Document(s): Open document

24.05.2004 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Annual report on conditions affecting refugees and asylum seekers in 2003 ("World Refugee Survey 2004") [#22836],  [ID 3315]

Document(s): Open document

16.09.2003 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Treatment of Refugees and Asylum Seekers ("Background information; situation of ethnic minorities; groups possibly at risk: religious minorities, members of opposition, homosexuals, deserters") [#47207],  [ID 3316]

"89. Armenia acceded to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in April 1993. The Government of Armenia, in co-operation with UNHCR, has been actively engaged in the development of national legislation regulating refugee and asylum matters. In March 1999, the National Assembly passed the Refugee Law, which established the national legal and administrative procedures and mechanisms required for providing protection to refugees and asylum seekers. Since the introduction of the 1999 Law on Refuges, Armenia has received a small but increasing number of asylum-seekers originating from countries other than Azerbaijan. The Armenian Government has so far granted refugee status to 12 persons. Their countries of origin include Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran.
90. In 2001, the National Assembly adopted the Law on Political Asylum. As a result, Armenia’s legal framework for asylum has two laws directly regulating the institution of asylum: The 1999 Law on Refugees and the 2001 Law on Political Asylum. The law is supposed to grant a special status not specified in the Law on Refugees to high-ranking officials, politicians, or activists. In UNHCR’s view, the law is redundant and may indeed adversely affect the fair and efficient implementation of the Law on Refugees in accordance with international standards. First, a law separate from the Law on Refugees legislated around categorisation of “political asylum” will only lead to unnecessary confusion in the legal construct of Armenia’s asylum framework. Second, the Law on Political Asylum with its ambiguous definition of those seeking “political asylum” creates undue conflict with the Law on Refugees, leading to ineffective implementation
of the existing Law on Refugees. Third, the new law has created another set of by-laws, administrative structures, and procedures. Apart from the fact that this runs counter to the principle of a single procedure for refugee status determination, the Government may need to spend additional resources for a process that is redundant.

91. In 2001, the National Assembly adopted a number of amendments to the 1999 Law on Refugees contributing to the narrowing of the asylum space in Armenia. Upon the advice of UNHCR, in 2003 DMR drafted another set of amendments to remove the negative provisions introduced through the 2001 amendments. The draft amendments have been submitted to the National Assembly. In 2002, the National Assembly adopted another law on the amendments to the 1999 Law on Refugees concerning the provision of granting temporary asylum status as a complementary form of protection. The initial intent of the Government was to retroactively grant the status to approximately 11,000 ethnic Armenian “displaced persons” or “forced migrants” from Abkhazia, Chechnya and South Ossetia.

92. The new Criminal Code which entered into force on 1 August 2003 stipulates that no foreign citizen or stateless person would be extradited to a state if (1) there are serious reasons to believe that their extradition was demanded for prosecution or serving punishment for reasons of their race, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, (2) there is a serious risk that he or she would be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment or (3) the country seeking extradition envisages the death penalty for the given crime. However, the new Code still criminalises the illegal crossing of the state border to seek asylum in Armenia. Only persons who enjoy political asylum provided by the Constitution and the 1995 Law on Political Asylum are exempted from criminal liability, excluding persons who are covered by the 1999 Law on Refugees.

93. Concerning the ethnic Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan who arrived in the country, from 1988 to 1992, they are not under the scope of the 1999 Law on Refugees over 52,000 persons have acquired the citizenship of the Republic of Armenia between 1999 and 2003 through a facilitated procedure under the 1995 Law on Citizenship. In December 2000, the National Assembly of Armenia passed the Law on Legal and Socio-Economic Guarantees for Refugees from Azerbaijan, which addressed a number of concerns the refugees had with regard to becoming Armenian citizens. Then again, in late 2002, the Law on the Transfer of Ownership of Cottages and Apartments built by International Donors was passed and is being implemented in 2003. This will greatly accelerate the process of refugees acquiring ownership of their shelter and further facilitate local integration.
94. There were no reports of the forced return of persons to a country where they feared persecution except for the report of the deportation of 4 Afghani asylum-seekers from the Airport in Yerevan in 2001."

Document(s): Open document

29.05.2003 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Annual report on conditions affecting refugees and asylum seekers in 2002 ("World Refugee Survey 2003") [#12983],  [ID 3317]

Document(s): Open document
Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

Asylum policy and law ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11840],  [ID 3318]

"In 2001 the National Assembly amended the 1999 Refugee Law, which provides for the granting of refugee or asylee status in accordance with the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. During the year, the Refugee Law was again amended by the creation of temporary asylum, which gives a more determined status to approximately 12,000 ethnic Armenian refugees from Chechnya and Abkhazia. The Government cooperated with the UNHCR and other humanitarian organizations in assisting ethnic Armenian refugees. The Government provides for first asylum. Border officials had little training on asylum issues. Since 1999 there has been an established procedure for the formal recognition of asylum. In some cases, rejected asylum seekers, denied permission for legal residence, were subjected to fines for illegal residence when they attempted to depart the country. However, there were few cases of applications for asylum or refugee status, since most persons used the country as a transit country. Between 1999 and 2001, six persons from different countries were granted refugee status. By August seven more persons had applied for asylum; three persons from Iran and two from Iraq were granted refugee status.
During the year, two new laws were adopted to protect refugees' rights. In July 2001, the National Assembly approved the draft law on political asylum, which states that political asylum status will be granted only by the president. According to authorities, no one has asked Armenian authorities for political asylum since the law was approved. During the year the National Assembly adopted two new laws that protect the rights of refugees. The laws were the Law on Legal and Socio-Economic Guarantees for Persons Forcibly Displaced from the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1988-1992, and the Law on Refugees.
There were no reports of the forced return of persons to a country where they feared persecution."

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

The National Assembly passed a law on citizenship in 1995 that provides the right for refugees of Armenian ethnicity to gain citizenship, provided that they are stateless and have resided in the country for the past three years ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11840],  [ID 3319]

"The National Assembly passed a law on citizenship in 1995 that provides the right for refugees of Armenian ethnicity to gain citizenship, provided that they are stateless and have resided in the country for the past three years. The UNHCR local office reported that 16,259 ethnic Armenian refugees had been naturalized between 1999 and the end of 2001. By August 6,408 more refugees had acquired Armenian citizenship. A total of 47,614 refugees in the country had been naturalized by year's end."

Document(s): Open document

28.11.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Social conditions for refugees are worse than those for the general population ("8th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Vienna, 28 - 29 June 2002: Final Report - Armenia - co-funded by the EU Odysseus Programme") [#9877],  [ID 3321]

"In general terms, the social conditions for refugees and IDPs are, of course, worse than
those for the general population. Most of the refugees are unemployed and many of
those 800,000 people, including a considerable number of refugees, who have
meanwhile left the country left because they could not get any work. Yet, the
unemployment rate would even be higher if those people had not had the opportunity to
go somewhere else. Still, housing continues to constitute a serious problem for many refugees. According to
the government 13,500 refugees are in need of permanent shelter. Out of these 13,500,
8,000 are mainly living in so-called communal centers such as former student
dormitories and containers. Those living in containers often do not have access to
running water or electricity. The remaining 5,500 are living with their relatives, family
members or renting houses. Still, the government considers them as in need of
permanent shelter. From UNHCR’s perspective, the actual figures are probably lower.
This concerns both populations, those who are living in communal centers as well as
those who are living with their relatives and friends. Yet, in general, statistics in Armenia are unreliable and often controversial, whether it concerns the Armenian population,
refugees or IDPs. So that is why it is important to quote the government figures bearing
in mind that their credibility needs to be ascertained.
As mentioned above, in terms of humanitarian assistance, the emergency phase is over.
As a consequence, refugees and the displaced population as such do no longer receive
extra humanitarian assistance and many international organisations and NGOs pull out
from humanitarian assistance and focus increasingly on long-term development
programs. In addition, refugees are included in the nationwide welfare system, PAROS,
that distributes cash payments to vulnerable families. PAROS is based on an index
containing a set of criteria, such as number of family members, female-headed
household, etc. that, however, does not recognise displacement as one of the elements
contributing to the vulnerability and eligibility for social assistance of a given family.
Concerning health care, in principle, IDPs and refugee families in Armenia have equal
access to health facilities. This basically means that for them it is as bad as for everyone,
i.e. they have to pay for medicines and treatment and often bribe medical staff. In other
words, in theory they have access, but in reality they may not receive the treatment
that they would need. There are also some free-of-charge health care programs run by
NGOs that cater to the refugee population, especially in rural areas, and include even
visits to isolated villages."

Document(s): Arm-cois2002-rep.pdf

10.2002 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

According to article 13 of the Armenian law on citizenship refugees can adopt the Armenian citizenship without problems ("Analysen und Hintergründe ") [#10328],  [ID 3320]

"Nach Art. 13 des Staatsbürgerschaftsgesetzes (1995) können Flüchtlinge ohne Probleme die Staatsbürgerschaft Armeniens annehmen: "Jede Person, die nicht die Staatsbürgerschaft der Republik Armenien besitzt, kann bei Erlangung des Alters von 18 Jahren die Staatsbürgerschaft der Republik Armenien beantragen, falls sie, entsprechend den gesetzlichen Bestimmungen, die letzten drei Jahre ständig in der Republik Armenien gelebt hat, sich in armenischer Sprache verständigen kann und mit der Verfassung der Republik Armenien vertraut ist." Die Vermeidung der Wehrpflicht bildet jedoch häufig den Grund, warum viele Flüchtlinge weiterhin staatenlos bleiben."

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Social poverty resp. extreme poverty among refugees is 1.7 percent resp. 1.4 percent higher than the poverty rate among the general population ("Analysen und Hintergründe ") [#10328],  [ID 3322]

"Hierzu gehören die oben beschriebenen extrem Armen einschliesslich der etwa 72.000 Binnenflüchtlinge21
(IDPs) aus Dörfern und Siedlungen nahe der Grenze zu Aserbeidschan (vor
allem aus dem PDUV Tawusch), der Kriegsflüchtlinge aus Berg-Karabach und Abchasien
sowie der Flüchtlinge vor ethnischer Gewalt in Aserbeidschan.22 Soziale Armut bzw. extreme
Armut liegt bei diesen Gruppen um das 1,7 bzw. 1,4fache höher als bei der übrigen Bevölkerung.
80 Prozent der armenischen Flüchtlinge aus Aserbeidschan waren Städter. Als problematisch bei der Integration armenischer Flüchtlinge aus dem Grossraum Baku sowie
dem Industriestandort Sumgait erwies sich, dass ihre Kompetenzen in der Erdölwirtschaft im
nicht-erdölproduzierenden Armenien überflüssig und ihre mangelnden Armenischkenntnisse
ein Nachteil bei der Arbeitssuche bildeten. Fehlende landwirtschaftlichen Kenntnisse und
Fertigkeiten erschwerten die Integration armenischer Flüchtlinge in den ländlichen Gebieten,
aus den denen die aserische Bevölkerung Armeniens vertrieben worden war."

Document(s): Open document

09.2002 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Refugees in Armenia ("Reisebericht Armenien 15.-21. Juli 2002") [#8888],  [ID 3323]

For statements of interviewpartners with regard to refugees in Armenia please refer to p. 25-26 (in German)

Document(s): acc-arm0902.pdf

06.2002 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Annual report on conditions affecting refugees and asylum seekers in 2001 ("World Refugee Survey 2002") [#7409],  [ID 3324]

Document(s): Open document
02299.pdf

01.12.2001 - Source: German-Armenian Society

Zwischen 1988 und 1992 hat Armenien rund 419 000 Flüchtlinge und Vertriebene aufgenommen ("Zur Lage in Armenien (Stand: Dezember 2001)") [#17828],  [ID 3325]

"Zwischen 1988 und 1992 hat Armenien rund 419 000 Flüchtlinge und Vertriebene aufgenommen. Dies entspricht mehr als 10% seiner Bevölkerung. Davon kamen 350 000 aus Aserbaidschan, 58 000 aus Berg-Karabach und 11 000 aus anderen Teilen der früheren Sowjetunion, vor allem Abchasien, Tschetschenien und Tadschikistan. Von den Flüchtlingen aus Berg-Karabach sind in den vergangenen Jahren 30 000 wieder in ihre Heimat zurückgekehrt. Sie erhielten von der armenischen Regierung Wiederaufbauhilfe, da ein großer Teil ihrer früheren Unterkünfte zerstört war. Viele Flüchtlinge sind aus Armenien abgewandert, zumeist nach Russland oder andere GUS-Republiken. Rund 38 000 Flüchtlinge haben bisher die armenische Staatsbürgerschaft beantragt und zumeist bereits erhalten, der größte Teil davon in den vergangenen zwei Jahren. Derzeit sind noch etwa 240 000 Flüchtlinge offiziell in Armenien registriert.
Die etwa 167 000 Aseris, die Armenien verlassen haben, haben dort rund 32 000 Häuser bzw. Wohnungen zurückgelassen. Die aus Aserbaidschan geflohenen Armenier ließen dagegen mehr als 92 000 Wohnungen und anderes Eigentum im Wert von insgesamt rund 2 Milliarden $ zurück. Armenien hatte Aserbaidschan bereits im Jahr 1989 einen finanziellen Ausgleich von 70,8 Mio. Rubel für die Wohnungen der ehemals dort ansässigen aserischen Minderheit bezahlt. Bis heute ist jedoch ein entsprechender Schritt Aserbaidschans an Armenien ausgeblieben.
Der UNHCR unterstützt seit 1992 rund 150 000 ,,besonders gefährdete" Flüchtlinge in Armenien (davon 65% Frauen) u.a. mit Lebensmittelpaketen und Kerosin und stellt Gelder für den Bau von Wohnungen für Flüchtlinge zur Verfügung. Der UNHCR hat seither für diese Zwecke rund 17 Mio. $ oder durchschnittlich rund 3,5 Mio. $ jährlich ausgegeben. Im Jahr1999 wurden vom UNHCR jedoch nur mehr 2,5 Mio. $ zur Verfügung gestellt. Dieser Betrag sank im Jahr 2000 nochmals auf 1,5 Mio. $. Mit Hilfe von UNICEF wurden bisher rund 3000 Wohnungen für Flüchtlinge gebaut, ein Teil davon auch unter Mitfinanzierung durch die deutsche Bundesregierung. Die Bundesregierung stellte dafür 5 Mio. DM zur Verfügung. Auch eine Klinik und ein Altenheim wurden mit diesen Mitteln gebaut. Dennoch sind weiterhin rund 14 000 Flüchtlinge aus Aserbaidschan ohne feste Unterkunft. Davon sind über 10 000 in oder in der Nähe der Hauptstadt zeitweilig untergebracht. Insgesamt sind 52% aller Flüchtlinge und Vertriebenen in Jerewan und in der Ararat-Ebene untergebracht, jeweils 10% im Sewan-Gebiet und in der Region Abowian. Der Rest ist in kleineren Unterkünften über das Land verteilt. Etwa 60% der Flüchtlinge leben in Gemeinschaftsunterkünften (z.B. ehemaligen Sanatorien oder Erholungsheimen), von denen viele dringend renoviert werden müssten. Etwa 32 000 Flüchtlinge haben sich in den von Aseris verlassenen Häusern und Wohnungen niedergelassen. Der Rest fand Aufnahme bei Verwandten und Freunden."

Document(s): Open document