Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2010 - Armenia
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 23 March 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2010 - Armenia, 23 March 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4d932e2828.html [accessed 9 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Number of IDPs | At least 8,000 |
| Percentage of total population | At least 0.2% |
| Start of current displacement situation | 1988 |
| Peak number of IDPs (Year) | 72,000 (1992) |
| New displacement | 0 |
| Causes of displacement | Armed conflict, generalised violence, human rights violations |
| Human development index | 76 |
In 2004, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Armenia's Migration Agency found some 8,400 people still internally displaced as a result of the 1988-1994 war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. At least 65,000 people had fled the area bordering Azerbaijan during the war. There has been no further conflict-induced displacement since 1994.
Most IDPs returned to their homes following the conflict, but some could not as their villages were surrounded by Azerbaijani forces, or because of the insecurity and the poor economic conditions there. Those remaining are believed to be dispersed in rural and urban areas; a new survey of IDPs is due in 2011.
The situation of IDPs did not change in 2010. Their main concerns remained the lack of adequate housing and economic opportunities, and the lack of decent education and subsequent prospects for young people. In 2010 IDPs received no targeted government or international assistance.
During the UN's Universal Periodic Review of Armenia's human rights record in 2010, the government stated that its foremost concern regarding IDPs was to ensure their safe return to their former places of residence. However, the 2010 annual report of the public defender of Armenia highlighted the lack of adequate conditions for return and called on the authorities to improve the legal protection of IDPs.
The RSG on IDPs visited Armenia in 2010 and concluded that the government and the international community should do more for IDPs. The RSG and also the EU called for greater efforts to reach a peace agreement.
IDPs' prospects of durable solutions remain dim without government and international support and assistance. They may improve if the planned survey of IDPs provides estimates of their settlement preferences as well as their remaining displacement-related needs, and donors respond with adequate funding.
