Book Description

Unmanaged mass population movements in the former USSR are affecting regional stability and the plight of those fleeing is being exacerbate by a lack of institutional support. To address these problems, a conference on involuntary displacement in the Commonwealth of Independent States and neighbouring countries is scheduled to take place in 1996. A joint conference secretariat representing UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been formed. Its purpose is to cooperate with governments to devise regional solutions. This booklet records the efforts made so far by participating countries in identifying the problems associated with mass displacement. The introduction describes the displacement patterns and background causes. The main conference documents giving country reports are included next. Concrete examples of migration issues in the region are provided in the form of a paper on forced migrants, an intergovernmental agreement on deported peoples and a study of international migration by the Economic Community of Europe. Key UN decisions relating to the convening of the conference are to be found in a serie of annexes.