SECRETARY-GENERAL STRONGLY URGES BOTH
SIDES TO GEORGIAN-ABKHAZ CONFLICT TO
REFRAIN FROM ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE, PROVOCATION; CALLS FOR CALM, RESTRAINT
On 12 December 2007 the following statement was issued by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
The
Secretary-General has taken note of the concerns expressed by the two
sides to the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and allegations made by both
sides about impending threats and major build-up of armed forces in the
zone of conflict and the Kodori valley. The United Nations Observer
Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) has been conducting daily verification of
these claims, many of which have, so far, not been confirmed by the
situation on the ground.
In the current volatile
context, the Secretary-General calls for calm and restraint. He
supports the call made by the Security Council in its resolution 1781
(2007) of 15 October, which "strongly urges all parties to consider and
address seriously each other’s legitimate security concerns, to refrain
from any acts of violence and provocation, including political action
or rhetoric, and to comply fully with previous agreements regarding
ceasefire and non-use of violence."
UNOMIG Trust Fund and Quick Impact Projects
The UNOMIG Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs) Program was designed and established to alleviate
the suffering of the population living in the zone of conflict and aims to restore basic public services, such
as public schools, water, electricity and power, refuse disposal and public health infrastructure. This program
was initiated as part of the UN Trust Fund since UNOMIG has specific knowledge of the area and a thorough
understanding of the hardships and needs of the resident population in the aftermath of the conflict.
The Trust Fund has authorized UNOMIG to implement Quick-Impact Projects (QIPs) which have been running since
November 2002.
The Trust Fund is of an extra-budgetary nature and spearheads efforts to attract donors from Members States
of the United Nations. Since November 2002 five Member States have contributed to the UNOMIG Trust Fund:
Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. For 2005 UNOMIG will sign an Agreement
with the European Union for a larger rehabilitation program that will complement the QIPs activities in
sectors like electricity, health, waste management and water sanitation.
Since its inception, UNOMIG has implemented 70 Quick-Impact Projects in its area of responsibility.
