According to presidential decree on Improvement of living conditions and poverty elimination, dated 1 June 2004, a relevant state program has been adopted and it commits replacing the refugees and internally displaced people to new villages by late 2007. Respectively, after a year no one will be left in the refugee camps and carriages, and later on the traces of the facilities with intolerable living conditions will be removed. From this aspect, the current year will be important for refugees and internally displaced people, as well as the country in whole.
Work in this direction will be carried out in two stages. Firstly, by the end of 2007 the last three camps will be cancelled in Saatali and Sabirabad Districts, east Azerbaijan and new villages will be built for 4,179 IDPs. Demining of areas allocated for construction of houses will be concluded.
Secondly, there will be established necessary conditions the category of IDPs, who have been settled at schools. Such people number 7,000 families, or 30,000 people. Over 35,000 refugees reside in 15 villages with Finnish-style houses, where the living conditions are worse than in camps. The term of exploitation of these settlements is 4-5 years, while people have resided there for over 12 years.
The funds for the construction and rehabilitation work will be transferred out of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAR). Thus, in 2007 some 124mln manats will be allocated for this respect against 110mln manats in 2006. The funds allocated last year were spent on the construction of villages for internally displaced people and as a result, 9 out of 12 refugee camps were liquidated. Actions by the Azerbaijan Government on use of funds of the State Oil Fund on needs of refugees and IDPs are carried out of insistence of the International Monetary Funds, which recommended the establishment of the Oil Fund in the country and to reserve its funds for the future generations. However, they are spent on more priority problems, which are of great importance for further development. Thus, from 2001 to 2006 the State Oil Fund has allocated $223mln for the resolution of social problems of refugees and internally displaced people.
In its turn in 2007 the public budget allocated 100mln for the resolution of problems of refugees and internally displaced people ев against 86.6mn manats last year. The major part of funds was directed at payment of monthly benefits on food expenses for refugees, which were increased from 6 to 8 manats following rise in prices of fuel and communal services.
Some 128,520 refugees and IDPs receive monthly payments for their food through plastic cards.
Another part of the total 100mln manats will be directed at continuing an experience of monthly distribution of 40l of kerosene for 87,100 refugee families from October to March and for payment of electricity and communal services. Though last year only 3mln manats was spent in this respect , this year this sum will be higher due to rise in fuel prices.
At the expense of joint efforts of SOFAR and public budget it is planned to allot 500,000 manats in 2007 for inventory of houses in villages established for refuges and IDPs. Thus, last year 75,000 manats has been allocated for certification of houses of refugees and IDPs.
Along with increasing state assistance to refugees and internally displaced people, sum of assistance by international organizations decreases. Thus, over 10 years total amount of assistance by all humanitarian organizations fell $76mln to $30mln. The State Committee for Work with Refugees and Internally Displaced People collaborates with 72 humanitarian organizations and 22 national non-governmental organizations which enjoy favorable terms of taxation. Last year the international humanitarian organizations carried out different projects with the total budget of $30mln. Some $91.8mln of the total was spent out of the public budget and $119.9mln - out of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan.
At the same time, the government is in search of other sources. Over the past 2 years seven organizations of UN, 32 of the United States , 23 of European countries, 7 of East countries have carried out social projects in Azerbaijan with the total budget of $95mln. UNWFP is one of the first international organizations which over the past 12 years has been involved in rendering food to refugees and internally displaced people suffered as a result of Armenian aggression. In accordance with new two-year program on long-term assistance to and rehabilitation, adopted in June 2006, the WFP will render food assistance to 130,000 IDPs of Azerbaijan, settled 11 regions of the country. James Morris, Executive Director of UNWFP, said that in 2 years Azerbaijan will not need more the assistance by international organizations.
In 2006 Azerbaijan allocated 223mln manats for the resolution of social problems of refugees and internally displaced people.
Additional finances are required for the construction of social infrastructure for refugees and internally displaced people in newly built settlements. The refugees themselves confess that most of them are unwilling to live in these settlements due to absence of infrastructure facilities , particularly, drugs stores, shops, schools, etc. These villages have no names and were not indicated in the maps. Moreover, they are located far from settlements. The Government borrows funds from the international financial organizations to resolve these problems.
So far, 21% of the $10mln WB credit allocated for establishment of social infrastructure for refugees and internally displaced people has been spent.
Moreover, plans are allocated for ensuring elementary living conditions for refugees in new villages, particularly, for ensuring employment of all those residing in these villages. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies is charged in installation of telephone network in refugee camps. It will enable the refugees and IDPs to use the POS-terminals.
However, these houses, villages and towns, no matter how they are comfortable is a temporary place of residence, which is under property of the State Committee on Work with Refugees and internally displaced people. The Government jointly with the international organizations, UN Agencies, international humanitarian organizations is developing a draft program 'Great Repatriation'. But now it is necessary to provide people displaced from the native lands with normal living conditions.