REGULATION On the JCC Special (Ad Hoc) Committee on facilitation of the volunteer return of refugees and IDPs to the places of their former inhabitance

1. The JCC ad hoc Committee (afterwards in the text – Committee) is assigned for the practical realization of “Procedure of the volunteer return of the volunteer return of refugees and IDPs, as a result of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, to the places of their former inhabitance” (afterwards in the text – procedure), approved by the Joint Control Commission of February 13, 1997 (Protocol No 7) and coordination of the sides’ efforts.

2. The committee in its activities is guided by the acting legislation and normative legal acts, norms of the International Law, decisions of the JCC, the present Statute and is an accountable body to the JCC.

3. The committee organizes its activity in cooperation with the respective bodies of the sides, in cooperation with the OSCE and the UNHCR.

4. The major tasks of the Committee are the following:

- organization of the agreed measures of the practical realization of the Procedure;

-  coordination of the sides’ activities on the settlement of the problems, related to the volunteer return of refugees and IDPs to the places of their former permanent inhabitance;

-  elaboration of proposals on implementing of the complex measures of return and reception of IDPs and refugees, adopted by the sides;

-  analysis of the information on the process of return;

-  informing of the JCC on the realization of Procedure;

- operational introduction of the proposed programs of the international organizations’ programs on humanitarian assistance and information of JCC on this issue;

-  providing practical assistance to the refugees and IDPs on definition and compensation of material damages, in the frame of the respective decisions of the sides;

-   Providing for maximum facilitation to the international humanitarian organizations in the frame of their mandate.

5. The committee is entitled for the settlement of the posed tasks:

- to coordinate the activity of respective bodies of the sides on the process of volunteer return of refugees and IDPs;

- to demand and to receive from the respective bodies of the sides the respective documents, information and materials on the problems of refugees and IDPs in the defined term;

-  To exchange the necessary information with the OSCE and the UNHCR;

- To provide to the refugees and to the IDPs of the legal assistance and support in the reception of legal and expert counseling in the defined timeframe;

-  To introduce to the JCC the proposals on the draft documents, referring to the issues of refugees and IDPs.

6.  In the composition of the Committee are included minimum 2 representatives from the sides of the JCC, defined by the sides.

In the work of the Committee are participating the representatives of the OSCE and the UNHCR.

7.  Committee is headed by the co-chairmen of the sides. The meeting of the committee is con ducted by one of the co-chairmen.

8.   The meeting of the Committee is taking pace minimum once a month. At the end of each meeting the date, agenda and place of the next meeting of the committee is defined. On request of one of the sides maybe convened the special meeting of the committee.

9.   The meeting of the committee is considered as authorized if there are all the sides at it, The decisions are made on the basis of consensus. The issues, which cannot be agreed by the sides, are brought to the plenary session of the JCC.

10. There is created a secretariat for the conducting of permanent organizational work of the committee and providing liaison.

11.  The Statute of the ad hoc committee is enforced from the moment of its approval by the Joint Control Commission. Changes and additions to the statute are introduced by the JCC.

On behalf of the Georgian side (signed)

On behalf of the South-Ossetian side (signed)

On behalf of the Russian side (signed)

On behalf of the North-Ossetian side (signed)

With participation

of the OSCE (signed)

of the UNHCR (signed)

September 26, 1997.

(Archive of the OSCE Mission to Georgia)