On 19-20 September, the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) led a Fact Finding Mission of European Parliamentarians to Georgia to assess the situation of reproductive health of internally displaced persons and to evaluate the health infrastructure needs of the country in the aftermath of the conflict between the Republic of Georgia and the Russian Federation. The mission has been organised on the invitation of Hon. George Tsereteli MP, Vice Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament and Member of EPF Executive Committee with the cooperation of the United Nations Population Fund in Georgia.

In Tbilisi, the Parliamentarians visited the temporary shelters of internally displaced persons living in schools and other public premises. Currently there are 128,000 new internally displaced persons in Georgia. Although many of them will be able to return back to their homes, the Government and international organisations estimated that about 31,000 persons will remain long-term IDPs as their home are now in South Ossetian controlled territory. Adding up with the internally displaced population from previous conflicts (223,000 IDPs) this newly displaced, will leave the country with the total of 254,000 internally displaced persons.

Four UNFPA Mobile RH Teams are attending 22 collective IDPs centres and an additional 5th Mobile Team is urgently needed to meet the needs of the population in this state of emergency. At the office of EC/UNFPA Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in South Caucasus (RHIYC), Parliamentarians witnessed the assembling of UNFPA RH "dignity kits", compiled by UNFPA staff and youth volunteers. They held meetings with the representatives of Government, Parliament and UN Coordination Unit for Humanitarian Response. Georgia is one of the best examples of the ongoing UN reform of humanitarian crisis response, where 12 UN agencies and 45 NGOs have joined their effort to provide support to the population in need.

In Gori the mission members visited the tent city, monitored by UN agencies and international organisations, specifically UNHCR, UNFPA and Red Cross. The tent city currently houses 1,200 persons, out of them 800 young people (2-20 years old). UNFPA Mobile Team is providing RH services to IDPs: 7 women have in the mean time delivered babies, 11 are currently pregnant and attended by Mobile Team's doctors and nurses. The Parliamentarians witnessed the distribution of UNFPA RH "dignity kits" to the IDPs. Further Parliamentarians attended the opening ceremony of new Youth Friendly Reproductive Health Centre at the local Gori University, established and launched within the framework of EC/UNFPA Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in the South Caucasus. The centre will offer RH information, counselling, services and supplies to young people in the town. The delegation also met with the representatives of the local City Council and learned from doctors and school head masters about the urgent needs of the population after the conflict.

The Members of Delegation found necessary:

• To ensure that the reproductive health needs of women, pregnant women and infants are met. This includes family planning services and supplies, hygiene supplies and psychosocial counselling and care for the victims of sexual violence.
• To establish and launch the 5th Reproductive Health Mobile Team to serve the IDPs needs and to be able to still attend the rest of the population. The launch of the 5th Mobile Team will allow to provide more services and supplies as well as medical and psychosocial counselling to the IDPs, including the victims of violence. 
• To create the new employment and income generating opportunities to people who have lost their regular occupation, including young people and to avoid the increase of crime or drug use. This includes free time occupation for young people.
• In schools to ensure that the necessary inventory for classes such as school books and other necessary items as well as transportation from collective centres to schools is provided. 
• To direct funds to rehabilitation and reconstruction of the health infrastructure in the affected territories to ensure the soonest re-opening and regular functioning of the health care facilities.
• At the upcoming Donors’ Conference in Brussels scheduled to take place in October 2008 to ensure that humanitarian needs of IDPs, notably social, health and reproductive health needs are adequately reflected and addressed in the donor commitments and that donor efforts are well coordinated and not overlapping.

The delegation included: Hon. Kirsten Brosbøl, MP (Denmark), Chairwoman of the Danish Cross-Party Network for Sexual Health, Hon. Neena Gill, MEP (UK), Member of the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament, Hon. Carina Hägg, MP (Sweden), Member of Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Swedish Parliament, the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and EPF Executive Committee, Hon. Jean Lambert, MEP (UK), Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and EP's Working Group on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development, Hon. Hilde Vautmans, MP (Belgium), Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Belgian Parliament and EPF Executive Committee Member, Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg, MP (Germany), Member of the Health Committee of the Bundestag Chair of the Health Sub-Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms. Louise Lee-Jones, (UK), Representative of RAISE Initiative on RH Access, Information and Services in Emergencies of Marie Stopes International.