Reconciliation Ministry, Red Cross sign memorandum on data-sharing for missing persons in armed actions

Tea Akhvlediani, Georgia’s State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality and Anne Montavon, the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in the country on Friday signed a memorandum on sharing data to support families of persons missing from conflicts on the territory of the country.

The Ministry said the agreement would aid a programme for locating individuals missing as a result of armed actions in the 1990s and the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.

The memorandum emphasises the importance of sharing data for humanitarian efforts aimed at assisting families, raising public awareness, and honouring the memory of missing individuals.

The signing of the memorandum represents the final administrative step taken in the process of transforming the programme for the full implementation of the family component. This is aimed at protecting the rights and personal data of families as much as possible, in accordance with the law. It is part of the process of determining the fate and location of their missing relatives”, Akhvlediani said.

In her turn, Montavon said this collaborative effort between the Government and the ICRC underscored their commitment to supporting and addressing the “complex needs” of families impacted by armed conflicts, further strengthening their joint mission to trace and support missing persons and their families.

Meeting their needs is a difficult task, as the uncertainty they face leads to severe social and psychological problems. Our presence here today and the signing of the memorandum aim to assist the families of missing individuals in special circumstances”, she said.

Montavon also said the memorandum was a move towards “increased and effective” Government accountability, ensuring a “strong, long-term, and locally managed system” to trace and locate missing individuals, and provide “sustainable support” to their families.