In Georgia following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 separatist pressure increased in the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which had enjoyed a measure of autonomy within Georgia during the Soviet era. Changes of government in Georgia, together with a failure to resolve the status of non-Georgians in the two regions, led to rebellion and war between Georgia and Russia in 2008.

An estimated 2,000 people remain unaccounted for as a result of conflict since the early 1990s. The Council of Europe puts the figure at 1,763 Georgians missing and 197 Abkhaz in Abkhazia. In South Ossetia, the Georgian authorities have reported the disappearance of 10 Georgians and 122 South Ossetians.

ICMP and the Georgian State Commission for Missing Persons have sought to examine ways in which official structures can be strengthened to address the missing persons issue effectively.