ANAMA, UNDP launch joint project to demine liberated lands

Azerbaijan's National Mine Action Agency (ANAMA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a joint project supporting the safe return of internally displaced people through the capacity building of ANAMA.

The relevant document on the implementation of the project was signed on February 7 in Shusha by  UNDP Resident Representative Nuno Queirós and ANAMA Board Chairman Vugar Suleymanov, Report informs.

The project is expected to strengthen and expand ANAMA's institutional capacity in the field of strategy and data management. It aims to combine efforts to demine the liberated territories to accelerate the process of returning former internally displaced persons there.

The project is funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNDP alongside the Azerbaijani government.

At a conference on demining in Shusha jointly organised by the UNDP and ANAMA, Nuno Queirós said that mines and other explosive ordnance hinder the safe return of internally displaced people, and block them from accessing their homes and agricultural fields, hence depriving them of opportunities to rebuild their lives.

"It is because of this that humanitarian demining is such a critical and essential part of UNDP’s development efforts in Azerbaijan and is one of the top priorities that we share and work on with the Government. As a trusted partner of choice, UNDP, with its people-centred approach and expertise, has been supporting mine action initiatives for over 25 years and in over 40 countries including Azerbaijan," Nuno Queirós added.

To date, 64,000 hectares of Azerbaijan's liberated territory have been cleared of mines, Vugar Suleymanov, said at the conference.

According to him, 282 Azerbaijanis were victims of mines planted by Armenia, 46 of whom died.