Azerbaijan leads collaborative effort at UN to advocate for rights of mine victims

A joint statement titled “Impact of Mines and Explosive Remnants of War on Human Rights” has been introduced during the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The statement was delivered by Croatia on behalf of its co-sponsors: Albania, Azerbaijan, Chile, Croatia, Mozambique, and Panama.

The statement underscores the severe and lasting impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war on fundamental human rights, including the right to life, health, education, employment, and freedom of movement, Caliber.Az reports.

It calls on the UN Human Rights Council to take decisive actions to address this pressing issue. The authors emphasize that the nations responsible for deploying mines bear the accountability for the rights violations experienced by affected individuals and highlight that providing maps of mined areas is a key obligation under international law.

At the time of its release, the statement had received support from a broad coalition of 65 countries spanning Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.

Following Azerbaijan’s victory in the Second Karabakh War in November 2020, the country embarked on an extensive demining campaign in territories previously occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. Despite significant efforts, these operations have been hindered by Armenia’s reluctance to provide accurate minefield maps.

Azerbaijan has received minefield maps for the formerly occupied districts of Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Zangilan, which reportedly indicate the locations of 189,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Additional maps for other liberated areas were also provided by Armenia in exchange for the release of Armenian saboteurs detained after the war. However, President Ilham Aliyev has criticized the accuracy of these maps, noting their reliability at only 25 per cent.

According to ANAMA (Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency), the effectiveness of the maps provided by Armenia was just two per cent in practical demining efforts. International experts estimate that Azerbaijan will require nearly 30 years and $25 billion to fully address the demining challenges.