Azerbaijan unveils plan for return of displaced people to Karabakh

Azerbaijan is developing a comprehensive and modern model to facilitate the return of displaced persons to their ancestral lands in Karabakh.

Sabir Ahmadov, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, outlined the plan during the 76th session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

He said that, under the direction of President Ilham Aliyev, preparations have begun for the second State Programme for the Great Return, covering the period 2027–2030. The programme will include measures aimed at the effective resettlement of liberated territories.

Ahmadov also provided a detailed account of the deportation and occupation policies carried out by Armenia, tracing their historical roots and highlighting the severe hardships faced by refugees and internally displaced persons as a result.

Azerbaijan’s Great Return program aims to resettle approximately 140,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) by 2026. The initiative includes the reconstruction of 100 settlements with essential infrastructure, including housing, schools, hospitals, and utility networks. 

Between 2020 and 2023, over $4.6 billion was allocated to the project, with total investment expected to reach $17.6 billion by 2030.

By Aghakazim Guliyev