Briefing on Azerbaijan's mine problem held at UN headquarters

A briefing dedicated to the mine problem in Azerbaijan was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as part of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, marked annually on April 4.

The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN and the Center of Analysis of International Relations (CAIR), Caliber.Az reports via local media.

It focused on saving lives through humanitarian mine clearance activities in Azerbaijan.

Participants in the briefing included Anar Mutallimov, Deputy Head of the Department for Military-Political Affairs at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry; Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of CAIR; Tofiq Musayev, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN; representatives of various specialized UN agencies; Rita Lubis, Deputy Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS); Devanand Ramiah, Head of the Crisis Bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Elise Becker, Executive Director of the Marshall Legacy Institute; diplomats from member states; and accredited UN journalists.

In his address, Tofiq Musayev emphasized that over 13% of Azerbaijan’s territory is at risk due to landmines and unexploded ordnance. Since November 2020, there have been 388 mine explosions in the country, resulting in 70 fatalities and 318 serious injuries. The diplomat noted that Azerbaijan has declared humanitarian demining a national priority by designating it as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and highlighted that three international conferences have been organized in cooperation with the UN on this topic.

UN ambassadors and officials were also informed about a resolution adopted the day before in the Human Rights Council, initiated by Azerbaijan, titled “Impact of Anti-Personnel Mines on Human Rights.”

A short film was presented at the event, showcasing mine clearance and reconstruction work in contaminated areas.

During his presentation, Farid Shafiyev gave a detailed overview of Azerbaijan’s mine problem—one of the most heavily mine-contaminated countries in the world—and discussed key aspects of humanitarian demining.

Anar Mutallimov spoke about Azerbaijan's international initiatives in mine action and stressed that the mine threat is a major obstacle to the safe return of internally displaced persons.

UNDP representative Devanand Ramiah highlighted the growing international financial support, the importance of involving women in mine action, and long-term cooperation with Azerbaijan’s Mine Action Agency (ANAMA). Elise Becker shared that her institute had donated 93 mine-detection dogs to Azerbaijan, significantly contributing to the clearance of large areas.

UN officials praised Azerbaijan’s initiative to establish an international demining center and noted that the European Union has allocated 10 million euros for this purpose. Rita Gunarti Lubis emphasized Azerbaijan’s leadership in this field.

The event included discussions on the mine threat, humanitarian mine action, and international cooperation. Azerbaijan received high praise for its contribution to global demining efforts.

By Tamilla Hasanova