Demining could be integrated into Azerbaijan’s state policy, official says

Azerbaijan is developing its first national urban policy under the leadership of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, with technical support from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), an initiative that will allow the government to consolidate existing practices and accumulated experience into a formal state policy, Anna Soave, Head of the UN-Habitat Country Programme in Azerbaijan, has said.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the 4th International Mine Action Conference, she outlined that Azerbaijan has a rare opportunity to integrate these principles into state policy at an early stage, while the framework is still being developed, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

“It is far more sensible to embed these principles directly into the planning system now than to attempt to integrate them later,” she noted.

Soave also emphasised that mine action should become a permanent element of territorial planning in Azerbaijan.

She highlighted three practical priorities: establishing the sequence of actions and criteria for prioritisation, ensuring institutional coordination, and developing a monitoring system with appropriate metrics.

She stressed that mine action should not be viewed as a process that ends once mine clearance is completed.

According to Soave, countries that have successfully cleared their territories of landmine hazards have ultimately recognised the need to integrate mine action into long-term spatial and territorial planning.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov