Information on mine-contaminated areas of Azerbaijan presented at UN

More than 13% of Azerbaijan's territory remains contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance, and only 24.3% of these territories has been cleared to date.

According to Report, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN Shahriyar Hajiyev said during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons at the Third Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly that the mine threat poses serious obstacles to large-scale restoration and reconstruction work in the territories liberated from occupation, as well as to the safe return of internally displaced persons to their homes. Since 2020, more than 400 Azerbaijani citizens, including women and children, have been killed or injured in mine-related incidents.

Shahriyar Hajiyev stressed that more than $16 billion had been allocated for post-conflict recovery and reconstruction. Under the Great Return programme, around 100,000 people currently live, work and study in 48 settlements.

The Azerbaijani diplomat stressed the importance of increasing international assistance to eliminate the mine threat and the need to pay attention to the issue of accountability.

In his previous statement, Hajiyev called on the UN and other relevant international organisations to play a more active role, within their mandates, in searching for missing persons, facilitating information exchange, developing forensic expertise and strengthening support for the families of affected persons.

During the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons at the #3C of the #UNGA, #Azerbaijan informed of its considerable experience in accommodating and assisting IDPs throughout the almost 30 years of occupation, as well as in restoring their violated rights and addressing the consequences of their prolonged displacement in the post conflict-period. It was highlighted that through the implementation of the Great Return Programme, nearly 100,000 people are now living, working and studying in newly constructed communities across 48 residential areas in liberated territories. The statement emphasized that, as informed by the Special Rapporteur in her report (A/81/339) submitted to the session, the clearance of landmines, other explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices is a prerequisite for restoring livelihoods, achieving economic recovery and securing durable solutions for IDPs.

— Azerbaijan UN 🇦🇿 (@AzmissionUN) October 22, 2026