Baku conference highlights humanitarian demining's role in resilient communities

A panel session titled "Humanitarian Demining for Resilient Communities" was held in Baku as part of the 4th International Mine Action Conference, "Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Human Settlements," Report informs.

The panel, moderated by Salman Haq, Deputy Program Manager at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), focused on the rehabilitation of mine victims and their reintegration into socioeconomic life, as well as the importance of international partnerships and long-term support in strengthening community safety and resilience.

Participants also discussed the role of demining in enabling safe settlement and the sustainable return of populations, building trust, and supporting the recovery of post-conflict areas.

Farid Demirli, Deputy Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), stressed that the main goal of mine action is not only to clear land of hazards, but also to restore people's safety, dignity and confidence in the future.

"Ensuring community resilience requires coordinated action between humanitarian demining actors, government institutions, international partners and local communities. A safe area is also the foundation of a resilient community. Demining enables people to safely return to their native places, resettle and resume normal life," he said.

Tural Ali Kamal, director at the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation, said international cooperation is one of the key factors in achieving long-term and sustainable results given the scale and complexity of the mine problem.

"For sustainable results, demining should be viewed not merely as an operation, but as a comprehensive process aimed at ensuring security, social well-being, economic development and the future resilience of communities," he said.

The session continued with panel discussions.