Azerbaijan urges stronger global solidarity against landmine threat at UN

Azerbaijan’s UN Ambassador Tofiq Musayev called for enhanced international cooperation and support in humanitarian mine action during a UN General Assembly event on disarmament and mine safety.

He said over 13% of Azerbaijan’s territory remains contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, posing an ongoing threat to civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers. He stressed that widespread contamination severely hampers implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is why Azerbaijan has designated demining as its 18th national SDG.

Musayev noted that since 2022, Azerbaijan has co-hosted three global mine action conferences with the UN, focusing on sustainable development and environmental impacts of contamination.

He also highlighted a 2023 resolution adopted under the 1954 Hague Convention on the protection of cultural heritage from landmine damage and referred to a UNGA resolution initiated by Azerbaijan linking mines with challenges in locating missing persons.

The ambassador noted the creation of the first all-female demining teams in Azerbaijan through a joint project by ANAMA, UNDP, and the EU. He urged global partners to increase financial and technical support for coordinated and effective mine clearance efforts.