Azerbaijan's mine problem to be discussed at UN's Geneva office

On October 31, the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) will hold a side event titled “Mine Clearance for Development” at the UN’s Geneva office, Azernews reports.

The event is part of the project “Initiative for a Mine-Free World - Recognizing the Mine Problem as the 18th UN Sustainable Development Goal,” organized by IEPF with support from the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It will be held within the framework of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 2024 Social Forum.

In a statement about the event, IEPF President Umud Mirzayev discussed the organizers and topics to be covered:

“The event, hosted jointly by IEPF, ‘Roots of Peace,’ and the International Institute for Law and Development (IRDG), will address issues related to resolving the global crisis caused by landmines and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), the initiative to recognize the mine problem as the 18th SDG, and the impact of mines on human rights and socio-economic life.”

Representatives from the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) will participate, along with representatives from UN agencies, international campaigns on banning mines, arms, and nuclear weapons, and leading global organizations with extensive experience in mine action and human rights protection.

The project’s main objective is to support unique calls to address the harm mines cause to human health and the environment, particularly the barriers they create to global peace and development, and to promote the initiative to identify the mine issue as the 18th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).