Press release

on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action

New York, 4 April 2026

As the international community marks the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on 4 April, landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices continue to pose a deadly threat to civilians, service personnel, peacekeepers, humanitarian and technical personnel.

In his most recent report on the "Assistance in mine action" (A/80/272), the Secretary-General of the United Nations highlighted the ongoing risks faced by millions of people who continue to be vulnerable to injury, death, or restricted access to fundamental services due to mines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices.

Azerbaijan is among the countries most affected by these hazards, with over 13% of its territory impacted. Over the past thirty years, more than 3,400 people have fallen victim to landmines and explosive remnants of war. Since November 2020 alone, 421 civilians, including women and children, have become victims of landmine explosions, with 72 killed and 349 maimed, and the number continues to rise.

Amongst other implications, the extensive mine contamination impedes economic recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation efforts, while posing a serious obstacle to the full implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Azerbaijan advances and implements mine action as a crucial enabler of sustainable development, supporting reconstruction and restoring access to land and resources critical for community resilience. Given that demining efforts are linked to sustainable and lasting development and considering the significant impact that demined territories have on the welfare of the people as well as the progress and development of the country, Azerbaijan formally declared humanitarian demining as the 18th National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

Azerbaijan continues to advance mine action as a priority issue at the United Nations. Since 2022, Azerbaijan has convened three annual international conferences on mine action jointly with the United Nations, which have developed into an important international dialogue platform addressing the humanitarian, developmental and environmental dimensions of landmine contamination and other explosive hazards.

This sustained engagement has also been reflected in a number of other multilateral initiatives. Among them was the resolution entitled "Impact of landmines on cultural property", adopted on 11 December 2023 at the 15th Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The resolution drew renewed international attention to the threat posed by mines, boobytraps and other explosive devices to cultural property in conflict and post-conflict settings.

Similar efforts have been advanced within the General Assembly. In resolution 79/173 on missing persons, introduced by Azerbaijan, and adopted without a vote, the General Assembly expressed concern that landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices impede efforts to identify the whereabouts of missing persons, and called upon the States concerned to cooperate in facilitating the safe search for human remains and retrieval operations. This was an important acknowledgement of the humanitarian consequences of explosive contamination beyond its immediate physical danger.

Azerbaijan also attaches particular importance to the gender dimension of mine action. In this regard, the first female demining teams in the country were established within the framework of a collaborative project by the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) with its international partners. This initiative has contributed not only to strengthening national mine action capacity but also to promoting the meaningful participation of women in a field of vital humanitarian importance.

Against this background, and amid growing funding constraints and pressure on international humanitarian disarmament efforts, concerted, coordinated, and adequately funded mine action remains imperative.

The scale and magnitude of the global landmine threat require enhanced accountability, stronger solidarity and partnership, and sustained international assistance for national humanitarian demining capabilities and operations. Such collective efforts can facilitate the prompt and safe return and recovery, reconstruct demolished infrastructure, and mitigate the long-term humanitarian ramifications of explosive contamination, while also preventing further loss of life and injury.