Remarks by H.E. Mr. Tofig F. Musayev

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations

at the at side-event on the “Secretary-General’s Campaign

on Humanitarian Disarmament and Mine Action”

UNHQ, CR7, 22 October 2025

I would like to thank the organizers for holding this side event in the context of the 80th UNGA negotiations. We are grateful to all speakers for their insightful presentations. The topic under consideration is pressing as, regrettably, landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices continue to affect many countries in conflict or post-conflict situations, posing a deadly threat to civilians, servicemen, peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel.

Azerbaijan is among such countries, with more than 13% of its territory affected by these hazards, with the increasing number of victims.

Among other repercussions, the extensive mine contamination poses a serious obstacle to full-fledged implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). In this connection, Azerbaijan declared the humanitarian demining as the 18th National SDG.

Furthermore, since 2022, Azerbaijan has held three annual international conferences on mine action jointly with the United Nations, which have evolved into one of the prominent global dialogue venues addressing the mine problem. All three conferences produced tangible outcome documents addressing a wide range of issues on humanitarian demining and sustainable development, the environmental impact of landmines and the imperative of international support in this context.

Among other initiatives of Azerbaijan is the resolution on the impact of landmines on cultural property, adopted in 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.[1]

Furthermore, in its resolution 79/173 on missing persons, initiated by Azerbaijan, the General Assembly, for the first time, “expresse[d] concern at the impediments caused by landmines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices […] to efforts on identifying the whereabouts of missing persons, and call[ed] upon States concerned to cooperate to facilitate the safe search for human remains and retrieval operations”.[2]

We also attach special importance to the gender aspect of the mine action. The first female demining teams were established in Azerbaijan within the framework of the project jointly launched by the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), UNDP and the EU.

As the UN Secretary-General outlined in his recent report,[3] with funding constrained, and the international humanitarian disarmament architecture under severe threat, concerted, coordinated and adequately funded mine action is imperative.

The scale and magnitude of the landmine threat throughout the world warrant the necessity of enhanced accountability, stronger solidarity and partnership, and adequate international assistance for national humanitarian demining capability and efforts.

Thank you.