Statement at the Fourth Committee of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly under agenda item 46 “Assistance in mine action”

Delivered by Ms. Nahida Baghirova, Counselor

23 October 2025

Mr. Chair,

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. An estimated 1.5 million landmines and an unknown number of explosive remnants of war continue to pose severe risks to civilians, hamper the essential reconstruction and development works and obstruct the safe return of the forcibly displaced population to their homes.

The human toll caused by landmines contamination in Azerbaijan is considerable. Over the past thirty years, more than 3,400 people have fallen victim to landmines and explosive remnants of war. In the post-conflict period, since November 2020, 410 Azerbaijani citizens – including children and women – have been killed or seriously injured, and regrettably, the number continues to increase.

Mr. Chair, 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.

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 (Resolution 15 HCP 7, 11 December 2023).

Furthermore, in its resolution 79/173 on missing persons, initiated by Azerbaijan, the General Assembly “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”.

Mr. Chair, 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 Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UNDP and the EU.

As the UN Secretary-General outlined in his recent report (A/80/272), with funding constrained, and the international humanitarian disarmament architecture under severe threat, concerted, coordinated and adequately funded mine action is imperative if the dangerous trajectory outlined in the present report is to be reversed.

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.