We, the representatives of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world, advocate for the acknowledgment of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a humanitarian tragedy.
Landmines and UXOs pose a serious threat to the health, lives, and safety of the civilian population. The indiscriminate nature of landmines infringes on the fundamental rights of people enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The presence of landmines and UXO impede the realization of freedom of movement, right to health, right to adequate housing, right to food, right to a healthy environment, and cultural rights. They also have an adverse impact on socio-economic development and achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals in countries affected by landmines.
Mine clearance may take many years, which affects post-conflict rehabilitation and
reconstruction work, impeding the realization of the inalienable right of the hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes in safety and dignity.
Landmines continue to kill and maim people long after the conflicts are over. They cause permanent disabilities, inflicting life-long injuries, and their direct psychological effects appear high.
Landmines and UXO threaten international peace and security. 60 million people worldwide are still at risk from landmines. Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Ukraine, and Vietnam are among the most contaminated countries in the world.
The Lao PDR has the highest level of contamination by unexploded submunitions, causing 50,836 casualties. Vietnam has roughly 800,000 tons of uncleared UXO across 6.1 million hectares, comprising 18.71% of its total land area. Despite extensive mine action efforts, Angola still faces significant contamination. Incidents related to landmines, Explosive Remnants of War (ERW), and cluster bomb explosions have led to the loss of 19,819 lives and caused injuries or amputations to an additional 45,198 individuals in Cambodia. In Azerbaijan, which is also suffering greatly due to contamination, over 30 years 3,406 people have fallen victims of landmines. Since the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020, 327 Azerbaijanis have been killed or injured by landmines in ruined residential areas, agricultural fields, cemeteries, river banks, unused roads, etc.
Shortly after the end of the 2020 war, Azerbaijan has embarked on demining activities in its liberated territories. However, approximately 12% of contaminated territories have been demined up to the present, leaving substantial challenges yet to be tackled. Notably, 147,988 hectares are still designated as highly contaminated areas, while an extensive 675,570 hectares are categorized as regions with medium and low threat levels. These statistics emphasize the pressing need for ongoing efforts to address the continuous threat of landmines and UXOs in liberated territories of Azerbaijan.
Around 90 percent of victims of landmines and UXOs have been innocent Azerbaijani
civilians.
In the aftermath of recent counter-terrorism measures on 19-20 September 2023, the Azerbaijani authorities discovered that at least, more than half a million additional landmines have been planted by remnants of Armenian armed forces and illegal armed detachments in 480 km line of contact around the former “gray zone”. Unfortunately, a majority of these newly planted landmines have been illegally transferred to Azerbaijani territories from Armenia via the Lachin road until the establishment of the Lachin checkpoint on 23 April 2023.
We urge Armenia to immediately share maps of newly implanted areas to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan supports humanitarian demining efforts globally. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, put forward a proposal on launching the 18th SDG on demining and creating a Contact Group for consultations and practical cooperation on humanitarian demining within the Non-Aligned Movement. The latter was established on 8 September 2023 in New York. In its national capacity, Azerbaijan has already set a particular national SDG on humanitarian demining.
We also commend LAO PDR for advocating for SDG 18 entitled “Lives Safe from Unexploded Ordnance”.
The eradication of all landmines cannot wait! With this in mind, within the “World for Peace in the Caucasus” international civil society initiative, and emphasizing the urgent need for the international community to address the ongoing threat of landmines and UXO, which continue to endanger civilian lives, hinder economic development, and impede the safe return of displaced communities,
- We call on States, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders to support the efforts by the countries suffering from landmine contamination in their humanitarian mine actions, which promote sustainable peace and stability, essential for global prosperity and development;
- We urge States, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and other stakeholders to raise awareness on the devastating effects of landmines, including on the enjoyment of human rights;
- We call on the international community to promote humanitarian demining as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal and to mobilize global efforts towards a Mine Free World.