As many as 900 anti-personnel mines, 400 improvised explosive devices and 71,000 other explosives were defused in 2020 by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), according to its annual report, published on the eve of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, celebrated on April 4, Report informs.
UN staff also provided support to 3,000 victims, conducted educational sessions for 1.7 million people living in areas with a mine risk.
In March, the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) signed a cooperation agreement to clear the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone from mines.
UNDP and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund will provide $1 million for this. UNDP staff will provide Azerbaijan with technical support, the necessary equipment, help train sapper teams and rebuild infrastructure that was destroyed as a result of the conflict.
Over the past 20 years, the ANAMA and the UNDP have jointly eliminated more than 800,000 mines and other explosive objects.