Documents of international organizations on Azerbaijan published on UN website

Documents of international organizations on Azerbaijan have been published on the UN website, the State Committee on Work with the Diaspora told Report.

The website of the UN General Assembly posted two documents on Azerbaijan on the agenda of the 48th session of the Human Rights Council to be held from September 13 to October 8, 2021.

The authors of the documents are the Geneva-based, UN-accredited non-governmental organizations - the International Institute for Rights and Development (IRDG) and the Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health (GIWEN).

International organizations called on the Human Rights Council and the world community to influence Armenia to issue anti-personnel mine maps to Azerbaijan, prevent the catastrophic environmental situation in the Oxchuchay River, and establish a control mechanism drawing attention to the fact that transboundary water pollution hinders development.

IRDG believes that by creating anti-personnel mine maps, Armenia has acknowledged the facts it has long denied about the policy of mass application of maps. The accuracy of mine maps submitted by Armenia so far has been 25 percent; the continuation of mine explosions has resulted in the death and injury of innocent people, seriously hampering the Azerbaijani government's reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the region.

IRDG has urged the international community to demand that Armenia hand over all mine maps so that innocent people can return home safely after 30 years of longing.

GIWEN stressed that access to safe water is a fundamental need and human right for all people to live a dignified and healthy lifestyle. The pollution of the Oxchuchay River, which passes through the Zangilan region of Azerbaijan and flows into the Araz River, has been called a threat to the ecology of Karabakh. The organization analyzed water samples taken from different parts of the Oxchuchay River in January-March 2021. This process proved that the level of pollution in the river basin is critical.

GIWEN wanted to raise public awareness of the environmental risks to the river and its ecosystem and to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council and the international community to the ecological threats and critical situation in Oxchuchay:

"Water pollution and waste management are becoming a critical issue in many parts of the world. The international community must take measures to prevent pollution and develop a control mechanism."