UN Human Rights Council calls on Armenia to hand over maps of landmines to Azerbaijan

Joel Fuchs, a program coordinator at the Geneva-based International Development Law Organization (IDLO), spoke at the 14th meeting of the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council about the military and environmental crimes committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

According to the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, Ms. Fuchs said in an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the "Consequences of Healthy Regulation, Disposal of Hazardous Substances and Waste for Human Rights" that IDLO is particularly concerned about the impact of landmine pollution. As a result, large areas of agricultural land remain unused, have a serious impact on the environment, food production, and the destruction of livelihoods.

IDLO has called for broader cooperation in the region and asked the Armenian government to provide the Azerbaijani government with information on the location of the remaining landmines. The coordinator added that it is unfair to cause more casualties and injuries when mines can be easily cleared.

It was noted that the lack of mine maps could lead to several negative socio-economic and environmental consequences, as the operational and logistical costs of locating mine sites will be very high for the country and donor organizations. This can increase the pressure on the development agenda, damage the right to life and destroy the ecological profile of the region.