Mine clearance in Azerbaijan is no longer carried out merely as general land clearance, but is planned in accordance with the intended future use of the territories, Head of the UN-Habitat Office in Azerbaijan Anna Soave said during a panel session held as part of the 4th International Conference on Mine Action titled “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements” in Baku, APA reports.
The UN-Habitat official said that clearing areas of mine threats for housing and infrastructure, roads, energy infrastructure, public services, agriculture and industrial zones in Azerbaijan is an example of this approach.
She said that within the framework of the Great Return Program and the regional master planning process, mine clearance is only the first stage in the reconstruction of cities, towns and villages: “This approach transforms cleared land into an area suitable and attractive for investment. This will determine the sustainability of the entire recovery process,” she said.
The UN-Habitat official also emphasized the importance of the governance model applied in Karabakh and East Zangezur.
According to her, the centralized coordination mechanism makes it possible to coordinate mine clearance, reconstruction and the return of the population within the same governance framework.
Anna Soave emphasized that categorizing the liberated lands according to their development functions is a best practice.
“Thus, the objective has been set at the highest level. The practice is already being implemented on the ground. Institutional mechanisms are also in place in the territories,” she noted.
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