BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 21. Azerbaijan has initiated adoption of a joint statement titled "Addressing the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war in the context of human rights" during the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Trend reports.
The statement was presented by the Croatian representative on behalf of the document's initiators - Azerbaijan, Albania, Chile, Mozambique, Panama, and Croatia.
"The released document's section titled 'Promotion and protection of all human rights - civil, political, economic, social, and cultural, including the right to development' noted that landmines and explosive remnants of war have both immediate and long-term negative consequences for a broad range of human rights, including the rights to life, health, education, employment, and freedom of movement.
Furthermore, the statement specifically highlighted that landmines also impede the safe return of internally displaced persons.
In this regard, the signatories of the statement have called on the UN Human Rights Council to take concrete steps to address the significant role in solving issues related to the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war in the context of human rights.
The statement unequivocally emphasized that the responsibility for human rights violations affecting individuals harmed by landmine explosions lies with the states that deployed the mines.
"States' human rights obligations should shape their national and international policies regarding the issues related to the use and presence of landmines," the document mentioned.
Besides, the document underscored that the exchange of mine maps is one of the most important tasks of international cooperation, as enshrined in international human rights law, which, as the UN Secretary-General noted, is "a foundation for sustainable peace and development".
The statement was endorsed with the support of a broad interregional group of 65 countries representing Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
To note, the initiative for the joint statement on this topic was first announced by a representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry during the conference "Using the Human Rights System to Promote a Mine-Free World and Restore the Rights of Mine Victims", held on June 27 at the UN headquarters in Geneva.
Additionally, Azerbaijani diplomats acted as co-authors in preparing the document, which was supported by the broad coalition of 65 countries.
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