BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 19. On November 15, during the 35th session of the United Nations General Assembly's Third Committee, a resolution on "Missing Persons" was adopted by consensus, Trend reports via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
The resolution, A/C.3/79/L.35, was co-authored by Azerbaijan and 56 other UN member states.
"The resolution has been reviewed biennially since 2002, with Azerbaijan being one of its main co-authors.
The resolution highlights the severe suffering caused to families by the disappearance of individuals during armed conflicts and the negative impact on efforts to resolve such conflicts. It also stresses the need to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law concerning missing persons.
The resolution calls on states involved in armed conflicts to take all necessary measures to prevent disappearances, conduct proper investigations, and establish the fate of missing persons.
For the first time, this year's resolution expresses concern over the obstacles posed by landmines in efforts to locate missing persons and urges all states to cooperate in the safe recovery of human remains.
The issue of missing persons remains a key priority on Azerbaijan's agenda. As a result of Armenian aggression in the early 1990s, up to 4,000 Azerbaijanis, including civilians, women, and children, went missing. In the 2020 Patriotic War, six Azerbaijani citizens were reported missing.
Since 2023, Azerbaijan has been organizing international conferences to raise awareness of the issue. The declaration from the international conference "Addressing the Issue of Missing Persons: Upholding Families' Right to Know the Truth," co-organized by the State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages, and Missing Persons of Azerbaijan and the International Committee of the Red Cross, was officially published as a UN General Assembly and Security Council document on October 2-3, 2024.
Despite significant technological advancements that have improved the effectiveness of searching for and identifying missing persons, global statistics show a sharp increase in the number of missing persons worldwide, reaching over 212,000. In light of these developments, the UN General Assembly's resolution on missing persons remains highly relevant to the global agenda.
Azerbaijan will continue to prioritize strengthening international efforts to address the issue of missing persons," the ministry statement said.