The Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Fuad Huseynov delivered a speech during the 44th meeting of the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
It was reported that internally displaced people make up 10% of Azerbaijan’s 10 million population. Following the 44-day Patriotic War in 2020, the internationally recognized territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan were restored, and circumstances were set up to allow our fellow citizens to return to their homeland in safety, dignity, and choice.
One of the five national priorities of the socioeconomic development of Azerbaijan to be implemented by 2030 is the Great Return to lands freed from occupation - sustainable settlement and reintegration into economic activity. The Azerbaijani government has initiated the implementation of the “Great return to territories liberated from occupation” State Program as a continuation of the “Socio-economic development strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2022-2026” and to guarantee the implementation of National Priorities.
It was stated that currently, the Azerbaijani state faces the honorable task of restoring territories liberated from occupation, sustainable development and the return of internally displaced persons to their native lands. When reconstructing liberated territories, preference is given to the concepts of “smart city”, “smart village” and “green zone”. Because of the persistent efforts of government, now life is returning to territories that were subjected to unprecedented vandalism during the 30-year military occupation of Armenia - more than 3,000 former internally displaced persons have already returned to their native lands as part of the “Great Return” program. Over the upcoming years, it is planned to implement comprehensive housing construction projects covering 8 provinces, 8 settlements and 84 villages, including the city of Shusha.
In the liberated lands, resettlement is done gradually to newly constructed settlements. At first, the opportunity to return is provided to internally displaced persons living in the most difficult conditions in temporary settlements.
Over the next three years, the Azerbaijani government is in full swing, continuing the reconstruction of the lands liberated from occupation, the construction of new and modern houses, and the restoration of the economy. It is planned to transfer approximately 140 thousand internally displaced people to their homes in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. The revitalization of these economic zones, as well as the constant displacement of the population and the implementation of projects, create the conditions for turning these areas into the most developed and prosperous regions.
Hundreds of thousands of refugees who were forcefully removed from their ancestral lands must be granted the right to return in safety and dignity, in addition to the vast number of internally displaced people in Azerbaijan.
Finally, it was highlighted that despite serious problems such as contamination by land mines and complete destruction of infrastructure, we are sure that thanks to the joint efforts of the international community, in the next few years Azerbaijan will be able to present a new model for the rehabilitation and reintegration of territories liberated from occupation.
