An online joint meeting was held to discuss the "Mine-Free World Initiative - as the 18th Goal of the UN Sustainable Development Goals," a project spearheaded by the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) with support from the State Support Agency for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The meeting, attended by IEPF's partners and collaborating organizations, as well as mine action experts and representatives from the UN's Geneva and Istanbul offices, also welcomed guests from the USA and various European countries.
IEPF President Umud Mirzayev delivered the opening speech, emphasizing the urgency and global significance of the landmine issue:
"The landmine problem is a humanitarian crime against humanity, a global problem. Today, along with Azerbaijan, there are governments that want to develop international cooperation between the countries experiencing this problem. In order to draw more attention to the seriousness of this problem, they are taking the initiative to add Mine danger as the 18th goal to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We also want the number of calls and decisions of this type to increase and the scope of influence to expand. It is no coincidence that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in his speeches calls the international community not to remain silent and inactive, as the landmine problem is a human problem. At the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Baku last year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also supported the 18th SDG initiative and called on the member states to show solidarity, which made us even more determined. Today's meeting is our first online meeting, and I believe that the opinions expressed here will be very useful and effective in supporting this initiative."
Key participants included Heidi Kuhn, founder and head of the "Roots of Peace" organization; Ventzeslav Sabev, Chairman of the Geneva Geostrategic Observatory; Gadim Tarik, mine action consultant at the UN Development Program's Istanbul office; and Rovshan Humbatov, an expert with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The project will also host a Parallel Session during the "Geneva Peace Week" from October 14-18 at the UN office in Geneva. This session will highlight the landmine issues faced by Azerbaijan and advocate for international support of the SDG 18 initiative.
