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Within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan has put forward an initiative to create a group of like-minded mine-affected countries. This was stated today by President Ilham Aliyev while receiving the Director General of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valova, Azernews reports.

Director General underscored the successful development of cooperation between the UN Geneva Office and Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan, as the chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, has always attached great importance to the institutionalization of the organization and multilateralism," President Ilham Aliyev said in turn.

At the same time, Azerbaijan initiated a number of steps towards institutionalization of the Non-Aligned Movement, and in particular the establishment of the Parliamentary Network and Youth Organization. Azerbaijan has also initiated the establishment of a women's platform within the Non-Aligned Movement.

Noting that Azerbaijan has faced the problem of land contamination by mines liberated from the Armenian occupation, the Head of State underscored the importance of anchoring the issue of demining as a UN Sustainable Development Goal.

Within the framework of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan has initiated the creation of a group of like-minded mine-affected countries.

Tatiana Valova, commending Azerbaijan's support for the development of the UN initiative on Sustainable Development Goals, said that President Aliyev's proposal to create a new Sustainable Development Goal on mine action is very valuable and important.

Since 2019, Azerbaijan has been the chair of the NAM and has made a number of initiatives to coordinate cooperation amongst the member states, strengthen the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, and revitalize the institution. In 2020, Azerbaijan held an extraordinary summit of member states virtually attended by more than forty-five member states and international organizations. The president of the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) were among the leaders who addressed the summit and endorsed the initiative.

Azerbaijan has also put forward initiatives to prepare the basis for the eventual institutionalization of the NAM. This includes the launch of the NAM's parliamentary network and youth network, as well as the creation of a NAM support office in New York. During the Second Karabakh War in late 2020, Azerbaijan demonstrated that the bloc can be very efficient in quickly consolidating its efforts and demonstrating solidarity against major challenges one or a group of fellow members face.

President Ilham Aliyev's initiative to create a group of like-minded mine-affected countries is part of Azerbaijan's efforts to strengthen the movement, promote closer bonds and cooperation among the member states, and its efforts for institutionalization. This initiative was further discussed at the Baku Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network on 30 June 2022. At the conference, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized the importance of parliaments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and encouraged all stakeholders to lend their full support to the SDGs in the remaining period until 2030.

Azerbaijan's efforts to strengthen the NAM and its initiatives to create a group of like-minded mine-affected countries have the potential to deliver positive outcomes and demonstrate the importance of multilateralism in addressing global challenges.

The meeting also discussed the importance of increasing the number of Azerbaijani nationals working in the UN system in line with existing quotas.

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