Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons has urged the execution of the UN Security Council`s resolutions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Chaloka Beyani made remarks while addressing the Arria-formula meeting on the challenges of protecting internally displaced persons (IDPs) and what role the Security Council can play in this respect, AzerTag news agency reported.

The meeting was initiated by Chile and Australia.

The bloody war, which flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor, left 700,000 civilians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the regions adjoining it, as well as the regions bordering with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh without homes.

They are temporarily settled in more than 1,600 settlements across 62 cities and regions of Azerbaijan.

Moreover, 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia and became refugees due to Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy after the emergence of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijanis who had displaced from their homes as result of the brutal war were forced to live in refugee camps, tents and wagons in very difficult conditions.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The speakers cited statistics that capture the enormity of the challenge, as there were approximately 33.3 million IDPs worldwide by the end of 2013, with roughly 8.2 million displaced just last year. They noted that the fourth Geneva Convention, Rome status of the International Criminal Court, resolution of the UN Security Council, Kampala Convention prohibit mass forcible transfers. The forcible transfers are considered crimes against humanity by the Rome status of the International Criminal Court.

The meeting was envisioned by the co-sponsors as a way of exploring the Council's role in addressing the needs of IDPs as part of its broader efforts to protect civilians.

In his speech the Australian permanent representative to the UN, hailed Azerbaijan`s two year activities and contributions as a member of the UN Security Council.