COP31 highlights global landmine crisis: Karabakh Revival Fund launches major initiative against mine terror

At the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which has drawn global attention, the Karabakh Revival Fund (KRF) is seeking to raise international awareness of the landmine crisis, one of the major threats to the environment.

At this high-level platform, where global climate change and environmental protection are being discussed, the KRF is once again bringing the landmine issue into focus. Landmines pose a growing threat worldwide, endangering human lives and seriously obstructing reconstruction and development efforts.

According to TodayPress TV, as part of the COP31 climate conference, the Karabakh Revival Fund is preparing to screen the documentary Deadly Legacy at the Azerbaijan Pavilion. The film was produced by Beach House Pictures at the KRF's commission.

The screening will be jointly organised by the KRF and Nigar Arpadarai, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29.

The film documents Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's international efforts to put an end to mine terror worldwide and include humanitarian demining in the UN's 18th Sustainable Development Goal. It also highlights the scale of the landmine crisis in Azerbaijan's liberated territories and the devastating consequences of the threat.

Filmed in Azerbaijan, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Laos, the documentary features interviews with local and international experts and officials, alongside the stories of people affected by landmines.

“The presentation of this film specifically at COP31 is particularly significant. Landmines are not merely a humanitarian and security issue; they also constitute a profound environmental disaster. They render land, vegetation and water resources unusable for economic activity for decades, inflicting lasting damage on ecosystems. The restoration of biodiversity, large-scale greening projects and the successful transition to green energy depend directly on clearing these territories of landmines. This is precisely why demining must be an integral part of the climate agenda,” said Parvin Baghirova, head of the Fundraising and Communications Department at the Karabakh Revival Fund.

She noted that the film draws the attention of humanity to a shared problem affecting four different countries: the severe damage that mine terror inflicts on nature. Raising this global environmental threat at the COP31 platform is of exceptional importance in bringing the landmine crisis to the forefront of international climate discussions.

The Fund's delegation is distributing special brochures to conference participants from various countries, providing information about the Deadly Legacy documentary. Through these brochures, participants can learn more about the film and the global issue it addresses. They can also register using a dedicated QR code to attend the screening.

Giymat Mahir