On June 20, World Refugee Day marked at the International Mugham Centre in Baku. The event was jointly organized by the Representation of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Azerbaijan, State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Deals of Refugees and IDPs and State Migration Service.
Speaking at the event, UNHCR Representative in Azerbaijan Furio De Angelis said the number of IDPs in the world is 68.5 million people.
“Their number has increased by 2.9 million people and today there are 25.4 million of refugees and 40 million IDPs. There are also Azerbaijanis among them," Furio de Angelis added.
He mentioned that the reasons for the increase are still the same: military conflicts and violation of human rights. UNHCR Representative pointed out that peaceful solutions of the conflict depend on reaching agreement among politicians, international solidarity and taking on responsibilities.
According to him, UNHCR prepared a model of the Global Compact on Refugees, which will help the entire international community regulate the flow of refugees. This document will be on the agenda at the next meeting of the UN General Assembly.
Furio De Angelis asked the governments of the countries to support this initiative, which is based on human values.
"We should work together to find a solution to this global problem. The Global Compact on Refugees is an opportunity that cannot be missed," he said.
Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Deals of Refugees and IDPs Rovshan Rzayev stressed that the necessary measures are being taken in Azerbaijan to improve the living condition of refugees and IDPs.
Rzayev said that the education and employment of refugees and IDPs is one of the key points of the Azerbaijani government. He also mentioned that the activities will continue to improve the social life of refugees and IDPs in the future.
According to him, the double standards against Azerbaijan should be put an end, and UN Security Council resolutions on the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be implemented.
“I believe that we will take back the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan by disseminating the truth about the conflict. Return to Jojug Marjanli strengthened the hope of refugees to go back to their lands," Rzayev concluded.
At the end of the event, the young IDPs performed music.
Meanwhile, as a result of Armenia's occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories in the late 1980s and early 1990s, at the moment there are more than one million refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan.
UN General Assembly adopted the resolution in 2000 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Since 2001, June 20 is celebrated as the World Refugee Day.
