Head of the Ombudsman Office delivered a speech in an Online Meeting of the UN Committee on Migrant Workers

Mr. Aydin Safikhanli, Head of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan delivered a speech at the 33^rd Session of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW). 

He briefed the activity at the Office in the field of protection of migrants, also about international cooperation with the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan and related bodies, and the activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the work, including the safeguarding the migrants’ rights, and consistent visits of the national preventive mechanism team to the places of detention for irregular migrants.

Afterward Mr. A. Safikhanli answered the Committee’s questions. During discussions, the topic was about the effects of the Second Karabakh War on safeguarding the rights of refugees, IDPs, and migrants. The Head of the Ombudsman Office underlined that Azerbaijan settled the armed conflict with Armenia, which within 30 years had not been yielded any tangible result by peaceful means and due to the lack of effective measures by international organizations.  

Speaking about the rights of refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan, who acquired such status as a result of the ethnic cleansing and occupation policy of Armenia, it was also stressed that the Ombudsman specifically paid attention to ensuring their rights and many times issued appeals to international organizations.    

It was also noted that mines are currently the most serious obstacle to the return of IDPs to their liberated homeland, and there is a need for Armenia to share the mine maps.

In response to a question on the protection of the rights of Armenians living in Azerbaijan, it was highlighted that around 30,000 citizens of Armenian origin are residing in our country until the past war and that their rights and freedoms are being ensured without any kind of discrimination, also that the Ombudsman will also deal with the appeals of our citizens of Armenian origin living in our liberated territories in an equal manner.

Further, in response to a question on vaccination of the population in Azerbaijan, including migrants living in our country, it was noted that comprehensive measures have been taken to combat coronavirus in the country, there is no shortage of vaccines, and migrants are covered in the vaccination process as well.

In conclusion, the Chairman of the CMW thanked the representative of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman for his speech and detailed answers to questions, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with national human rights institutions.