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A High-Level Conference on Statelessness organized
The State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has organized a high-level conference dedicated to statelessness issues, in Baku.
The conference was attended by the government officials of Azerbaijan, representatives of international organizations, judges, representatives of civil society institutions, as well as state officials from Georgia, Moldova, Türkiye and Kazakhstan.
In his opening speech at the event, Vusal Huseynov, the Chief of the State Migration Service, II rank state migration service counselor, stated that the purpose of the conference was to reflect on the achievements and challenges in the framework of the ongoing ten-year #Ibelong campaign and to share the experiences of states in eliminating statelessness cases in general.
Vusal Huseynov affirmed that the right to citizenship is one of the fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is celebrated this year on its 75th anniversary. However, he also noted that millions of people worldwide are currently deprived of this right for various reasons.
Highlighting that more than 250,000 of our compatriots have fallen victim to Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing since 1988, Vusal Huseynov emphasized that their right to citizenship has also been violated, and highlighted the relevant work carried out by the Azerbaijani government to ensure their rights.
The Chief of the State Migration Service stressed that statelessness is a problem that can be addressed, emphasizing the necessity of continuous and comprehensive measures for its resolution. Mentioning Azerbaijan's accession to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness Vusal Huseynov highlighted the country’s activities in this direction at the international level. He also drew attention to the national activities in this field and stated that over the past 15 years, more than 2,000 stateless persons have been granted citizenship in Azerbaijan and that the citizenship of over 6,000 individuals in statelessness situations has been established. Recalling the commitments announced during the High-Level Segment on Statelessness held within the framework of the Executive Committee meeting of the UNHCR in October 2019, Vusal Huseynov noted the successful implementation of those commitments by the country. He provided information about the activities of the Working Group on the Elimination of Statelessness within the State Migration Service and the regular awareness-raising events conducted in the country on this direction.
The event also featured speeches by Ms.Bik Lum, the Representative of the UNHCR in Azerbaijan, Ms.Sabina Aliyeva, the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Mr.Ismat Aliyev, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.
The screening of the documentary film "The Road to Citizenship," prepared by the UNHCR Representation in Azerbaijan in collaboration with the State Migration Service, took place during the event.
The conference continued with panel discussions.
At the end, questions from the conference participants regarding the topic were answered.
