Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Mrs. BaharMuradova noted the importance of organizing this meeting at this time for Azerbaijan. The chairperson noted that there are difficulties related to the current military-political situation in the country and the situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and our citizens living near frontline is under constant fire opened by  the Armenian army, and  mainly children suffer from this process.It was noted, 31 civilians have been killed so far, including 5 children and 5 women as a result of Armenian provocations. At the same time, 160 civilians were injured, 142 civilian objects and 1,050 houses were damaged.

Noting that Armenia has seriously violated all the principles of international law and all adopted documents during 30-year history of the conflict, the chairperson of the Committee said that Armenia does not comply with the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Security Council Resolution on Measures to Protect Children in Armed Conflict. “Today, the operations carried out by Azerbaijan are aimed at restoring justice violated for 30 years, protecting the rights of people, returning them to their original place of residence, restoring the rights of refugees and IDPs.”

Noting the activities of Child and Family Support Centers operating in the regions under the Committee, Mrs. BaharMuradova said that the work of the centers is more relevant in emergencies, and in this case, the process of creating a unified child protection system and its rapid operation will be accelerated.

Mrs. Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia expressed her satisfaction with the cordial meeting. She touched upon the conflict and noted that UNICEF had officially appealed to both sides in view of the escalation of the situation. It was noted that civilians should not be targeted during military conflicts.

She also noted the importance of the "Strategy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Children for 2020-2030" and congratulated the government on this occasion. Noting the importance of allocating public funds for the implementation of the tasks reflected in the strategy and the national action plan, taking appropriate measures for children and involving the relevant ministries in the implementation of these activities, Mrs. Afshan Khan stressed that UNICEF is always ready to provide assistance, both at the regional and national levels.

The meeting was also attended by Mrs. Aynur Sofiyeva, Deputy Chairman of the Committee.