Azerbaijan highlights post-war recovery, peace efforts at UN rights council

 Azerbaijan delivered a statement at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, stressing large-scale reconstruction in Karabakh and East Zangazur after restoring its territorial integrity.

The statement, shared by Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, said more than 50,000 former displaced persons had already returned to their ancestral lands under the “Great Return” state program. Initiatives include building infrastructure, housing, social services, health and education facilities.

It also pointed to recent progress in Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization. On Aug. 8, 2025, a joint declaration was signed in Washington by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with U.S. President Donald Trump as witness.

The declaration commits the sides to reopening transport and communication lines and to a draft peace treaty, which Azerbaijan said lays the groundwork for good-neighbourly relations. “We call on member states to support these efforts,” the statement said.