(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. Heidi Kuhn,
World Food Prize Laureate and founder of Roots of Peace, and Umud
Mirzayev, President, of the International Eurasia Press Fund
(IEPF), took bold footsteps yesterday by walking the dangerous
minefields of Karabakh to raise global awareness for the urgency of
eradicating landmines and restoring the agricultural bounty of the
once thriving vineyard region- turning MINES TO VINES by replacing
minefields with grapevines in these once lush fields, Trend reports.
As global leaders gather for the COP29 United Nations Climate
Summit hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, Kuhn and Mirzayev state that the
world has overlooked the impact of landmines on climate change in
their own backyard.
The minefields of Karabakh are situated just three hours from
Baku Stadium, where delegates from nearly 200 countries and 72,000
delegates have gathered. Meanwhile, the region continues to grapple
with the presence of an estimated 1.5 million landmines that remain
hidden, posing ongoing risks to communities and the environment.
Tragically, since November 2020, 382 innocent Azerbaijan citizens
have become victims of landmines.
“The COP 29 theme is: In Solidarity for a Green World.
Yet, a 'green' world cannot be achieved when landmines are lurking
in the ground and the bloodshed of war prevents farmers from
cultivating their fields. The very first step towards a green world
is safe and fertile land, which cannot be achieved in conflict or
where there are landmines present. There will be an estimated 10
billion people in the world by 2050, and these seeds of terror sown
in both the soil and soul of humanity due to escalating wars will
prevent us from feeding future generations,” states Kuhn.
Together, Roots of Peace and IEPF are calling upon world leaders
to urgently support their campaign to eradicate all landmines in
Azerbaijan as a legacy to COP29 so that peace through agriculture
may be restored. It is their hope that a regenerative agricultural
program may be replicated across war-torn lands worldwide, on which
there are an estimated 110 million landmines in over 60
countries.
Landmines leave a devastating legacy that extends far beyond the
immediate harm to civilians, killing and injuring long after
conflicts end. They also wreak havoc on the environment, harming
wildlife and domestic animals while setting off a cascade of
ecological damage. Landmines contribute to soil degradation,
deforestation, and the contamination of water sources with heavy
metals. By destroying habitats and disrupting food supply chains,
they can also alter entire species populations, further compounding
the environmental toll.
Explosions have permanently damaged areas that once supported
diverse flora and fauna, turning vast, ecologically vibrant spaces
into contaminated zones that require extensive and costly
remediation. The fertile agricultural lands, forests, and water
resources were also affected, creating a domino effect that
undermines food security, threatens livelihoods, and endangers
biodiversity.
It is recognized that understanding the environmental footprint
of landmines is crucial for developing sustainable, long-term
remediation strategies. These strategies are essential not only for
ensuring safety but also for supporting ecosystem recovery.
Roots of Peace and IEPF have joined together to issue an urgent
plea for international support and funding to address the
crisis.
“Landmine clearance efforts are costly and require advanced
technology, skilled labor, and sustained international support,”
says Mirzayev.“Without urgent investment, the ongoing
environmental degradation will continue to escalate, threatening
biodiversity, natural ecosystems, and the livelihoods of
communities that rely on these resources. Accelerating the pace of
landmine removal is not just a humanitarian necessity but an
ecological imperative to prevent further damage to our planet's
biosphere.”
Roots of Peace is a humanitarian non-profit founded in 1997 with
a mission to restore economic vitality by creating livelihood
opportunities in post-conflict regions and helping the world's most
vulnerable local economies recover after conflict. Over 8 million
fruit trees have been planted, providing exports to new markets,
which has benefited millions of farmers and families worldwide.
Peace through agriculture is the pathway forward for world peace.
Please join us by generously donating to .
The International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) is a
non-governmental organization established in 1992 that is a member
of the UN ECOSOC with a General Consultative status. IEPF, which
was established as a media and civil society organization, started
implementing social and humanitarian programs in the mid-1990s.
Since 2000, IEPF has joined the Mine Action Program with the
support of UNDP, and today it has become one of the main partners
of the Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency (ANAMA). To date, the
organization has cleared more than 14 thousand hectares of land
from landmines and unexploded ordnance and handed it over to the
end user. The mission of the IEPF is "Peace for All."
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