Baku: Azerbaijan is set to relocate 52 families to the villages of Vangli and Kolatag in the Aghdara district. Residents of Aghdara have been informed about social protection measures and the threat of landmines, according to the State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, as reported by APA.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, one of the main directions of state policy concerning internally displaced persons (IDPs) is the effective organization of their social protection. Based on the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev, ensuring the comfort and safety of former IDPs returning to their native lands is prioritized.
The Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan ‘On Social Protection of Internally Displaced Persons and Persons Equated to Them’ outlines several social protection measures for former IDPs. These include a unified monthly allowance paid from the state budget to IDPs in need of social protection. The State Committee for Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons of the Republic of Azerbaijan conducts awareness, advocacy, and educational activities to inform the population preparing to return to their native lands about these social protection measures.
Within the framework of these efforts, a video prepared on the threat of landmines urges people to remain alert and follow warning signs. Demining operations are ongoing in the territories liberated from occupation, and public awareness campaigns are also being conducted.
A recent event was held for the 52 families to be relocated to Vangli and Kolatag villages. The State Committee discussed issues related to the social protection of internally displaced persons and explained that the unified monthly allowance will be discontinued after three years following their return. Video clips on the threat of landmines were also shown to the IDPs and are regularly broadcast in the media.
The First State Program on the Great Return includes regular awareness-raising meetings with internally displaced persons. Informative booklets and brochures on social protection measures are distributed, and video clips are produced as part of these efforts.