Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov has met with the Regional Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for Europe and Central Asia, the UNICEF Representative at the UN Geneva Office and the Special Coordinator for Refugees and Migrants in Europe Regina De Dominicis, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Paralel.Az.

An exchange of views took place at the meeting on issues on the agenda of cooperation between Azerbaijan and UNICEF, on prospects for further cooperation, as well as on the current regional situation. Jeyhun Bayramov noted that since the first days of restoring its independence, Azerbaijan has been closely cooperating with various specialized UN structures, including UNICEF. In particular, successful programs and projects were implemented in the field of creating better educational and medical opportunities for children who became refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.

Detailed information was provided on the large-scale recovery and reconstruction work being carried out in the post-conflict period to ensure the dignified return of former internally displaced persons to their homes, as well as on combating the threat of mines. Speaking about educational activities carried out within the framework of cooperation with UNICEF, in particular in the field of combating the mine threat, the Minister emphasized the importance of drawing the attention of the international community to this threat.

Regina de Dominicis noted that UNICEF is interested in continuing the existing successful cooperation with Azerbaijan, in particular, in implementing various joint initiatives in the field of child rights within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will be held this year year in Azerbaijan, and the World Urban Forum, which will take place in 2026. The reconstruction and construction work carried out by Azerbaijan to return former internally displaced persons to their homes in the post-conflict period was especially noted, and it was brought to attention that UNICEF is ready to support this process.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in turn, informed about preliminary plans in preparation for COP29.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting.