On October 5, 2026, the "Gilavar" Photo Club Public Union of Azerbaijan opened a photo exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, in front of the symbolic "Broken Chair" monument, which embodies the outcry of people suffering from all forms of armed violence, located in the square of the Palace of Nations, the European headquarters of the UN.

The State Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations told Operativ Media about this.

The exhibition features documentary photographs depicting the life stories of Azerbaijanis affected by Armenia's landmine war and the severe consequences of landmine explosions.

In addition, foreign visitors viewing the displays in Geneva were presented with images of the vandalism and destruction committed by Armenia on Azerbaijani lands during the 30-year occupation, as well as depictions of the new life and revival established by the Azerbaijani state in those territories.

Rashad Mehdiyev, head of the "Gilavar" Photo Club, stated that these photos call on the international community to mobilize for the declaration of a "mine-free world" as the UN's 18th Sustainable Development Goal. He noted that 60 million people worldwide still live under the threat of landmines, and Azerbaijan is among the countries most affected by this issue. Armenia, which kept part of Azerbaijan's lands under occupation for many years, planted more than 1.5 million landmines in these territories, which are also heavily contaminated with other explosive ordnance. Armenia's goal was to wage war against Azerbaijan's civilian population. This is evidenced by the landmines, including booby traps, discovered in residential areas, cemeteries, and other locations in the liberated territories; even the areas surrounding several discovered mass graves were mined. Landmines were planted for people who, after years of longing, come to these places to find the remains of their loved ones and visit them. This should be considered a crime against humanity.

Visitors to the exhibition were informed that despite all appeals, Armenia refuses to provide accurate information and maps of the mined areas. The fact that the vast majority of landmine incidents occur outside the areas indicated on these maps proves that most of the provided maps are fake and unreliable.

This activity in no way serves peace. Since the 44-day war in 2020, the vast majority of those killed in landmine incidents in Azerbaijan have been civilians. It was also noted that the landmine issue has become Azerbaijan's greatest challenge today. Following 30 years of looting and destruction by Armenia, the Azerbaijani state is carrying out large-scale restoration and construction work in liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur, returning former internally displaced persons to their homelands. However, the landmine threat is a serious obstacle to this process and a source of danger to the lives and health of citizens. The vast mined areas in Karabakh and East Zangezur also deal a major blow to ecology, the environment, and agriculture.

Those who viewed the exhibition expressed their hope that Karabakh and East Zangezur would be declared landmine-free zones in the near future.

The Azerbaijani NGO will continue its international campaign, launched to declare a "mine-free world" as the UN's 18th Sustainable Development Goal, in other European countries as well.

The "Gilavar" Photo Club is the 2026 winner of the grant competition "Initiatives on the Problem of Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance," jointly announced by the Agency for State Support to NGOs of Azerbaijan and the Karabakh Revival Fund.