28/09/2026

“Right of Return and Decolonization: Restoration of Delayed Historical Justice”

Organized by the Baku Initiative Group, the conference was held at the UN Headquarters in New York during the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The conference was the first such event at which the issue of the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis by Armenia was discussed on a United Nations platform. The event brought together more than 50 delegates representing 16 countries, including UN experts, renowned specialists in the protection of the rights of refugees and national minorities, experts specializing in the right of return, as well as representatives of communities and diaspora organizations whose members have experienced ethnic violence, discrimination and persecution.

The conference addressed the return to their homelands in present-day Armenia of Azerbaijanis subjected to ethnic cleansing, the legal steps required to restore historical justice, and the need to keep the issue on the agenda of relevant international organizations. A short documentary depicting the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis and acts of vandalism committed against their cultural and religious heritage was screened during the event.

The conference concluded with participants holding a protest against the deliberate destruction and armenianization of Azerbaijani historical, cultural and religious heritage in present-day Armenia. Participants also adopted an appeal addressed to the UN leadership, calling for the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on the issue.

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