Concerns and Disappointment with the Recent United Nations Mission to Nagorno-Karabakh

To Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

To Rosemary A. DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs

We, the undersigned civil society organizations from Armenia, are writing to once again express our deep concern about Azerbaijan’s unjustified and unprovoked attack on Nagorno-Karabakh on 19 September 2023, which resulted in the forced and mass displacement of the indigenous ethnic Armenian population.

We wish to convey our profound disappointment and serious concerns regarding the recent mission conducted by a United Nations delegation. This mission, led by Vladanka Andreeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, included Ramesh Rajasingham, the Director of the Coordination Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Refugee Agency, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, and the UN Department of Safety and Security.

While we appreciate the UN’s efforts to assess the situation, we believe that the mission and its outcomes fell significantly short of the basic standards expected of a United Nations initiative. The UN mission, led by senior UN officials, did not adhere to the fundamental principles of impartiality, independence, and the imperative “to do no harm.” The mission’s duration, reportedly just a few hours, was grossly inadequate to comprehensively assess the complex humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Furthermore, restricted access to key sites of military actions and limited interaction with a few remaining affected people still under threat significantly undermined the mission’s ability to collect accurate and comprehensive information. Moreover, while being a strictly humanitarian endeavor, the mission made inaccurate observations concerning the human rights and cultural heritage issues in the area. A substantiated evaluation of human and cultural rights violations requires an in-depth assessment by relevant mandate holder bodies. These and other limitations seriously compromised the mission’s findings.

Regrettably, the subsequent press release generated by the mission with a misleading title “UN Team Completes Mission to Karabakh” leaves the impression of a conclusive observation and appears to whitewash the actions of the perpetrator. The wording that “the mission was struck by the sudden manner in which the local population left” is especially upsetting. This humanitarian catastrophe was neither sudden nor shocking. The undesigned organizations, let alone international human rights organizations, have stated multiple times, it was highly probable that inaction would lead to such an outcome. This phrasing downgrades the fact that it has been a long-term crisis that started with Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor in December 2022. Therefore, it is not surprising that Azerbaijan has already started using the statement of the mission on international platforms to misrepresent the situation on the ground and deflect attention from its unlawful and criminal actions.

Since the conclusion of the 2020 war, Armenian civil society has consistently called for an urgent, professional, and comprehensive fact-finding mission to assess the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Given Azerbaijan’s troubling track record regarding human rights violations, its ranking in corruption indices, and its authoritarian governance, it is of utmost importance that UN assessment missions uphold the highest standards of professionalism and remain insulated from any political influence exerted by Azerbaijan or any other party.

In light of the above, we respectfully demand the following actions from the UN leadership and the UN-mandated agencies:

• We urge the immediate dispatch of a fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with UN standards and principles. This mission should include independent experts who can comprehensively assess the humanitarian and human rights situation, taking into account all relevant factors and parties involved.
• We call for the preparation of a fresh, professionally written report that provides a detailed and contextualized account of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. This report should offer a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances in which the crisis unfolded, including the 10-month blockade by Azerbaijan of the Lachin corridor, which served as the only lifeline for people living in that area.
• We firmly believe that these actions are essential to ensure that the United Nations fulfills its mission of addressing humanitarian crises in a just, impartial, and comprehensive manner.
  We greatly appreciate your immediate and serious attention to these concerns and stand ready to provide any further information or support necessary to facilitate a more rigorous and impartial assessment of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Democracy Development Foundation
Protection of Rights Without Borders
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor
Transparency International Armenia
Law Development and Protection Foundation
Article 3
For Equal Rights
Peace Dialogue
Public Journalism Club
Union of Informed Citizens
Disability Rights Agenda
Free Citizen
Political Dialogue
Restart Gyumri Youth Civic Center
Human Rights Research Center
EcoLur
Center for Community Mobilization and Support
Asparez Journalist Club
Progressive Youth
Pink Human Rights Defender NGO
Armenian Committee of Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly
Yerevan Press Club
Media Diversity Institute
Women’s Resource Center
Media Initiative Center
Goris Press Club
Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression
Umbrella Journalists’ International Network
Centre for Policy Studies
Helsinki Association for Human Rights