On February 7, to preserve lives and facilitate the return of internally displaced people, the European Union, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the government of Azerbaijan initiated a demining project.

The European Union provided funding for the project titled "Supporting the Safe Return of Internally Displaced People Through the Capacity Building of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA)" in the amount of EUR 4.25 million. The initiative will benefit 33,604 households directly and span 20 communities. It will boost local institutions' capabilities and encourage collaboration between national and international NGOs. Additionally, it will improve ANAMA's ability to handle knowledge and apply creative ideas to mine action.

According to UNDP, it will help ANAMA train, outfit, and send out emergency response teams to find and detonate mines and explosive ordnance. The UNDP will also create maps for finding mines and buying specialized gear. The project will also create the first female demining teams in Azerbaijan, where men typically do demining work.

"Mines and other explosive ordnance hinder the safe return of internally displaced people, blocking them from accessing their homes and agricultural fields, hence depriving them of opportunities to rebuild their lives," said Nuno Queirós, the UNDP Azerbaijan's Representative at the launch event in Shusha. He said that over the past 20 years, UNDP had helped ANAMA clear over 850,000 mines and other explosive devices from Azerbaijan, enabling over 160,500 internally displaced people to return home safely.