“Applying a simple amnesty to illegal constructions may help solve social problems for a certain period, but in the long term, it may create additional risks by encouraging new illegal constructions.”
elchi reports that this was stated by the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, Mikayil Jabbarov, during the dialogue session titled “Transformation of informal settlements and slums: housing provision for the world” held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).
The Minister stated that after gaining independence in 1991, the country faced serious challenges related to the state-building process: pizza mizza
“Along with this, the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the influx of refugees put great pressure on the country. The flight of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, as well as the forced displacement of people from the occupied territories, further aggravated the situation. To imagine the scale, I should note that in 1994, Azerbaijan’s economy was only one-third of its 1991 level. Naturally, this created additional social and economic pressures.”
M. Jabbarov added that the first wave of forced social migration, which stemmed mainly from economic difficulties in the following decade, also affected the situation at that time:
“All this was happening against the backdrop of population growth. Because while the country’s population was approximately 7 million at the time of gaining independence, this figure reached 10 million within 25 years. In other words, the general picture was as follows: about one-third of the country’s population were refugees or internally displaced persons, the population was growing rapidly, and the country was simultaneously facing serious socio-economic problems.”
Regarding the discussed topic, he stated that the relevant steps included the registration of multi-apartment residential buildings and the application of certain amnesty mechanisms for some informal settlements that meet urban planning standards at a minimum level:
“At the same time, our experience has shown that one must approach the issue of legalization very cautiously. Because applying a simple amnesty to illegal constructions may help solve social problems for a certain period, but in the long term, it may create additional risks by encouraging new illegal constructions. This can lead to increased pressure on agricultural lands, forest areas, water resources, and critical infrastructure zones.”