On October 29, the Equal Opportunities: Involving People with Disabilities in Employment in Mine Action seminar was held for representatives of central government authorities, international organizations and mine action operators. The purpose of the seminar was to present approaches to employment of people with disabilities in the field of mine action to participants and to develop relevant methodological recommendations.

“The field of mine action is so broad that anyone in Ukraine can find a place for themselves there. It is important that this field is open to everyone, including people with disabilities. In order to eliminate barriers and give the people who want to work in the mine action field the opportunity do so, we need to act. And today’s meeting is the first step in this area,” Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, said during his welcoming speech.

The Ministry of Economy, making the sphere more open, focuses on supporting people who have been affected by explosive ordnance and their direct involvement in the sphere of mine action.

“The first such attempts were made jointly with UNDP and the HALO Trust. We trained boys in data analysis and satellite imagery, as well as the use of drones – half of these people have already been employed. There were no girls in this group, but, I hope, there will be in the future. We are opening up new horizons for ourselves in what we can do together with our partners. We will test these models and then put them on state rails so that all this becomes systematic, stable and continuous,” Ihor Bezkaravainyi said.

Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative to Ukraine, emphasized the importance of supporting humanitarian demining, in particular initiatives that create employment opportunities for people affected by mines and munitions, including people with disabilities.

Cilliers stressed the need for close cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the role of donor partners – such as the EU, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and others – who financially support these projects.

“At UNDP, we will continue to support humanitarian demining, inclusive economic development of Ukraine, as well as the creation of new employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We greatly appreciate the partnership with all the participants present, as well as the stable relationship and cooperation with the Ministry of Economy. This really helps and strengthens everything we do. We are sincerely grateful for this initiative launched by the Ministry,” Jaco Cilliers said.

Practical exercises on describing working conditions and adapting workplaces gave participants the skills to improve the employment conditions of people with disabilities. At the end of the event, participants were tested and provided feedback, which will contribute to the development of further methodological recommendations.

Background information:

The event was organized within the framework of the UNDP Mine Action Project in Ukraine with financial support from the Government of Sweden.