Humanitarian demining is a cornerstone of Ukraine’s security and economic recovery. Currently, the Government is working on a comprehensive mine action strategy, the main goal of which is to improve people’s quality of life and to demine the territories quickly and effectively. In particular, the Government Humanitarian Demining Center has been established, which, under the coordination of First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko, will ensure the coordination of the efforts of all actors in the field of humanitarian demining and attract international assistance.

This was emphasized by Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Oleksii Sobolev during a speech at GLOBSEC-2023 International Security Forum on May 31. Minister for Foreign Affairs Davor Božinovic, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternova and others took part in the event.

“After the de-occupation of the territories, Ukrainians return to their homes immediately, without waiting for demining. If the process of land survey and demining is not accelerated, tens of thousands of people will continue to be exposed to danger because of mines, therefore humanitarian demining is one of the five priorities for the Government. We need more demining equipment, survey drones, sappers and human training, and we need access to the global demining equipment market. The Government of Ukraine aims to increase the potential for mine action and is counting on international support in this area, including through the experience of other countries, donor support, the purchase of special equipment, training of people and building the capacity of government structures,” Oleksii Sobolev said.

To achieve the set goals, the Government is developing a strategic approach, which is supposed to develop a comprehensive strategy for mine action in Ukraine, based on best international experience. In particular, the priority is demining of infrastructure facilities (power lines, roads, railway tracks, gas pipelines), ensuring public safety, as well as clearing agricultural lands.

The mine action plan also provides for determining the priorities of effective survey, in particular, the area of potentially contaminated territory is 174 thousand hectares. In addition, it is about the development of comprehensive solutions for providing assistance to mine victims, the use of the latest technologies that will make the demining process cheaper and safer, increasing the technical equipment of sappers and training new demining specialists, as well as attracting broad international support for mine action.

In turn, Katarina Maternova noted the importance of attracting and applying the latest technological solutions for rapid land demining and emphasized the priority of humanitarian demining, which is the basis of Ukraine’s recovery. She also emphasized the need for Ukraine to ensure coordination of donor support and actions of all participants in this process. In particular, she welcomed the establishment of a corresponding Center in Ukraine.

Deputy Minister Oleksii Sobolev stressed that Ukraine is looking for candidates from the European Union, including Croatia, which has its own experience in demining, G-7 countries for the supervisory board of the Humanitarian Demining Center.