Active involvement of women in mine action in Ukraine will help to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. Ukraine is interested in Canada’s support in promoting gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine. This was stated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, during a meeting with Jacqueline O’Neill, Ambassador of Canada for Women, Peace and Security.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Social Policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, UNDP in Ukraine, UNICEF in Ukraine, and HALO Trust in Ukraine.
“Gender equality is seen as an integral part of Ukraine’s policy, which is based on the principles of integration, inclusiveness and integrity. This applies to all types of activities, including such important areas as mine action. At the moment, Ukraine has already seen tangible results: the average level of women’s involvement across all state and non-state operators is around 30%, which is in line with NATO’s Women, Peace and Security agenda. We strive to increase the participation of women in mine action operators, so the support of our Canadian partners in this regard is valuable to us,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Canada’s mine action assistance provides for approximately USD 28.6 million since 2022 and consists of 12 projects, most of which were implemented in 2023. In February 2024, Canada allocated funds for the following mine action assistance projects (as part of the USD 28.6 million): Gender-inclusive demining for sustainable futures in Ukraine, Demining sustainability support to Ukraine, and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining’s support programme for Ukraine.
“Ukraine has limited resources in mine action, we need more demining operators, more equipment, and training for deminers. The Government is considering state funding for private operators, which will increase the number of such companies in the Ukrainian market and attract international companies to actively join the process of demining Ukrainian land,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.
According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, in the context of engaging in professional mine action, attention should be paid to representatives of social categories and groups of special interest to the state. The Government aims to ensure the professional fulfilment and social integration of women, veterans, victims of explosive ordnance and persons with disabilities through engagement in mine action. The Government hopes that Canadian partners will join the creation of appropriate training programmes in mine action, particularly for women.