Mine action operators will have the option to apply for certification through the Diia portal. The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted the relevant amendments to Resolution No. 123 today. The document comes into force immediately, and the feature will be available in the near future after the relevant technical improvements. The option to apply for certification in paper form remains in parallel.

"We take a qualitative leap and digitize a significant part of the processes for both those who are just seeking to become a mine action operator and those who already have a certificate. This will simplify and speed up the processes, as a significant part of the necessary information will not need to be entered - it will be automatically downloaded from the registers. Most of the processes will also be automated. I believe that the adopted amendments will have an impact on the number of people willing to join the humanitarian demining sector,’ said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy.

According to the adopted amendments, certification bodies will start providing operators with the following services through the Diia portal in 2025:

• initial certification;
• re-certification;
• extending the sphere of certification.

The validity periods of the certificates remain unchanged: 3 years for initial certificates, 5 years for extended certificates.

"Less than a year ago, we adopted an experimental resolution that unified the process of operator certification, creating a level playing field for all those wishing to engage in humanitarian demining. In less than a year, the number of operators has more than doubled - 68 mine action operators have now been certified. This means even more opportunities to clear our land of mines and explosives," said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Ihor Bezkaravainyi.

The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is the coordinator of the pilot project to certify mine action operators in accordance with Resolution No. 123.

The project was implemented by the Ministry of Economy jointly with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine with the support of the East Europe Foundation under the EGAP Programme.