New approaches to organising humanitarian demining on the territory of Ukraine were discussed during a meeting between Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Paul Heslop, UNDP Mine Action Coordinator in Ukraine.

“Ukraine is committed to accelerating humanitarian demining. In particular, we are working to create a market for demining services, increase the involvement of non-governmental actors, and strengthen the capacity of government institutions. One of the key issues that will allow us to accelerate our progress is the organisation of clear coordination of work and the rational use of available resources. UNDP has extensive experience in organising mine action in different countries. And we look forward to UNDP’s assistance and support in this matter,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

The meeting focused on ways to optimise the work of non-governmental actors, address current problems and develop solutions that would allow for more efficient use of the potential of demining units. The parties also discussed the planning of survey, demining or clearance activities, zoning and demining priorities.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine briefed the UNDP Mine Action Coordinator on ongoing mine survey and clearance activities in Ukraine, as well as on the need for equipment, institutional and financial support.

Yuliia Svyrydenko thanked UNDP, represented by Paul Heslop, for initiating and implementing a number of projects in Ukraine, including in the area of mine action. She stressed Ukraine’s interest in strengthening cooperation in this area.

As a reminder, UNDP is currently implementing a project in Ukraine aimed at involving global companies with advanced mine action technologies in the demining of Ukrainian territory. Companies with modern technologies for remote survey of territories will have the opportunity to test equipment in real-life conditions. Based on the test results, equipment and technologies that prove their effectiveness will be used in humanitarian demining in Ukraine.