• Українською
  • Ukraine will cooperate with NATO countries on humanitarian demining of territories: Yuliia Svyrydenko
    Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, posted 25 May 2023 15:00

    Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of russia, Ukraine’s economy has been facing unprecedented challenges. Therefore, the restoration of critical and social infrastructure is one of the main conditions for stimulating the socio-economic development of the regions.

    This was emphasised by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the ambassadorial level. Among the key issues discussed at the meeting were the functioning of the Ukrainian economy in the context of the war and the country’s economic recovery.

    “Today, the state’s resources are primarily directed towards strengthening defence capabilities, restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and restoring the territories affected by the armed aggression against Ukraine. Humanitarian demining is an essential component of the country’s security and economic recovery. It is therefore one of the top five priorities of the Ukrainian Government. According to the World Bank, the cost of clearing the entire territory will exceed USD 37.4 billion, but by applying new methods we can reduce the cost by ten times,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

    The potentially contaminated area covers 174,000 hectares and is home to more than 15 million people, of whom 6.1 million are directly at risk. The main task is a non-technical survey (NTS), i.e. gathering information on the contamination of the territory, which requires specialists and means to collect and analyse data. According to international practice, only 8-18% of the territory requires clearance and demining after NTS.

    Rapid land clearance requires the use of human resources and specialised equipment such as scanners, drones, satellite data analysis, etc. The Government is currently negotiating with international partners to bring their experience in mine action to Ukraine, to enter the global market for demining equipment, and to attract foreign demining operators to Ukraine.

    “Cooperation with NATO to strengthen Ukraine’s humanitarian demining capabilities may include such areas as providing information on the availability of specialised demining equipment manufacturers in NATO countries and their capabilities, identifying potential donors, training Ukrainian deminers, sharing experience with relevant NATO centres of excellence and others,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

    Representatives of NATO member countries pledged their continued support for Ukraine and their readiness to provide the assistance Ukraine needs to regain and restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity.