A meeting of the working group on humanitarian demining took place in the capital
The meeting was attended by representatives of more than 30 countries and partner organizations that provide support to Ukraine in the field of humanitarian demining and anti-mine activities and related Ukrainian state structures — ministries of defense, interior affairs, economy, the State Emergency Service, etc.
The inaugural meeting was co-chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine — Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko, Coordinator of the UN System in Ukraine, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda.
“Up to 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land are potentially contaminated. The extraordinary scale of the tasks of demining the territory of Ukraine requires extremely intensive cooperation between Ukraine and international partners. Ukraine is counting on the support and assistance of the world community in this area. I am convinced that by joint efforts we will gradually achieve the goal of cleansing our land,” said Yulia Svyrydenko, opening the meeting.
As noted during the event, given the extent of contamination of the territory of Ukraine by mines and other explosive objects, the long-term nature and cost of the demining process, this area like no other requires the most effective interaction of all interested parties.
The participants of the meeting agreed that the main tasks of the group will be:
— discussing the needs of Ukraine in a given area and attracting appropriate support;
— strategic advocacy of the needs of Ukraine in a given area;
— dialogue between the parties on strategy and policy in a given area;
— coordination and mutual exchange of information.
The implementation of these tasks is aimed at achieving the overall goal of the group — attracting the necessary resources in the field of humanitarian demining and maximizing the efficiency of their use.
An important aspect of the group's work is that it will cover the humanitarian component of interaction with partners. Military cooperation is not part of the group's mandate.
The participants of the meeting also discussed:
— the issue of preparation of a comprehensive Mine Action Strategy;
— the state of work on demining of Ukrainian territories, as well as the need for equipment and other support;
— upcoming planned industry events in Ukraine and abroad.
During the meeting, the Rules of Operation of the Sectoral Working Group (SRG) on Humanitarian Demining were adopted as a temporary consultative and advisory body of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and thematic subgroups within the SRG.
The directions of interaction on the discussed issues for the coming period were also outlined.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine
