Our goal is to bring 80% of potentially contaminated land back into use in ten years: Yuliia Svyrydenko at the London conference

Ukraine aims to clear and bring 80% of potentially contaminated land back into productive use within ten years. This was stated by Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, in her speech at the session on humanitarian demining held on 22 June as part of the Recovery Conference in London.

“This is an ambitious goal, but we believe that it is achievable if all participants and stakeholders join forces. Our vision is that in 10 years, Ukraine will become a world leader in the development and application of the latest mine action technologies and an example for other countries in shaping mine action policy,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, achieving the goals requires clear coordination between all stakeholders, focus and innovative approaches. The keys to success will be:

• Changing mindsets and standard patterns. It is estimated that 90% of the work in Ukraine will be related to land release and only about 10% to mine clearance. It is therefore proposed to identify low or no contamination among potentially contaminated areas and to bring them back into use quickly. Demining of areas with a high density of contamination will be postponed. This approach will allow the rational use of resources and the rapid return of large areas to productive use.
• Developing the market for demining services. The Government of Ukraine is already working on simplifying the accreditation and registration of new operators, automatic recognition of education diplomas and equipment certificates, simplification of equipment imports, etc. Transparent approaches to the allocation of non-technical and technical survey and demining contracts are being implemented. The possibility of procuring demining services through auctions is also being discussed.
• Use of the latest technologies, including localisation of production of modern demining equipment.
• Innovative financing options. In particular, options such as issuing agricultural bonds to support farmers paying for the cleanup of their land, pre-investment schemes, etc. could be considered.
• International donor coordination. At the political level, coordination will be ensured in particular through a donor platform co-chaired by Ukraine, the UN and Japan.

According to Yuliia Svyrydenko, a working group based on the Interagency Working Group on Humanitarian Demining will develop a strategy to be implemented.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy expressed her gratitude to international donors and foreign non-governmental operators who were already involved in demining in Ukraine. She called on governments, operators and manufacturers of demining equipment and machinery to join the process.

According to Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine needs demining equipment, technical expertise, know-how, innovative solutions and technologies, and training for demining teams in order to accelerate the clearance of its territory. Ukraine is also interested in increasing the funding and capacity of international operators involved in mine action in Ukraine.

IC UAC according to the MEU