Engaging Partners in Demining Agricultural Lands – A Priority for 2025, Says Ihor Bezkorovainyi at Sectoral Working Group Meeting
Expanding and enhancing the compensation program for farmers to access demining services is one of the key priorities for the upcoming year. Partners have expressed interest in a transparent and results-oriented program. This was highlighted by Ihor Bezkorovainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, during the fifth meeting of the Sectoral Working Group (SWG) on "Humanitarian Demining."
“This year, we opened the humanitarian demining services market and launched a compensation mechanism for farmers purchasing demining services. So far, 39 auctions have been conducted, resulting in savings of over 17%. The compensation program has seen significant demand among farmers, making its expansion a key priority for 2025. The Ukrainian State Budget for next year allocates 1 billion hryvnias to this program. We also aim to attract additional funding to expand the program to cover larger areas, including forests and water bodies,” stated Ihor Bezkorovainyi.
The SWG meeting summarized Ukraine’s 2024 mine action achievements and discussed plans for 2025. Key outcomes of 2024 include:
Adoption of the National Mine Action Strategy and Operational Plan: These provide a clear "roadmap" for the mine action sector in Ukraine for the coming years.
Survey and clearance of contaminated territories: Mine action specialists have returned nearly 35,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian land to productive use.
Enhanced capabilities: Ukraine now has over 150 heavy demining machines, more than 4,000 deminers, and 69 certified mine action operators, with about 60 more in the certification process.
Opening the demining market and implementing state support programs: These support farmers, equipment manufacturers, developers, and innovators.
Focus on the human dimension: A new civilian profession, "deminer," was introduced, and efforts were made to involve veterans, people with disabilities, and others in mine action activities.
Important advancements have also been made in improving mine action management systems. The newly established Humanitarian Demining Center complements existing structures by addressing areas requiring additional efforts. A unified certification procedure for operators has been developed, and the certification of demining equipment according to international standards has begun.
Work on all key areas will continue in 2025.
The SWG meeting also focused significantly on financing projects in 2025 and implementing innovative funding mechanisms. Discussions included the development of mechanisms like sustainable development bonds and other blended financing tools. Participants also addressed steps to enhance coordination in Ukraine’s mine action sector.
Background: The Sectoral Working Group on "Humanitarian Demining" was established in September 2023 as a platform for comprehensive coordination between the Government of Ukraine and international partners in humanitarian demining.