Innovative financing for humanitarian demining was discussed at the World Economic Forum in Davos
The World Economic Forum in Davos hosted a discussion titled “Demining Ukraine: building a Resilient Future through Green Recovery and Sustainable Agriculture" organized by the Tony Blair Institute. The event was attended by Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, Oleksiy Sobolev, First Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Ukrainian economic and energy experts. The discussion, which was dedicated to sustainable development, was moderated by Sanna Marin, Strategic Advisor to the Tony Blair Institute and former Prime Minister of Finland.
“We appreciate the support of our partners in demining, but at the same time we understand that complete land clearance requires much more resources than the sector can afford through traditional financing. That is why we are working on innovative financial instruments, including thematic bonds and public-private partnerships in the field of renewable energy. Our colleagues from UNDP have estimated that this will help attract more than $260 million to mine action,” said Oleksiy Sobolev.
The First Deputy Minister said that Ukraine is actively using innovative technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, remotely operated vehicles and even lasers to survey and demine land. The goal for 2025 is to build an innovative ecosystem, continue to test technologies in real-world conditions and create a regulatory framework to support their use.
“In 2024, 286 thousand hectares of agricultural land were returned to use. We managed to sow and harvest 225 thousand hectares. One hectare of land yields up to USD 1,600 of food or 6,500 loaves of bread, which can feed 18 people a year. Soil restoration is our duty to the world, as Ukraine feeds more than 400 million people,” said Vitaliy Koval, Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine.
A study by the Tony Blair Institute, conducted jointly with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, estimates that Ukraine's losses due to mines and other explosive devices amount to $11.2 billion annually. This is equivalent to 5.6% of Ukraine's GDP in 2021. The biggest losses are due to reduced agricultural exports and reduced local tax revenues. Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions lost more than 20% of their regional GDP due to mined areas. In total, local authorities are losing more than $1.1 billion in local taxes.