30 November 2022
In support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, international funding for mine action since the escalation of the conflict in February has seen a welcome surge. A crucial part of a successful response will be ensuring that funds donated are aligned with the mine action needs and realities faced on the ground in Ukraine. This week over 80 representatives from Ukrainian national authorities, donor governments, major funding agencies, international organisations and national and international mine action operators gathered in Geneva to do just that.
“The first success of the event was bringing diverse actors to the same table so that Ukrainian officials could share information on the evolving situation and their needs. This simple space for communication is difficult to achieve,” explained Ambassador Stefano Toscano, GICHD Director, “and we are already seeing progress on coordination and commitments.”
The three-day workshop served as a unique platform that acted as an incubator for solutions, action points and next steps toward addressing these challenges in a cooperative, needs-driven and evidence-based manner.
”The workshop helped donors and international implementers to better understand how to best support our Ukrainian partners” Dr. Ferdinand von Weyhe, Head of Division for Humanitarian Mine Action from the German Federal Foreign Office said. “We look forward to further strengthening cooperation for the people of Ukraine. This is also important as mine action is a key prerequisite for recovery and reconstruction.”
Coming out of this workshop, the mine action community at all levels is better placed to support Ukrainian national authorities in a way that is aligned with their needs.
“Switzerland continues to support Ukraine in line with the Principles of the Lugano Recovery Conference” emphasized Ambassador Simon Geissbühler, Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. “During my visit in Kyiv region in spring, I have seen with my own eyes the effectiveness of Ukrainian early demining efforts. However, given the magnitude of the challenge, it is necessary that donor countries provide support to Ukraine’s national efforts. This workshop is an important step in order to coordinate all our efforts and to make them as effective as possible.”
Media Contact:
GICHD: Laura Collier, Communications Manager, l.collier@gichd.org