8 April 2025
08 April 2025 – Geneva, Switzerland.
The Ukraine Mine Action Partner Coordination Workshop successfully concluded today in Geneva, co-hosted by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), and supported by key partners—Canada, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. Over 100 stakeholders from Ukrainian national authorities, donor governments, international organizations, and mine action operators gathered to advance coordination and accelerate the implementation of Ukraine’s National Mine Action Strategy.
Throughout the two-day workshop, participants demonstrated their commitment to enhancing partnerships, and ensuring that international support is aligned with Ukraine’s needs. Discussions focused on efficiency on the ground, including through leveraging innovative technologies, streamlining resources and processes, and reinforcing the role of mine action as a prerequisite for recovery and reconstruction.
Key Quotes :
Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Ihor Bezkaravaynyi, emphasized:
“Humanitarian demining is not just a technical task. For Ukraine, it is a matter of survival and recovery. Mine action lies at the intersection of security, reconstruction, and development. It is what enables displaced people to return home, farmers to cultivate their land, and investors to rebuild shattered communities.”
Ambassador Tobias Privitelli, Director of GICHD, stated:
“The scale of explosive ordnance contamination in Ukraine is unprecedented. This workshop demonstrated the collective determination of donors and the mine action community to support Ukraine’s efforts to clear land, protect civilians, and enable economic recovery. Coordination and sustained support remain crucial to ensuring that mine action is effective, efficient, and impactful for the people of Ukraine.”
Ambassador Julien Thöni, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the Conference on Disarmament, stated:
“Half a year after the Ukraine Mine Action Conference UMAC2024 in Lausanne, we welcome this opportunity to come together in Geneva and discuss with Ukraine and partners from around the world the progress and challenges in implementing Ukraine’s national mine action strategy. Humanitarian demining is not only a matter of safety, but also a precondition for recovery, including agricultural production with consequences on food security far beyond Ukraine. Switzerland remains committed and will continue supporting mine action in Ukraine with over 100 million Swiss francs until 2027.”
The workshop follows a series of high-level international mine action discussions, including the Ukraine Mine Action Conference in Lausanne and the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin (2024), which will be followed by the Tokyo Mine Action Conference in autumn 2025. It served as an important milestone in aligning donor contributions with Ukraine’s national mine action priorities. Participants reaffirmed that continued collaboration, lean and efficient processes, and long-term commitments by all stakeholders are essential to achieve the goal of bringing back 80% of mine contaminated land to productive use in Ukraine within the next decade.
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Media Inquiries:
Laura Collier, Communications Manager
Email: l.collier@gichd.org