Active involvement of women in mine action in Ukraine will contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of this process. Ukraine is interested in Canada's support for advancing gender-transformative mine action in Ukraine. This was stated by the First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko during a meeting with the Ambassador of Canada for Women, Peace, and Security Jacqueline O'Neil.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Social Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Canada in Ukraine, UNDP in Ukraine, UNICEF in Ukraine, and HALO Trust in Ukraine.
"Gender equality is considered an integral part of Ukraine's policy based on the principles of integration, inclusiveness, and integrity. This applies to all activities, including important areas such as demining. At the moment, there are visible results in Ukraine: the average level of women's involvement among all state and non-state operators is about 30%, which corresponds to the NATO agenda 'Women, Peace, and Security.' We aim to increase the participation of women in mine action activities, so the support of our Canadian partners in this matter is valuable," noted Yulia Sviridenko.
Canada's support for mine action (MA) amounts to approximately $28.6 million USD from 2022, consisting of 12 projects, most of which were implemented in 2023. Also, in February 2024, Canada allocated funds for projects in the MA field (within $28.6 million USD): Gender-inclusive demining for a sustainable future in Ukraine, Support for the sustainability of demining in Ukraine, Support Programme for Ukraine of the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining.
"Ukraine has limited resources in mine action, and we need more demining operators, equipment, training for sappers. The government is considering state funding for private operators, which will increase the number of such companies in the Ukrainian market and also encourage international companies to actively join the demining process in Ukrainian lands," noted Yulia Sviridenko.
The First Deputy Prime Minister added that in the context of engaging in professional mine action, attention should be paid to representatives of social categories and groups that are of particular interest to the state. The government aims to ensure professional realization and social integration of women, veterans, victims of explosive objects, and persons with disabilities by involving them in mine action work. The government hopes that Canadian partners will join in creating relevant mine action training programmes, particularly for women.
