For the first time in Ukraine, courses have been launched to train military environmental auditors in the field of humanitarian demining. After completing the training, future specialists will document audit checks and prepare working and final reports in accordance with EU environmental legislation.
The courses titled "Environmental Audit and Environmental Issues Related to Humanitarian Demining" were organized by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Environmental Protection as part of the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine. The courses will run until mid-November.
The first 20 participants are military personnel and civil servants from the Environmental Security Department of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety of the Ministry of Defense, as well as from its subordinate Center for Excellence in Mine Action and Environmental Safety. They will undergo both theoretical and practical training at the State Environmental Academy of Postgraduate Education and will receive corresponding certificates upon completion.
The specialists training to become auditors have already conducted surveys of military facilities together with the State Environmental Inspectorate, documenting the environmental damage caused by Russian missile and bomb strikes.
"This is, without exaggeration, the first unique training of its kind aimed at improving the professional competence of military ecologists in environmental auditing and addressing environmental issues related to humanitarian demining. Without expanding this knowledge, it is impossible to minimize the impact of all pollutants on the ecosystem," stated Colonel Ruslan Berehulya, head of the Main Directorate for Mine Action, Civil Protection, and Environmental Safety.
