Key points:
- 40 veterans are starting work in the field of humanitarian demining in the Kharkiv region.
- Participants in the program have undergone training in non-technical survey of territories and informing the population about explosive objects.
- All graduates are employed by Ukroboronservice and will work in 10 teams throughout the year.
- The project is being implemented by UNDP, the governments of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and Ukrainian ministries.
Forty humanitarian demining specialists are starting work in communities in the Kharkiv region. Among them are veterans, including people with disabilities, as well as women from families of combatants. All of them have successfully completed training in non-technical survey of territories and informing the population about the risks associated with explosive objects. The training course lasted three weeks and included theoretical training, practical field exercises, safety training, and learning how to use digital tools.
For the program participants, this was an opportunity to learn a new profession and return to active civilian life, while contributing to the safety of their communities. After completing their training, all graduates were employed by the state-owned enterprise Ukroboronservice. They will work in communities in the Kharkiv region for a year as part of ten teams.
The Kharkiv region demining initiative is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine with the support of the governments of the Netherlands and Luxembourg. It should be noted that Ukraine is the most heavily mined country in the world. Nearly 140,000 km² of territory is potentially dangerous — that is almost 40% of the size of Japan.
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