MoD to engage veterans in demining campaign

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is expanding employment opportunities in the field of humanitarian demining to involve veterans and persons with disabilities.

That’s according to the ministry’s press service, Ukrinform reports.

One of the main objectives of mine action efforts within the MoD system is equal and inclusive access to the relevant jobs, including by increasingly engaging women, veterans, those affected by mines, and persons with disabilities.

This was discussed during the seminar "Equal opportunities: involving people with disabilities in mine action employment”, which was held in Kyiv with the financial support of the Swedish government.

"Today, much attention is paid to implementing policies that ensure equal access to work in the field of mine action, creating specialized training programs that would include both technical and non-technical skills required in this field, and building up conditions that ensure convenient and safe employment," said the head of the mine action department, Colonel Oleh Shuvarskyi.

The UN implements in Ukraine the employment program for persons with disabilities, including war veterans. As part of this project, the first four Ukrainians who were injured by mines got jobs in HALO Trust.

As the ministry noted, they will analyze images from satellites and UAVs to survey and map mine-contaminated territorie. The Ukrainians secured a job offer a month after completing the corresponding training course involving persons with disabilities.

In addition, the participants of the seminar were introduced to HR approaches to persons with disabilities in mine action operations and attended practical classes.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, during the Ukraine Mine Action Conference 2024 (UMAC-2024), partner countries announced additional commitments to support humanitarian demining in the amount of almost $70 million.