On 29 September, the Swiss government announced that it approved a CHF 100 million package (about $109 million) to help clear landmines and other explosive ordnance in Ukraine over the next four years. The funding will be provided in equal shares by the Swiss Defense Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
“In the 18 months since the war started, Ukraine has become one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. A third of its territory – a 174,000 km2 area larger than England, Wales and Northern Ireland combined – is estimated to be contaminated by mines and other explosive ordnance,” a statement by Switzerland’s government reads.
Switzerland is already involved in humanitarian mine action in Ukraine. A total of CHF 15.2 million was allocated for 2022 and 2023, according to the statement.
The Swiss funding will demining organizations operating in Ukraine, including the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and the Fondation suisse de déminage. The money will help train Ukrainian deminers, provide equipment, and assist Ukraine’s government in coordinating demining efforts.
“Projects will be selected on the basis of evolving needs on the ground and the capacities of various humanitarian demining operators, with oversight provided by the Swiss embassy in Kyiv,” the statement reads.
Read also:
- PM Shmyhal at Demine Ukraine Forum: $37 bn and 10,000 deminers needed for Ukrainian mine cleanup
- The Netherlands to provide Ukraine with demining equipment
- Foreign donors pledge almost a quarter billion dollars to Ukraine for demining
- More than 13,000 km² of Ukraine’s sea and inland waters need demining – Emergency Service
