Switzerland to host Ukraine mine action conference in October

According to estimates, a quarter of Ukraine's territory is contaminated by mines and other unexploded ordnance, the Swiss government wrote. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Together with Ukraine, Switzerland is organising the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2024) in Lausanne on October 17 and 18. The aim of the conference is to highlight the importance of humanitarian demining for social and economic reconstruction.

Humanitarian demining is necessary for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the Swiss foreign ministry announced on Monday. The conference will bring together representatives of governments, international organisations, humanitarian demining partners and civil society.

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UMAC2024 aims to put the civilian population at the centre of the debate, highlight the benefits of partnerships, and show how innovations can make mine action more effective and safer, the ministry added. Switzerland will be represented by the President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, who will open the conference, and the head of the foreign ministry, Ignazio Cassis.

+ Demining: how the Swiss are helping to make Ukraine safer

According to estimates, a quarter of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated by mines and other unexploded ordnance, the Swiss government wrote. In 2023, the government approved a four-year aid package totalling CHF100 million ($118 million), which is earmarked exclusively for humanitarian demining in Ukraine. Switzerland is also supporting an aid programme for mine victims and small farms that are unable to cultivate their fields.

Translated from German by DeepL.com/gw

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