Switzerland prioritises humanitarian demining in Ukraine

A car passes a mine sign in the liberated Ukrainian village of Ruski Tyshky on March 27, 2023. Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland is to play a pioneering role in mine clearance in Ukraine. The government has made the demining of civilian and agricultural areas in the war-torn country a priority and allocated CHF100 million ($110 million) for this purpose.

The support package is intended to enable Ukraine to rebuild, the government wrote in a statement on Friday. “Switzerland is offering its expertise to help tackle this enormous humanitarian challenge,” it said.

The financial resources of CHF100 million for the years 2024 to 2027 will come half from the budget of the defence ministry and half from the foreign ministry.

Switzerland is already involved in humanitarian demining in Ukraine. According to the government, a total amount of CHF15.2 million has been made available for the years 2022 and 2023. Among other things, the defence ministry has supplied a demining device.

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