Last month GCS’s Technical Development and Capability Manager Phil Jowett attended the Ukraine Mine Action Strategy workshop in Kyiv. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), and the national platform Demine Ukraine.
As the first commercially-accredited demining company in Ukraine, GCS’s experience as a pioneer in the sector informed the full range of topics under discussion. Phil’s contribution to the taking stock and planning for the future was appreciated by national and international participants alike. Phil summarises this pivotal moment for demining in Ukraine:
“The workshop was an opportunity to realign priorities, identify systemic constraints, and propose collaborative, forward-looking solutions. With significant risks still present, we can see that greater institutional clarity, regulatory reform, strategic leadership, and operational innovation are required to move the national programme from crisis response to sustainable recovery.”
He concludes: “The findings and recommendations of this workshop will directly inform the mid-cycle revision of the Ukraine Mine Action Strategy 2024–2026 and lay the foundation for a more robust, accountable, and context-responsive mine action framework in Ukraine.”
For more information, read the Ministry of Economy’s Press Release here: Progress on Ukraine’s National Mine Action Strategy: Two-day workshop held in Kyiv | Ministry of Economy of Ukraine
Photo credits: Demine Ukraine