Access to mine action work must be open to all — Ihor Bezkaravainyi

On October 29, the seminar "Equal Opportunities: Involving People with Disabilities in Employment in Mine Action" was held for representatives of central government authorities, international organizations, and mine action operators. The aim of the seminar — is to familiarize participants with approaches to employing people with disabilities in the field of mine action and to develop corresponding methodological recommendations.

"The field of mine action is so broad that anyone in Ukraine can find a place for themselves there. It is important that this field is open to everyone, including people with disabilities. So that there are no barriers and people who want to work in the mine action field can do so, we need to take action. And today's meeting is the first step in this direction," said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Ihor Bezkaravainyi during his welcoming speech.

The Ministry of Economy, making the field more open, focuses on supporting people affected by explosive ordnance and involving them directly in the field of mine action.

"We had our first such attempts together with UNDP and The HALO Trust. We trained the guys in data analysis and satellite imagery, as well as the use of drones – half of these people are already employed. There were no girls in this group, but hopefully, there will be in the future. We are discovering new facets of what we can do together with our partners. We will test these models and then transfer them to state tracks so that all this becomes systematic, stable, and continuous," added Ihor Bezkaravainyi.

UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Jaco Cilliers emphasized the importance of supporting humanitarian demining, in particular initiatives that create employment opportunities for people affected by mines and ammunition, especially persons with disabilities.

Cilliers stressed the need for close cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the role of donor partners – such as the EU, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and others who financially support these projects.

"We at UNDP will continue to support humanitarian demining, inclusive economic development in Ukraine, and the creation of new employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We highly value the partnership with all participants present, as well as the sustainable relationships and cooperation with the Ministry of Economy. This really helps and strengthens everything we do. We are sincerely grateful for this initiative launched by the Ministry," noted Jaco Cilliers.

Practical exercises on detailing working conditions and adapting workplaces gave participants the skills to improve hiring conditions for people with disabilities. At the end of the event, participants took a test and provided feedback, which will facilitate the development of future methodological recommendations.

The event was organized as part of the UNDP project "Mine Action in Ukraine" with financial support from the Government of Sweden.