During the annual Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine–2024 (UMAC-2024), partner countries announced nearly $70 million in additional commitments to support humanitarian demining. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Canada pledged additional funding. Since 2022, the total contribution from international partners has reached $1.07 billion.
“We greatly appreciate the contributions made by our partners to humanitarian demining in Ukraine. This is not just about equipment, funds, or projects – it’s about saving lives in Ukraine and restoring global food security. Thanks to this consistent support, we have already made significant progress in demining. A year ago, we met with partners at a demining forum in Zagreb, Croatia. At the time, we had 18 operators, around 3,000 deminers, and 32 demining machines. Today, 58 operators have been certified, the number of deminers has increased to over 4,000, and 98 demining machines are in operation,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy.
Luxembourg allocated $13 million for humanitarian demining projects in Ukraine. These funds will go to projects implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ($10.8 million), the international organization HALO Trust ($1.08 million), and through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism ($1.08 million).
Norway also announced additional funding for demining in Ukraine. The country will allocate $20 million for 2025, increasing its total contribution to $70 million. Norway’s efforts are focused on funding field operations, supporting affected communities, and strengthening demining capabilities.
The Netherlands, which has already contributed over $40 million to humanitarian demining in Ukraine, announced an additional $10.8 million for projects in 2025.
Canada will provide $24.5 million for humanitarian demining needs in Ukraine, bringing its total contribution to over $50 million.
The government of Latvia allocated over €270,000 for humanitarian demining in Ukraine. These funds will go to HALO Trust, whose specialists are working to clear land in several regions of Ukraine affected by military operations.
Switzerland, the host country of UMAC-2024, announced plans to deliver three heavy GCS-200 demining machines to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES). The symbolic handover of the first machine took place during the conference. Switzerland also committed to providing 30 million Swiss francs to one of the projects of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), which operates in Ukraine. This funding is part of a previously announced assistance package worth 100 million Swiss francs.
The governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom are ready to fund a pilot project for prioritizing humanitarian demining efforts. The system, based on a platform from the tech giant Palantir, will use large-scale data to determine priority areas for demining. The pilot project in Kharkiv region will last for three months.
The U.S., which announced $102 million in humanitarian demining assistance in September, introduced an initiative at the conference aimed at increasing the capacity of private demining operators. They plan to assess the needs of Ukrainian operators and strengthen their knowledge of how international donor organizations work, which will help these operators attract future international support. The first step in this direction could be strengthening cooperation between Ukrainian and international operators.
A final document supporting humanitarian demining in Ukraine was signed by 42 countries. One of its key points is that demining efforts should remain on the international agenda. The signatories committed to minimizing the impact of mines and war remnants on people’s lives through demining operations and the development of innovative technologies.
