Italy to invest €6 million in Ukraine’s demining efforts, prioritizing Kharkiv region

The press service of Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy reported the information.

“The projects should focus on non-technical and/or technical surveys of territories and include an element of public awareness about mine threats,” the ministry clarified.

The priority will be the Kharkiv region, where 55 out of 56 communities have been affected by the war.

“For the first time, one of our partner countries is allocating funds directly for demining our lands, involving Ukrainian mine action operators in the process. I believe this cooperation will accelerate the identification and clearance of contaminated areas and strengthen collaboration not only at the institutional level but also between organizations and companies in our countries working to make Ukrainian land safer,” said Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko.

The total budget of the competition is €6 million, with the funding for a single project not exceeding €1.8 million.

Only non-profit organizations can apply, but they are allowed to partner with commercial mine action operators for project implementation.

Applications will be accepted until May 11 of this year, and the maximum project duration is 15 months.

• According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, as of March, 139,000 square kilometers (or 23%) of Ukraine’s territory remain potentially mined.