OSCE helps Ukrainian demining experts to learn safe clearance standards

Twenty-two senior and field managers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine’s headquarters, training institutions, and 15 regional emergency departments learned about International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) at a workshop in Kyiv, organised by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine from 29 to 31 October 2013.

The workshop was conducted by experts from the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), the global organization working to eliminate mines, explosive remnants of war and other explosive hazards for the security and wellbeing of affected countries. The GICHD experts shared with Ukrainian professionals knowledge and practical tips on how to better organize their work with a focus on the needs of the local civilian population. Other topics included gathering, analysing and distributing information on the danger level in land and water areas.

In Ukraine, from 50,000 to 100,000 explosive items are detected each year on average. They represent primarily the legacy of World War II. Another source of danger are the 34 former Soviet weapon training ranges covering an area of 150,000 hectares, as well as obsolete ammunition stockpiles that have been the site of unplanned explosions over the past decade, littering over 80,000 tonnes of munitions in the adjacent areas.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator supports the efforts to reduce the risks of the explosive remnants of war and unsafe ammunition in Ukraine. It does so through enhancing technical and professional capacity of national authorities and ordnance clearance operators, as well as through educational and awareness-raising activities. The workshop for the State Emergency Service of Ukraine was conducted within the framework of the project “Developing National Capacity for Humanitarian Mine Action in Ukraine”.