Document to help Ukraine attract aid to be presented at Lausanne Mine Action Conference on Oct 17-18 – Swiss Ambassador
At the Ukraine Mine Action Conference (UMAC2024) on October 17-18 in Lausanne, Switzerland, a document Lausanne Call for Action is being prepared, which should help attract long-term support for Ukraine, said Ambassador of Switzerland to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Félix Baumann in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“The goal of the conference in Lausanne is to keep the focus of the international community on the situation of the needs in Ukraine. That is the first step. Then it’s also to share experiences. And the most important is to foster long-term support for Ukraine. We prepare together with Ukraine the Lausanne Call for Action. We hope that it will be a strong document for paving the way forward,” the ambassador said.
He stressed that this is an important topic for Switzerland because mine clearance is the first step towards recovery. Baumann stressed that demining will help unlock land for agricultural use as quickly as possible, resume exports and create jobs.
He also recalled that at the end of September 2023, the Federal Council approved a package of CHF 100 million intended exclusively for mine action activities in Ukraine.
“I suppose we are one of the most important contributors to this specific topic. It includes ‘classical’ demining, on the ground, by people. We do it through the Foundation Suisse de Déminage (FSD). Many of their employees here are local, Ukrainians. FSD has two big projects with our funds, one in Kharkiv oblast. And now they started also a project in Kherson oblast this year,” the diplomat said.
In addition, he added, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining advises the Ukrainian government on best practices and international standards for mine action. Switzerland also supplies the necessary demining machines, in particular, for the State Emergency Service.
“The company that delivers them is a Swiss company. And they also have a maintenance facility here, what’s important,” the ambassador added.
Switzerland also supports a project to clear agricultural lands of mines, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Food Programme.
