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It may take a hundred years to fully clear Ukraine’s territory using traditional demining methods, but innovative technologies can significantly speed up this process, stated Shoko Noda, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the UNDP Crisis Bureau.
“With sustained efforts and technological advancements, significant progress can be achieved within a few years, but using traditional demining methods, it could take a hundred years to fully clear and certify all affected areas as safe, especially given the ongoing nature of the conflict and contamination,” she said.
According to Noda, UNDP, in cooperation with technical partners and national authorities, is exploring the use of drones, technical service dogs, and other innovative technologies in humanitarian demining.
She noted that recent trials of innovative mine detection methods organized by UNDP in Ukraine have shown promising results in detecting landmines and explosive remnants of war. The innovative teams achieved a 78% success rate in detecting surface items, around 70% for detecting metal and buried objects, and 62% for detecting plastic items.
Noda also shared that work is ongoing with national authorities to involve dogs in demining operations, and UNDP, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), the animal training organization APOPO, and other international partners have supported the opening of a new canine center. According to her, trained dogs can survey up to 1,500 square meters of land daily, which is up to 75 times faster than a human.
