Croatia allocates EUR 1 million for demining of agricultural land in Ukraine
Croatia has allocated 1 million euros to UN World Food Program (WFP) to help restore operations in regions most affected by explosive ordnance.
It was informed by Censor.NЕТ referring to ZN.UA.
The agreement was reportedly signed in Kyiv by Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman and WFP Country Director in Ukraine Matthew Hollingworth.
"The funds will be used to support a project jointly implemented by the UN World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in cooperation with the French Demining Fund," WFP said in a statement.
The project aims to survey productive agricultural land for mines and other explosive hazards and clear them where necessary to restore food production and support the livelihoods of rural communities. The project will also support farmers to restore soil and resume agricultural production once the land is declared safe.
The work is already underway in Kharkiv region, and it is planned to expand to Mykolaiv and Kherson regions in the future.
"We highly appreciate the support of partners who provide donor and international technical assistance for demining projects in Ukraine, in particular Croatia, which has considerable experience in demining. The funds raised under the joint Memorandum with Croatia and UN partners will be used to survey and clean up contaminated land, which potentially amounts to 174 thousand square kilometers in Ukraine," said First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko at the signing of the agreement.
