Buffett Foundation to help with mine clearance in Ukraine
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The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the Buffett Foundation have agreed to cooperate on humanitarian mine clearance, including the purchase of a mine clearance machine.
Source: Press service of the Ministry of Economy, following the meeting between First Vice Prime Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko and billionaire Howard Buffett
Details: The ministry has said it had agreed to have Howard Buffett's team participate in a long-term humanitarian landmine clearance project.
"The Buffett Foundation has experience in this, as it has been running similar projects in Colombia for many years. He also promised that he would systematically help Ukrainian agricultural businesses get rid of the consequences of Russian aggression," Svyrydenko said.
As part of the cooperation, Buffett promised to purchase mine clearance vehicles and use special demining drones. According to Svyrydenko, the government is currently developing a methodology and scaling up the use of drones to carry out mine clearance faster.
In addition, she said, Buffett will "use his contacts and capabilities" to invite investors to participate in humanitarian demining in Ukraine.
Background:
In June of last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Howard Buffett, a businessman and philanthropist, and invited him to a number of projects for the recovery of Ukraine, including the restoration of irrigation systems in Odesa Oblast, support for refugees, mine clearance and school meal reform.
Ukraine needs US$37.4 billion to carry out humanitarian mine clearance, of which more than US$397 million is needed this year alone.
As a result of hostilities, more than 5 million hectares, or 50,000 square kilometres, of agricultural land are now unusable due to mining, contamination with explosive remnants or ongoing fighting.
Previously, the government approved an action plan for mine clearance of agricultural land for the sowing campaign and identified priority areas for this. First and foremost, mine clearance efforts will be focused on low-contaminated land with perennial plantations or land planned for sowing vegetable and melon crops.
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