Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, participated in the opening of the exhibition on the dangers of mines as part of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024. He was joined by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner and Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Yulia Svyrydenko. The exhibition, titled Defining Futures: People, Tech and Teams for a Mine-Free Ukraine, was organized by UNDP Ukraine and the Legacy of War Foundation, with Giles Duley, the UN Global Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, as the author.
On this occasion, the Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs emphasized that the Republic of Croatia, like Ukraine, had been a victim of aggression, with the consequences of mined areas felt for decades. He added that Croatia has so far contributed over ten million euros to demining activities in Ukraine, with four million euros allocated specifically to UNDP. He expressed satisfaction that a machine from the Croatian manufacturer, DOK-ING, is part of the exhibition.
Technology and machinery like this are crucial for faster and more efficient recovery in Ukraine, and thanks to comprehensive Croatian support, the localization of their production in Ukraine began this year.
Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy highlighted the economic dimension of this problem. Ukraine is an agricultural country, with nearly 30% of its land potentially contaminated, which represents a significant loss for the country's economy and undermines the safety of Ukrainians living in or returning to liberated areas.
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