• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko participates in the Third Mine Action Conference in Japan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

22 October 2025 17:01

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko is paying a working visit to Japan, during which he took part in the Third Mine Action Conference (UMAC 2025) and held a number of bilateral meetings with representatives of partner countries.

On 22 October, the official opening of UMAC 2025 took place in Tokyo. This event serves as a key global platform for discussing ways to strengthen international cooperation in humanitarian demining, enhance capacity building, and coordinate joint efforts aimed at overcoming the consequences of large-scale mine contamination of Ukraine's territory resulting from Russian aggression.

At the invitation of the co-organizers - Ukraine and Japan - the conference gathered representatives from over 70 countries, international organizations, UN system agencies, donor institutions, and civil society organizations.

The conference was opened by Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, and Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.

During the plenary session "PEOPLE: Inclusion and Cooperation", Deputy Minister Olexandr Mischenko emphasized that the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine has resulted in the most severe humanitarian challenge in Europe since World War II - the large-scale contamination of millions of hectares of Ukrainian land with landmines, cluster munitions, and other explosive remnants of war.

He stressed that humanitarian demining is a key element of Ukraine's recovery process, and the involvement of a wide range of citizens - in particular, veterans and persons with disabilities - in clearance activities contributes to social integration and the rebuilding of communities. At present, over 16% of professionals in the humanitarian demining sector are veterans, and this figure continues to grow. Meanwhile, women are playing an increasingly visible role in the security sector - including as demining engineers, mechanical clearance operators, and risk management specialists. This shift reflects Ukraine's transition from a "social protection" model to one of "full participation", where everyone has the opportunity to take an active role in national recovery.

The Ukrainian diplomat expressed his sincere gratitude to international partners for their support - including the provision of modern demining equipment, implementation of training programs, and the execution of projects aimed at clearing Ukrainian territory of landmines and explosive ordnance.

Following the outcomes of the conference, participants are expected to adopt a Final Declaration, reaffirming their shared commitment to supporting humanitarian demining in Ukraine and strengthening international solidarity in this field.

On the first day of the conference, Olexandr Mischenko held a series of bilateral meetings with: Kęstutis Budrys, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Gordan Grlić-Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, Robert Kupiecki, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Jan Marian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Pasi Hellman, State Secretary for Development Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Franciskus Wels, Head of the Ukraine Practical Support Team, NATO Operations Division, Ly Thuch, Senior Minister and First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority

During the meetings, the parties discussed a broad range of issues, including enhancing international support for Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing armed aggression, humanitarian demining, the protection of critical infrastructure, post-war recovery, and the further development of cooperation within European, Euro-Atlantic, and broader security initiatives. Particular attention was paid to the coordination of international efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and the implementation of joint support programs, especially in the context of strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.