UDS at the 3rd “Safety Framework” Roundtable: сommon approaches to demining quality and monitoring

The 3rd “Safety Framework” Roundtable was held in Kyiv, focusing on the development of modern approaches to mine action, as well as issues of quality and safety in land release, including survey, inspection, environmental oversight, and monitoring.

The event was initiated by the Main Department for Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP Ukraine) and the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.”

The meeting brought together representatives of government authorities, research institutions, mine action operators, relevant associations, international organizations, inspection bodies, and manufacturers of specialized equipment.

UDS was represented by Oleksandr Romaniuk, Acting Chief Executive Officer and Director of Economics; Serhii Simonov, Commercial Director; and Iryna Shkarlat, Deputy Technical Director and Head of the Mine Action Documentation Support Department.

During the panel discussions, participants addressed:

1. inspection and quality assessment: new approaches, re-inspection, evidence-based assessment, and traceability of results;
2. personnel safety amid active hostilities, minimization of secondary contamination risks, and the threat posed by UAVs;
3. environmental considerations in land release processes and laboratory testing of soil after demining;
4. invasive and non-invasive survey methods: the role of modern technologies in decision-making;
5. manual demining and detection equipment: from testing to practical application on test sites and in the field;
6. monitoring as part of the “safety framework”: digital operational records, post-project monitoring, and response protocols in case of repeat findings;
7. improvement of the regulatory framework: proposals for developing the DSTU 8820 series of national standards and establishing a separate standard for environmental monitoring.

“Events like this are extremely important. They enable the professional community to align on challenging issues, agree on common actions and areas of work, and discuss current needs and opportunities for cooperation aimed at developing and improving the effectiveness of mine action in Ukraine. Our common goal is to harmonize approaches to ensuring high quality and confidence in results at every stage — from initial survey to inspection and monitoring,” said Oleksandr Romaniuk, Acting Chief Executive Officer of UDS.

We sincerely thank the organizers for the invitation and the opportunity to contribute to this professional dialogue!