Ukraine needs to establish a new executive body — the Mine Action Agency
This was stated by experts from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change as part of a study on updating the institutional architecture of mine action in Ukraine. They emphasized the importance of centralizing authority to increase efficiency, coordination, and donor confidence in humanitarian demining.
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Recently, at the event “A Path Without Obstacles: The Future of Mine Action in Ukraine,” the White Paper on updating the institutional architecture of mine action was presented — the result of research by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and recommendations on potential improvements to the current system.
The event brought together key stakeholders from the government, Verkhovna Rada, international partners, and the mine action sector to discuss the prospects of proposed changes in the mine action management system.
The Tony Blair Institute’s study was initiated to support Ukraine in expanding the scale, accelerating the pace, and improving the effectiveness of mine action to achieve the government’s goal — to return 80% of potentially contaminated territories to productive use by 2033.
The Institute’s experts identified a number of serious shortcomings in the existing institutional architecture of mine action that slow progress.
Among them:
▪️ Fragmentation of authority among various government bodies — there is no single strategic leadership of mine action.
▪️ Duplication of functions and system conflicts: for example, the simultaneous involvement of several structures without clear role demarcation creates inconsistencies in actions.
▪️ Lack of coordination and a shared interagency vision — there is no single body responsible for forming and implementing state policy in the mine action sector.
▪️ Information gaps and insufficiently integrated data management systems, complicating planning for territory clearance.
✅ To address these issues, it is proposed to create a new central executive body — the Mine Action Agency. It should be granted exclusive powers over operator certification, management of the National Mine Action Information System, coordination of international cooperation, setting national priorities, and resource planning. According to experts, the Agency’s structure will include the functions of the existing Mine Action Center and the Humanitarian Demining Center. According to the authors of the White Paper, the Agency will become the key coordinator capable of implementing strategic decisions, accelerating the pace of land clearance, and ensuring more efficient use of state and international resources. Additionally, the institutional renewal will contribute to restoring donor confidence in Ukraine’s mine action system.
At the same time, during a panel discussion, representatives of government bodies (Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Mine Action Office, Verkhovna Rada) noted that comprehensive changes in the mine action architecture are not timely given the ongoing hostilities — the priority is the gradual improvement of the existing system. At the same time, discussion participants emphasized the importance of clear functional separation among different mine action operators (State Emergency Service, State Special Transport Service, private national and international companies) and establishing mechanisms for effective partnership between them.
It was also separately highlighted that maintaining and developing the humanitarian demining market in Ukraine is crucial — this will encourage investment and innovation in the sector.