Last month, in the heart of Paris, a World War II bomb was discovered near Gare du Nord, Europe’s busiest train station, forcing the cancellation of nearly 500 trains and disrupting 600,000 journeys. 

Imagine this impact multiplied exponentially in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine, where 138,503 km² of land remains at risk of contamination. Without urgent action, landmines will continue to dictate where families can walk, where farmers can plant, and where children can play for generations to come.  

During my visit to Ukraine last year, one of my most memorable moments was meeting the landmine clearance team of Elba and Kateryna. Elba is one of the dogs trained to detect mines and other unexploded bombs by sniffing out their chemical compounds. Together with human handlers like Kateryna, these dogs can survey around 1,500 m²  of land daily, up to 75 times faster than humans. 

Landmines don’t just maim. They paralyze communities, cutting off farmland, halting reconstruction and leaving families trapped in fear. In Ukraine, over 6 million people still live under their threat. Without accelerated clearance, up to 9,000 accidents could occur by 2030, and countless lives will be shattered. The economic cost is equally staggering, with US$11 billion worth of economic potential lost every year.

In Kharkivska region agricultural production has plummeted by 52 percent due to contaminated land. Such impacts on farm production extend far beyond Ukraine’s borders. A significant portion of Ukraine’s food exports supports developing countries, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Before the invasion, these exports fed 400 million people annually. Disruptions in farm production and supply chains caused by landmines threaten global food security, disproportionately affecting those who are already vulnerable.

Faster and cost-effective demining for early recovery

Clearing Ukraine of landmines needs to be faster and cost-effective. Traditional demining operations are prohibitively expensive, costing nearly $3 million per km². According to the World Bank, demining and management of explosive hazards would need close to $30 billion. 

However, innovative approaches are making a difference. Non-technical surveys, using interviews with community members and site visits, cost just $1,210 per km² and can significantly reduce the area requiring full technical clearance. Supporting such surveys, especially of farmlands, is a key focus of UNDP’s work in Ukraine. Last year, these efforts shrank the suspected hazardous area by 20 percent, from 174,000 km² to 138,503 km², delivering substantial cost savings and progress.

Digital solutions are another game-changer. Drones, robots, satellite imagery, and artificial intelligence (AI) tackle two critical challenges: one, pinpointing where mines are located for swift, targeted operations, and two, confirming where they are absent so land can be safely reclaimed. 

UNDP is the lead UN agency on mine action in Ukraine, supporting the Government of Ukraine on mine action and debris removal. Significant progress has been made. The number of certified mine action operators has increased from 6 to 68. With generous funding from the European Union, the governments of Denmark, Japan and Sweden, a substantial batch of demining and protective equipment has been provided to 202 demining units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), which is 80 percent of all the SESU capacities.

With support from Italy, UNDP is also investing in capacity-building initiatives and strategic land release operations, surveying and clearing mines from affected territories, especially those with significant social and economic value. Removing mines opens up areas for safe use, enabling local economies to restart and flourish.