U.S. Philanthropist Howard G. Buffett Makes 'Moonshot' Investment of $33M to Clear Landmines in Ukraine
Newsfile Corp.
6 min read
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - November 29, 2023) - Global humanitarian landmine clearance NGO, The HALO Trust, today announced a $33 million strategic partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to tackle humanitarian demining in Ukraine. The Foundation's investment is the single largest philanthropic donation in support of humanitarian landmine clearance in Ukraine.
This historic investment by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation will allow The HALO Trust to recruit, train and equip about 500 local staff, acquire large machinery for clearance at scale and test cutting-edge technology to pinpoint the exact location of explosives. The combined impact of these measures will help to accelerate progress with clearance across the most heavily mined areas of Ukraine.
Ukraine faces an unprecedented landmine crisis, with the heavily mined frontline now stretching across roughly 600 miles, nearly six times longer than the mine belt along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, making it the most mined country in the world since WW II.
In liberated areas, such as Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, where farmers need to be confident that they can plant crops in Spring 2024, it is vital that land is quickly and accurately assessed. Technology funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation will play a key role in this process.
The Foundation's investment is provided across three grants, one of which is focused on establishing HALO's Ukraine programme as a centre for innovation in mechanical landmine clearance. It will transform HALO's ability to research, test and harness new demining technology and boost the NGO's humanitarian operations in Ukraine by a third, as well as bolster Ukraine's strategy for mechanical clearance. The Foundation's support also includes over $12 million in capital equipment, allowing HALO to leverage other government grants to deploy an additional 55 teams across Ukraine.
Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, said:
"Aside from defeating Russia on the battlefield, Ukraine's capacity to clear mines quickly and effectively is the single largest challenge to its own recovery and to the future stability of the world's food supply. Clearing landmines and explosives, and rapidly returning land to agricultural production, cannot wait until the war ends. The scale of the issue also requires new approaches to demining, including new technology and at-scale mechanical clearance. We welcome this partnership with The HALO Trust, alongside our close collaboration with the government of Ukraine, to drive innovation in mine clearance and help Ukraine achieve its national goal of making 470,000 hectares (1.1M acres) of agricultural land safe again."
James Cowan, CEO of The HALO Trust and a former British Army Major General, added:
"The funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation is extraordinarily generous and the largest HALO has ever received from a private organisation. With this moonshot investment in people, machinery and innovation, HALO can expand our Ukraine operations by a third and accelerate our life-saving work. The HALO Trust recently cleared its 2 millionth landmine worldwide, which brings the two million mines estimated to be laid in Ukraine into sharp focus. I am grateful to Howard for his vision in recognising the enormity of the task at hand. My hope is that others will follow his leadership and join us in our endeavour to clear Ukraine from mines as quickly and safely as possible."
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation has invested more than $500 million in Ukraine since Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion, mobilizing its resources quickly to address the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. Beyond providing over $83 million in support to humanitarian mine clearance efforts, the Foundation has also made strategic investments in rebuilding infrastructure, provided support to farmers, bolstered Ukraine's capacity to investigate and prosecute war crimes, provided more than 132 million meals and family necessity kits to de-occupied areas in Ukraine, and funded a number of other humanitarian assistance and food security projects.
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For interviews with James Cowan in DC, please contact Chris Whatley at chris.whatley@halousa.org or call +1 202-286-0609. Notes to Editor on The HALO Trust
HALO has operated in Ukraine since 2016, releasing more than 2,400 acres of contaminated land in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, HALO successfully relocated its operations to the north of the country to clear land vacated when the Russians were turned back at the gates of Kyiv. As of October 2023, HALO has been able to recruit and deploy over 1000 staff, making them the largest landmine clearance organization in the country.
Government donors who fund HALO’s operations in Ukraine include: the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Scotland, Japan, the Czech Republic, the European Union, Canada, Norway, Finland, and Luxembourg.
Founded in 1988 in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, The HALO Trust (HALO) is the largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation in the world. Based in the UK and the US, HALO currently operates in 30 countries and territories across the world – often in war-torn areas that are difficult for government agencies, military forces, and other NGOs to access. Worldwide, HALO employs about 11,500 deminers, of which roughly a third are women.
HALO has helped over 6.5 million people stay safe in over 20 countries through its in-person community awareness sessions that teach people how to recognise and report explosive items. Over 20 million people have seen its safety messaging in Ukraine since February 2022.
HALO uses technology from Esri ArcGIS Enterprise for desktop and field mapping, as well as for data collection. It deploys high-precision Trimble GNSS receivers for improved accuracy in its landmine maps and data flows and integrates data across multiple systems using Safe Software’s FME platform. HALO operators also use Routescene Lidar technology attached to drones to map old trenches, bunkers, or craters that may indicate the presence of minefields.
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, established in 1999, is a U.S. private family foundation working to improve food security, mitigate conflict, combat human trafficking, and enhance public safety. The Foundation’s work in Ukraine began in 2022 shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion and is focused on addressing the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. The Foundation’s work in Ukraine is expansive and includes over $83M in contributions to humanitarian demining efforts in 2022 and 2023.
