The Patron Demining company generates new opportunities for women in the field of mine action

Andrii Serbin, Head of Patron Demining, and Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine, at the Women's Economic Empowerment Congress in Kyiv (WEE Congress 2024). Photo: UN Women/Stas Kartashov

Patron Demining is a national operator in mine action. The company focuses on training deminers to clear land in Ukraine. This is a top priority for the state, as Ukraine is currently the most mined country in the world. According to UN estimates, 23% of the country's territory is at risk of contamination from landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Patron Demining plays a crucial role in addressing the demining situation, yet it faces challenges such as a lack of funding, high staff turnover, and insufficient public awareness about the seriousness of the dangers involved. Nevertheless, the company is evolving and exploring new opportunities. In 2024, Patron Demining became a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and has started to implement these principles within the team.

For the company’s head, Andrii Serbin, this was a significant milestone. He stated, “Supporting women is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do. By promoting gender equality through initiatives like the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we contribute to creating a more inclusive work environment. This approach allows us to fully unlock our potential as a modern company, fosters innovation, and ensures sustainable development, particularly in the field of mine action.”

Patron Demining aims to create a more balanced workforce by hiring more women, as the majority of its current employees are men. According to Nataliia Serdiuk, the assistant to the company's head, there is a growing demand for female workers in this field. More and more women are expressing interest in pursuing careers as deminers.

"The innovative equipment in this field is not just reliant on physical strength and can be utilized by both women and men," says Nataliia Serdiuk.

Nataliia Serdiuk (left), assistant to the Patron Demining Head, at a training on WEPs implementation in Kyiv. Photo: Ukraine Investment and Trade Facilitation Center/Halyna Kuchmanych

The company also plans to build on the practices of other companies that their representatives shared at WEPs implementation workshops. As a first step, management plans to undergo a self-assessment using the WEPs Gender-Responsive Procurement Assessment Tool and develop a gender equality action plan. At the same time, the company will implement gender-responsive recruitment strategies and review its internal policies to ensure women have more opportunities in the workplace.

"In our opinion, due to the patriarchal approach to the social system, most women do not fully realize how strong and self-sufficient they are. We at the company believe that diversity in terms of sex and gender can be the decisive tool and approach that allows us to make more effective and faster decisions. And this is very important in our turbulent times," concludes Nataliia Serdiuk.

This article is prepared as part of the initiative "Empowering Women in Business" within the UN Women’s project “Transformative approaches to achieving gender equality in Ukraine” with financial support from Sweden and in cooperation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.