Latest news with #TheHALOTrust
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Botanics form innovative link up with The HALO Trust
A part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was transformed into a 'minefield' to highlight a new collaboration to restore nature and rebuild lives in war-torn regions across the world. In a global first, RBGE and world leading humanitarian mine action charity The HALO Trust will work together to tackle devastating environmental and economic consequences of war by boosting the resilience of vulnerable communities in conflict zones. The unique partnership brings together a wealth of international experience, with both organisations active across five continents. It will focus on the many conflict-affected areas where the Dumfries-based HALO Trust operates, which are also biodiversity hotspots where local communities depend heavily on plant resources for food security and trade. The collaboration was formally launched at the RBGE, where the Rock Garden – one of the most vulnerable areas of the attraction because of the rare plants it contains – was transformed into a 'minefield' complete with made-safe mines and signage. James Cowan, CEO of The HALO Trust, said: 'War leaves behind a legacy of devastation, splintering the lives of people and destroying the fragile environments upon which they depend. 'By fusing our respective expertise, passion and knowledge, our shared vision of helping people to recover and thrive after conflict while restoring the natural world is brought to life. 'Together, we envision a future rooted in peace – where both the land and its people can flourish again.' The initiative has already begun in the Horn of Africa, where HALO explosives experts have cleared landmines and other dangerous remnants of war in parts of Puntland and South-West Somalia. The work has allowed safe access for ecological surveys on rare, income-generating frankincense trees (Boswellia sacra) to take place. An economically and culturally important species under increasing threat from environmental pressures, frankincense resin has a wide range of uses, primarily in aromatherapy, skincare, and traditional medicine. Using specialist locally adapted methods developed by the RBGE, the project is investigating tree health, supporting tree nurseries and replanting initiatives, and promoting sustainable harvesting practices. In the future, new joint projects are expected to develop across the world, including in Ethiopia, Yemen, Kenya, West Africa, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Particular focus will be on post-conflict regions where gums and resins such as frankincense, myrrh, gum Arabic and Aloe species offer sustainable trade and development opportunities. Simon Milne, Regius Keeper of the RBGE, said: 'This marks a truly remarkable milestone – a partnership between two institutions united by a powerful vision to help communities recover from conflict while restoring and benefiting from the natural world. 'At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, our mission has always been to protect the incredible diversity of plants and, through them, the communities that depend on these vital organisms across the globe. Our work spans continents and climates, but at its heart, it is about preserving the foundations of life itself. 'I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact conflict can have — not only on human lives and livelihoods but also on the natural environment… 'Yet, in the face of such hardship, there is hope. Nature has an extraordinary ability to reclaim and regenerate, even in the most shattered landscapes. Once land is made safe from residual hazards of war, it can be returned to sustainable use, restoring degraded ecosystems, supporting climate adaptation, and enabling local livelihoods through conservation and sustainable plant-based trade.' He added: 'This partnership represents an innovative alignment of missions. By combining HALO's deep field knowledge and community networks with our expertise in plant science and conservation horticulture, we can support some of the world's most vulnerable regions with practical solutions to strengthen ecosystems and livelihoods alike.' The HALO Trust is the world's oldest humanitarian mine clearance organisation, founded in 1988 in Afghanistan, where it has operated consistently since. It employs more than 8500 women and men in over 30 countries in landmine and munition clearance, risk education and weapons and ammunition management. The organisation recently cleared its two millionth landmine worldwide. Saeeda Gouhari, a former RBGE project lead, added: 'In Afghanistan, our work supporting the sustainable use of natural resources provided communities with much-needed hope and agency. 'This partnership with HALO offers a new opportunity to blend recovery with regeneration – healing landscapes and lives together.' Simon Milne, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and (Left) James Cowan, CEO The HALO Trust Picture Alan Simpson 7/8/2025 Picture Alan Simpson 7/8/2025 Simon Milne, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and (Left) James Cowan, CEO The HALO Trust Picture Alan Simpson 7/8/2025 Like this: Like Related
The National
2 days ago
- General
- The National
Inside the Scottish charity working to demine Ukraine
Three years after the liberation of Chernihiv Oblast, the main threat in Budy no longer comes from the air, but lingers in the forests and sunflower fields. I'm two hours north of Kyiv with Scottish demining charity The HALO Trust, which has detected and destroyed almost 7000 explosive devices across 1.82 million square metres of land in the Chernihiv region, while 1.71 million square metres remain contaminated. 'Ukraine is now the most mined country in the world and the threats are different across the country,' HALO sub-unit commander Mykyta Kryzhanovskyi says. 'The impact of the Russian invasion is so huge that we'll have work to do for decades.' The Ukrainian Government estimates that an area larger than the size of Greece will need to be surveyed nationwide. As of December 2024, the UN reported almost 1,500 civilian mine casualties in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In a secured field, we are given PPE – body armour and visors – and a safety briefing by HALO staff. READ MORE: 'Absolutely crazy': Scottish jazz artist scores new film by Hollywood director Kryzhanovskyi, a former paediatric anaesthetist in Odesa, southern Ukraine, joined in 2023. 'I wanted to help my country on a larger scale and I saw that HALO needed people,' he says. 'I'm happy to be part of this global process now in Ukraine.' He jokes, asking if I – as a Scot – have been 'sent from HQ'. The HALO Trust, founded in 1988 and based in Thornhill near Dumfries, employs 58 staff in Scotland and 8700 worldwide. The organisation gained global recognition during Princess Diana's visit to Angola's minefields in the 1990s. In 2016, HALO began work in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions following Russia's 2014 invasion and has since grown its local staff from 400 to 1600 to help secure a safer future for Ukrainians living alongside these remnants of conflict. We watch as the staff present their tasks, referencing colour-coded maps of affected areas. Between March and April 2022, they explain, Ukrainian soldiers set up defensive positions on Budy's outskirts, laying anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines and enduring heavy shelling from multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, mortars, cluster munitions and small arms from three Russian-occupied villages nearby. The village remains damaged and civilians have been killed or injured by mines and unexploded ordnance. The main threats in this region, Kryzhankovskyi says, are tripwires loaded with grenades, submunitions and anti-vehicle mines. Blast scars from the fighting in surrounding fields are clearly visible in satellite imagery. Surveying the land from above using aerial photography and AI technology is revolutionising mine clearance. Image analyst Oleksandr Tereshchenko and drone pilot Serhii Pasholok demonstrate remote sensing using a large drone – a technique pioneered by HALO since the full invasion began, speeding-up the detection of war debris and minimising the risks of boots on the ground. 'We started with just the two of us,' Oleksandr says. 'With huge support from our colleagues in Scotland, this department has now expanded to more than 20 people.' The large drone surveys territory using a camera with high-resolution zoom capabilities, creating imagery that preserves scale. Using AI, a final map report is produced, pinpointing abnormalities on the ground for survey staff to focus on across vast swathes of land. While watching Tereshchenko's monitor, the camera hones in on a dummy blue mine as cows nonchalantly chew grass nearby. Drones aren't the only technology used in modern mine clearance. We look on as a Seppi Max 50 vehicle – controlled remotely by an operator wearing a VR headset and protected by an armoured shield – roams the ground. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar blasted as 'hypocrite' after branding Benjamin Netanyahu 'war criminal' These machines clear vegetation, tripwires and munitions, absorbing blasts from any explosions and accelerating the demining process with lower risks to staff. 'In this area, we had an incident involving our demining machine – it detonated a TM-62M anti-vehicle mine in a metal casing,' Kyrylo Holovko, Task Group Commander, says. The robot isn't entirely reliable: staff must sweep the area manually afterwards. Many of HALO's 1600 staff across six regions in Ukraine are internally displaced people who have reskilled to assist the war effort, and 30% are women. In the dense forests where the robot can't operate, deminers use metal detectors in a painstaking manual process. Wooden posts mark locations of detected and destroyed debris, with a description of the type of ordnance found, its depth and the date of clearance noted. 23mm and 30mm cannon rounds – with a lethal blast radius of one to five metres or beyond – are commonly found in this area. Our eyes widen as we pass a post marking a KTM-1 high-explosive projectile fuze, recently found at a depth of ten centimetres and cleared. On the edge of the forest, Viacheslav Baliurko is on his knees, manually excavating a small patch of ground. Before the full-scale invasion he worked in reproductive medicine, helping to increase Ukraine's birth rate – a task that became 'impossible' after the full-scale invasion began. Viacheslav Baliurko'I saw a HALO job advert online, I was curious and decided that this is where I would be most useful,' he says. 'Before, I worked to make sure there were children and now I work to make sure those children can walk freely and safely.' As Viacheslav scrapes away the soil in 5-10cm layers by hand, repeatedly sweeping each section with a metal detector and marking the areas where a signal sounds, the instrument buzzes. 'There's something here!' he says. Fortunately, it's just a scrap of metal, which he tosses aside into a bucket. The staff are keenly aware of the risks of such dangerous work. Maryna Kostiuk was previously a nursery teacher in Sloviansk, Donetsk region and followed her husband into the organisation after being displaced to Kyiv. 'I couldn't just sit at home, I wanted to do something useful,' she says. 'Sometimes it's scary because we understand that we work with explosive objects, but I really like the job and we follow all safety rules and instructions.' In December 2023, HALO Ukraine completed national certification in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), enabling greater efficiency while reducing the strain on national authorities. For the specialist technicians who dispose of complex ordnance including IEDs and booby-traps, the risks can increase. In May, widely-respected British EOD volunteer Chris 'Swampy' Garrett – founder of the mine clearance nonprofit Prevail, who worked alongside the Ukrainian Army and National Police – was killed alongside a colleague in an incident in eastern Ukraine. From the fields opposite, a whistle blows and the forest deminers walk to a safe area and remove their visors for a break. Kateryna Vechkanova, from Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, joined HALO two years ago. Today, she is scanning the forest floor for 9N210/9N235-type cluster munitions and other ordnance. Kateryna Vechkanova'We used to go outdoors as a family every weekend,' Kateryna says. 'I joined so that someday I can take my children to the forest and live as before. We will clear our land so that it can be ploughed, planted, walked on safely and we can breathe freely.' As the world's breadbasket, Ukraine's mine-contaminated crop fields have devastated the agricultural economy. READ MORE: Police Scotland 'on notice' for visit by JD Vance during UK holiday Since 2022, the UK government has contributed £12.9 million to HALO Ukraine, returning 688,760m2 of land. 'The release of agricultural land back to communities is enabling the production of corn, wheat, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products that are exported globally and is part of ensuring a stable global food market amidst the ongoing conflict,' says Calum Craig, policy and advocacy manager at The HALO Trust. In 2022, a Budy farmer was seriously injured after detonating a mine with his tractor while cultivating his crops. 'The work on these areas is very important for us, as many people were left without their regular income from agricultural activities,' says Holovko. 'In Budy, there are 72 beneficiaries to whom we will hand over these territories after clearance so that they can continue to safely use this land.' Elsewhere in the Chernihiv region, a family picking mushrooms were killed after their car triggered a mine in 2022. As the autumn foraging season approaches, Kostiuk wishes for the simple pleasure of spending time in nature with her child again. 'We really loved to walk in the forest and pick mushrooms,' she says. 'But now our forests are heavily mined and it's too dangerous.' In addition to demining operations, HALO teams organise mine awareness sessions for the community, teaching children and adults how to live safely in affected areas. 'So far, about 54,000 people in the Chernihiv region have been informed,' Kryzhanovskyi says. While HALO unearths the lethal legacies embedded in Ukrainian soil, the global conversation on future mine use is shifting. Since Ukraine and five other European countries recently announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing an increasing Russian military threat, the issues surrounding mine use have been brought to the fore. 'The Ottawa Treaty is a key part of the human security architecture of tomorrow and one of the great successes of recent times,' Craig says. 'It has been instrumental in saving millions lives with more than 55 million AP mines destroyed since 1997 and over 30 countries now mine free. HALO believes in the rules-based international system and we urge all signatories to the Treaty to stay firm and adhere to global norms on landmines.' In the forest, the whistle sounds again as we prepare to leave. For this dedicated group of deminers, however, the work continues. They don their vests and visors once more. 'We don't have a deadline for our work,' Kryzhanovskyi says. 'I don't want other countries to forget that this problem is not solved. We're doing our best job and the war is still going on.' This reporting was supported by the International Women's Media Foundation's Women on the Ground: Reporting from Ukraine's Unseen Frontlines Initiative in partnership with the Howard G Buffett Foundation.
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Dumfries and Galloway landmine clearing charity to help protect frankincense trees in Somalia
The HALO Trust will remove the landmines to allow the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to carry out vital environmental work on the economically important species. The HALO Trust has joined forces with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to protect frankincense trees in war-torn Somalia. The Thornhill-based charity signed an agreement yesterday to clear landmines which standing in the way of vital environmental work. The trees are an economically and culturally important species under increasing threat from environmental pressures. Frankincense resin has a wide range of uses, including in aromatherapy, skincare and traditional medicine. CEO of The HALO Trust, James Cowan, said: 'War leaves behind a legacy of devastation, splintering the lives of people and destroying the fragile environments upon which they depend. 'By fusing our respective expertise, passion and knowledge, our shared vision of helping people to recover and thrive after conflict while restoring the natural world is brought to life. 'Together, we envision a future rooted in peace — where both the land and its people can flourish again.' Explosives experts from the charity have already been busy clearing landmines from parts of Puntland and south-west Somalia. That will allow experts from RBGE safe access to carry out ecological studies, looking at tree health and how they can support tree nurseries. Similar projects could be carried out in other parts of Africa and the Middle East in the future. Regius keeper of RBGE, Simon Milne, said: 'This partnership represents an innovative alignment of missions. 'By combining HALO's deep field knowledge and community networks with our expertise in plant science and conservation horticulture, we can support some of the world's most vulnerable regions with practical solutions to strengthen ecosystems and livelihoods alike.'
South Wales Guardian
16-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Harry echoes Diana's legacy in visit to Angolan minefield
Harry, as a patron of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, spoke to families in a remote village near Africa's largest minefield on Wednesday. He gave children in Cuito Cuanavale advice on avoiding detonating mines, telling them in Portuguese: 'Stop, go back and tell your elders.' The duke was highlighting the threat of the munitions in Angola, the same nation Diana, Princess of Wales visited in 1997 to urge the world to ban the weapons. On Tuesday he met Angola's President Joao Lourenco and welcomed the leader's intention to continue support for the removal of landmines left from the civil war that ended in 2002. Months before she died in a car crash, Diana, wearing a protective visor and vest, walked through a minefield being cleared by the Halo Trust. She strode through a cleared path in a Huambo minefield, and the images of her in body armour and a mask gave the anti-landmine campaign global recognition. Harry, who also echoed Diana in a 2019 visit to an Angolan minefield, said: 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school. 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school,' said Prince Harry. Today, the Duke of Sussex joined us in #Angola to meet families living near Africa's largest minefield – 28 years after his mother brought the issue to the world's attention. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day.' The Angolan government is the Halo Trust's largest donor in the south-western Africa country. A new three-year contract between the Angolan government and the Halo Trust was discussed during the meeting with Mr Lourenco. Later that day, at a reception hosted by the British Embassy, Harry spoke with business leaders about maintaining partnerships in humanitarian work. He said: 'The Angolan government's continued commitment is a powerful testament to Halo's success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. The Duke also helped us deliver life-saving risk education messages to children in Cuando province, southern #Angola. He repeated phrases in Portuguese including 'stop, go back and tell your elders' to prevent children from detonating deadly landmines and explosives. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'We thank President Lourenco for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support, as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country.' James Cowan, chief executive of the Halo Trust, said: 'We are hugely grateful to President Lourenco for his leadership and to the Duke of Sussex for his personal commitment to Halo's work in Angola. 'This new contract is an important step forward in our mission to make Angola mine-free, and we will continue our work in solidarity with the Angolan people until every last mine is cleared.' It is estimated that at least 60,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines in Angola since 2008, the Halo Trust said. The trust has cleared more than 120,000 landmines and 100,000 bombs from the country. However, in the past five years at least 80 Angolans have been killed by the devices and more than 1,000 minefields are yet to be cleared. During his 2019 trip, the duke delivered a call for action to help rid the world of landmines. He donned body armour and a protective visor while setting off a controlled explosion in a partially cleared minefield, and said Angola's continued problem with the buried munitions could have been solved if his mother had lived. Diana spoke out against the sale and use of landmines and famously called for an international ban on them during her 1997 trip. On Harry's latest trip, the Halo Trust said: 'This renewed commitment builds on previous support from the Angolan government, which was first highlighted when the duke visited the country in 2019 to retrace the path of his late mother. 'That visit showcased how once-dangerous land could be transformed into a safe and thriving community.'
Leader Live
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Harry echoes Diana's legacy in visit to Angolan minefield
Harry, as a patron of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust, spoke to families in a remote village near Africa's largest minefield on Wednesday. He gave children in Cuito Cuanavale advice on avoiding detonating mines, telling them in Portuguese: 'Stop, go back and tell your elders.' The duke was highlighting the threat of the munitions in Angola, the same nation Diana, Princess of Wales visited in 1997 to urge the world to ban the weapons. On Tuesday he met Angola's President Joao Lourenco and welcomed the leader's intention to continue support for the removal of landmines left from the civil war that ended in 2002. Months before she died in a car crash, Diana, wearing a protective visor and vest, walked through a minefield being cleared by the Halo Trust. She strode through a cleared path in a Huambo minefield, and the images of her in body armour and a mask gave the anti-landmine campaign global recognition. Harry, who also echoed Diana in a 2019 visit to an Angolan minefield, said: 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school. 'Children should never have to live in fear of playing outside or walking to school,' said Prince Harry. Today, the Duke of Sussex joined us in #Angola to meet families living near Africa's largest minefield – 28 years after his mother brought the issue to the world's attention. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'Here in Angola, over three decades later, the remnants of war still threaten lives every day.' The Angolan government is the Halo Trust's largest donor in the south-western Africa country. A new three-year contract between the Angolan government and the Halo Trust was discussed during the meeting with Mr Lourenco. Later that day, at a reception hosted by the British Embassy, Harry spoke with business leaders about maintaining partnerships in humanitarian work. He said: 'The Angolan government's continued commitment is a powerful testament to Halo's success in saving lives and reducing humanitarian risk. The Duke also helped us deliver life-saving risk education messages to children in Cuando province, southern #Angola. He repeated phrases in Portuguese including 'stop, go back and tell your elders' to prevent children from detonating deadly landmines and explosives. — The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) July 16, 2025 'We thank President Lourenco for his leadership and partnership, as well as continued donor support, as we work together towards completing the mission of a landmine-free country.' James Cowan, chief executive of the Halo Trust, said: 'We are hugely grateful to President Lourenco for his leadership and to the Duke of Sussex for his personal commitment to Halo's work in Angola. 'This new contract is an important step forward in our mission to make Angola mine-free, and we will continue our work in solidarity with the Angolan people until every last mine is cleared.' It is estimated that at least 60,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines in Angola since 2008, the Halo Trust said. The trust has cleared more than 120,000 landmines and 100,000 bombs from the country. However, in the past five years at least 80 Angolans have been killed by the devices and more than 1,000 minefields are yet to be cleared. During his 2019 trip, the duke delivered a call for action to help rid the world of landmines. He donned body armour and a protective visor while setting off a controlled explosion in a partially cleared minefield, and said Angola's continued problem with the buried munitions could have been solved if his mother had lived. Diana spoke out against the sale and use of landmines and famously called for an international ban on them during her 1997 trip. On Harry's latest trip, the Halo Trust said: 'This renewed commitment builds on previous support from the Angolan government, which was first highlighted when the duke visited the country in 2019 to retrace the path of his late mother. 'That visit showcased how once-dangerous land could be transformed into a safe and thriving community.'
