January 24, 2024: Working meeting with Diplomat Ladislav Horák, pro Dnipro/Cooperation by the Czech Republic in Ukraine
Co-Director Dr.Tatyana Stefanovska, NULES, Ukraine had a working meeting i with Diplomat Ladislav Horák, pro Dnipro/Cooperation for Dnipropetrovsk Region, the Czech Embassy in Ukraine. The meeting followed a discussion on cooperation in the field of climate change mitigation and environmental protection held on November 21, 2023 in Prague between the Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Dr. Jiří Lehejček and members of NATO team from UJEP: prof. Valentina Pidlisnyuk (NPD), Dr. Josef Trogl and PhD student Katrien Boonen.
During the working meeting in Kyiv, Mr. Ladislav Horák introduced the activities in the humanitarian area carried out by the Czech Embassy in Dnipropetrovsk region.
Dr. Stefanovska introduced the main output of the background activities of international team related Miscanthus phytotechnology developed for the post-military and post-mining lands. This approach has become extremely relevant since the beginning of the large-scale war in Ukraine. The technology has to be improved and applied to de-occupied territories for their revitalization. Dr. Stefanovska briefed on the ongoing NATO project G6094 which focused on Advanced Low-carbon approach with utilization of biochar which will contribute to circular economy, climate change mitigation, and production of the value-added bioproducts from biomass growth on military soils.
Mr. Horák was extremely interested in information related production and use of biochar from the contaminated biomass. It is one of the key components of overcoming the effects of climate change, which is the task of the on-going project.
After the fruitful discussion the following was agreed upon:
- To fundraising for the bilateral Ukraine-Czech Republic project to introduce phytotechnology with biomass production to the territories of the Dnipropetrovsk region that were affected by active military operations and need to be revitalized.
- To start searching Czech business may be interested in production biochar in Ukraine using technologies to be developed in the current project.
- To conduct a constant information exchange and to organize joint events to deepen cooperation.
