The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concern over the damage caused to historic landmarks in Ukraine and called for the protection of its cultural heritage. At the same time, the organization has taken action within its capabilities to help safeguard the endangered sites. Ukraine is home to seven World Heritage sites, including the 11th-century Saint-Sophia Cathedral and the entire ensemble of the Historic Centre of Lviv. In addition, several sites in the recently damaged cities of Kharkiv and Chernihiv were on the tentative list for potential nomination to World Heritage status.
Since the beginning of the war, UNESCO has taken actions to protect the endangered heritage, maintaining permanent contact with cultural institutions and relevant authorities in Ukraine. The first step, which began last week, is marking cultural sites and monuments with the “Blue Shield” emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict in an attempt to deter deliberate or accidental damage. “The first challenge is to mark cultural heritage sites and monuments and recall their special status as protected areas under international law”, says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
We must safeguard the cultural heritage in Ukraine as a testimony of the past but also as a catalyst for peace and cohesion for the future, which the international community has a duty to protect and preserve - UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
In partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), UNESCO is monitoring damaged sites via satellite imagery. At the same time, the organization is in contact with members of the civil society and cultural professionals, who help assess the impact on cultural institutions. In addition, museums like the National Museum of Lviv have dismantled their exhibitions, and artworks have been moved to underground locations. Civilians are also participating in these efforts, helping protect centuries-old statues.
As of now, the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum have been destroyed in a fire, and the site of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial outside Kyiv that honors the 33,000 Jewish people killed by Nazis during World War II was almost hit by a strike.
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