EU Culture Ministers call on UNESCO to move session of World Heritage Committee from Russia to Lviv

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Culture and Information Policy Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“UNESCO supports Ukraine in preserving its cultural heritage and urges Russia to refrain from destroying and seizing cultural property. The relevant declaration on the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage was adopted at the second extraordinary meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict on March 18, 2022,” Tkachenko wrote.

According to Tkachenko, together with the EU Culture Ministers, he is calling on UNESCO to cancel the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Russia’s Kazan and hold it in Lviv instead. In addition, UNESCO should deprive Russia of the member status.

“Now, back to the declaration. With this declaration, UNESCO called on Russia to fully respect the international humanitarian and international human rights law, including the  obligations  stemming  from  the  1954  Hague  Convention and ratify the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention; to prevent and put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, and any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property, and to refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in Ukraine,” Tkachenko noted.

In addition, this declaration encourages Ukraine, in close coordination with UNESCO, to consider marking as quickly as possible key historic monuments and sites across Ukraine, as well as the transport of cultural property, with  the  distinctive  emblem  of  the  1954  Hague  Convention and invites all Member  States, UNESCO and  relevant  cultural  heritage  expert  organizations  to provide Ukraine any support or advice it may be able to give in protecting and safeguarding of cultural heritage of Ukraine.

In addition, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict endorsed a decision to provide Ukraine with urgent support, in particular financial support, and expressed readiness to grant the enhanced protection status to the key cultural property objects according to the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols.

“The Ukrainian Culture and Information Policy Ministry will continue holding a dialogue with UNESCO and insisting that requirements and sanctions for Russia should be tighter,” Tkachenko added.

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