UNESCO has added two more Ukrainian cultural heritage sites to the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine said on Thursday, UNN reports.
The International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection includes the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve and the Odesa Literary Museum
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The decision to place the two sites under enhanced protection was made, as indicated, on December 11 at the 19th meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Previously, 25 cultural heritage sites of Ukraine were included in this list. These are most of the sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Tentative UNESCO World Heritage List, excluding sites located in the temporarily occupied territories.
"By now, the ICCC has documented 1222 cases of destruction of cultural heritage sites. This means that, on average, Russia damages more than one site every day. And these statistics do not include the destruction of cultural infrastructure and the looting of museums and archaeological collections. These are all attempts not only to destroy physical monuments, but also to erase the identity and history of the nation," said Anastasia Bondar, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine , in her online speech.
According to her, the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve is a reminder of one of the darkest pages of human history, emphasizing the importance of memory and the fight against hatred. Despite the daily shelling, the Odesa Literary Museum remains a strong symbol of Ukrainian culture.
"We also call for the establishment of international legal responsibility for the destruction of cultural property under enhanced protection. This must be done not only for Ukraine, but also for the sake of observing the principles of international law and preserving the common world heritage," the Deputy Minister said.