Ukraine and UNESCO outline a plan to preserve cultural heritage in times of war
Kyiv • UNN
Representatives of the ICIP and UNESCO discussed plans for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites and infrastructure in Ukraine affected by the Russian invasion, including monitoring of damage, training of military and judicial personnel, and organization of international conferences on the protection of cultural property.
Representatives of the ICIP met with the head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi. They discussed the problems of preserving and restoring cultural heritage sites and cultural infrastructure in Ukraine. The plans and developments in this direction were described in the press service of the Ukrainian cultural ministry, UNN reports.
Details
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said that the participants of the meeting discussed projects related to the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage and cultural infrastructure affected by the full-scale invasion of Russia.
The focus was on the implementation of the provisions of UNESCO conventions to which Ukraine is a party, in particular, in connection with events marking the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, and details of projects to monitor the situation in the areas affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. They also discussed the training of the military and representatives of judicial institutions in the context of preserving cultural property in times of war, as well as the need to create a specialized unit for the preservation of cultural property.
The head of UNESCO in Ukraine emphasized the achievements and priorities of projects aimed at preserving cultural heritage in Odesa, Chernihiv, and Lviv. She noted that a team of foreign experts is currently working on an instrumental analysis of the state of cultural heritage sites in Ukraine. Their main goal is to assess the destructive processes taking place in buildings that cannot be assessed visually, such as a shift or change in the position of the roof.
She noted that as part of the Italian project, experts are currently working in Odesa, where they are studying the Transfiguration Cathedral. As part of the expedition, experts are conducting research to determine the impact of the explosion on the stability of the structure. The data obtained will be used during the design work. They plan to implement this method of work in all future restoration projects.
This is an important work to calculate the amount of material and the scope of restoration work.
Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi also proposed to develop a separate plan for the restoration of the damaged infrastructure and territory of Ukraine. According to her, first of all, it is necessary to identify priorities for which international donors will allocate funds. The work will include restoration of buildings, including roofs and walls, and their conservation if necessary.
A separate set of issues was the organization and conduct of monitoring expeditions to inspect the areas affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
It was also emphasized the need to develop an ICCROM form for assessing losses to archaeological sites.
Lina Doroshenko, Head of the Sector for Monitoring the Situation in the Temporarily Occupied Territories , emphasized the importance of cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the context of establishing mobile groups to monitor the areas of shoaling and flooding in Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Dnipro regions.
She added that the efforts of the cultural heritage department of the ICIP are also aimed at creating a specialized unit for the protection and preservation of cultural property and at implementing a UNESCO project to provide training for the military and judicial professionals. This will help Ukraine preserve cultural property and fulfill its obligations as a signatory to the UNESCO Conventions.
In conclusion, the participants of the meeting outlined plans to hold international conferences on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 25th anniversary of the Second Protocol to it. In addition, raised the issue of Ukraine's representation at events planned for The Hague (Netherlands), Berlin (Germany), and Vilnius (Lithuania) in late spring and early summer 2024. The events will be dedicated to the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage.
