Mariana Betsa is appointed head of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO, replacing Iryna Borovets. Yevhen Tsymbaliuk is appointed Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The German Federal Archive has handed over a hard disk with digitized Ukrainian films from the early twentieth century to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. The materials will be transferred to the Dovzhenko Center for preservation and research.
Babyn Yar and the Odesa Literary Museum have been added to the UNESCO International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection. Previously, 25 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites were added to the list.
The UNESCO Committee will use the “special monitoring” mechanism for the first time in Ukraine and organize a mission to Kharkiv. The goal is to record the damage to the State Industrial Complex caused by Russian air strikes and collect evidence for the International Criminal Court.
The Kobzar-Lirnytsia tradition and the art of Easter egg making have been officially recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage of humanity. These are the first Ukrainian practices to be included in the organization's registers in 2023.
Ukrainian kobzarism is officially recognized as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity.
UNESCO has included the traditional Japanese rice drink sake in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The recognition is intended to revive the popularity of the drink in Japan, where it is now consumed mainly at ceremonies.
At the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, the Ukrainian Easter egg was included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The application was submitted jointly with Estonia and approved in the capital of Paraguay.
Airbnb paid $1. 5 million to rent the Colosseum for the Gladiatorial Experience in May 2025. The project has sparked outrage among locals, who accuse the authorities of over-commercializing the historic site.
The Russian attack on November 14 in Odesa damaged numerous architectural monuments in the historic center of the city. Among the damaged sites are buildings dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries that are under UNESCO protection.
The prosecutor's office has served a war crime notice to the head of the occupied Askania-Nova nature reserve. The official illegally transferred rare animals worth over UAH 22 million to russia.
Japan's famous Mount Fuji has finally seen its first snowfall, a month later than usual. This was the latest first snowfall in the last 130 years of observations.
Mykhailo Poplavsky has reached 8. 2 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million on TikTok thanks to his unique content. His videos about Ukrainian cuisine have gained over 34 million views on YouTube.
The Israeli Defense Forces have called on residents of the ancient city of Baalbek to urgently evacuate before air strikes on Hezbollah targets. The UNESCO-listed city is home to about 100,000 people.
a Russian air bomb damaged the 7th entrance of the State Industrial Complex in Kharkiv, shattering about 700 windows. The main structures survived, but due to its status as an architectural monument, restoration could take years.
As a result of the night strike of the Russian Federation on Kharkiv, 4 people were killed, including two young men and two elderly women. Three private houses were destroyed, 17 residential buildings and 6 cars were damaged.
The President of Ukraine commented on the Russian strikes on Kharkiv and Kryvyi Rih. He called for the isolation of Russia and emphasized that flirting with the aggressor only increases its appetite.
Russian troops have damaged the building of the State Industrial Complex in Kharkiv, which is a UNESCO-protected architectural monument, with bombs. A medical facility and administrative buildings were also damaged, with six people injured.
A festival of Podillya customs and rituals was held in Nemyriv with the support of the MHP-Hromada charitable foundation. Guests tasted traditional dishes, viewed exhibitions of handicrafts and enjoyed performances by creative groups.
The Prague authorities have banned organized night tours of pubs for tourist groups from 22:00 to 6:00. The decision was made due to complaints from residents about noise and garbage and security problems in the city center.
The Northern Commercial Court of Appeal upheld the claim of the Kyiv Cave Monastery against UTOPIK to vacate building No. 19. The building belongs to the state and is an architectural monument of local significance.
On October 15, the Kyiv Cave Monastery will open an exhibition of the restored iconostasis of St. George's Church in Drohobych. The 17th-century iconostasis is a pearl of Ukrainian sacred art and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was on October 5, 1962, that the first film based on the books by Ian Fleming about the British intelligence spy, 007 agent James Bond, Dr. No, was released, which marked the beginning of the cult film franchise.
The world's first law on access to information was adopted in 1766 in Sweden. The document guaranteed free access to archives with the right to receive copies of documents, freedom of printing and dissemination of data on the government, parliament and courts.
Niger's military government postponed the start of the school year to October 28 due to heavy rains and flooding. More than 300 people have died and 800,000 have been affected by the worst floods in 30 years in the region.
For the first time, World Cleanup Day was held in 2018, when its participants managed to collect more than 80 thousand tons of garbage around the world. This year, at least 100 million people from 197 countries will join World Cleanup Day.
UNESCO will support archaeological research in the areas affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. The organization will help with monitoring, coordination, and training on recording crimes related to cultural property.
Russian invaders in the occupied Crimea have started massive felling of trees to build fortifications on the coast. Local residents report trucks with logs heading to the occupiers' positions.
Ukraine asks UNESCO to protect Chersonesos Tavriya from the illegal actions of the Russian Federation in the occupied Crimea. The occupiers are carrying out construction work and archaeological excavations, which have damaged 80,215 square meters of the monument.
The head of the Presidential Administration, Andriy Yermak, proposed to create a council on culture at the Office of the President. He emphasized the importance of culture during the war and noted the contribution of cultural figures to the fight against the aggressor.
