Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy Calls on the International Community to Work Together to Preserve the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage

Representatives of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) came recently to Ukraine to see the damage caused by the russian aggression in Ukraine with their own eyes.

Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy, told this during his briefing at Media Center Ukraine — Ukrinform.

“Our international colleagues will help us preserve cultural heritage and provide advice on documenting the destruction – it is very important because the destruction of the cultural heritage is a war crime. The international assistance will cover several aspects, such as the specialist advice by our specialists, project funding, etc.,” the Minister of Culture said.

Teresa Patricio, President of ICOMOS, emphasized that this international organization’s core role is to preserve and protect cultural heritage.

“We are facing global challenges with preserving the heritage of the Ukrainian culture. Over the last months, we prepared recommendations for preserving cultural diversity. For instance, we prepared guidelines on saving wooden churches from fire,” she indicated.

Zeynep Gül Ünal, Vice President of ICOMOS, said that it was necessary to realize the extent of damage caused to the cultural heritage: “We want to update our map of cultural sites in line with international standards.”

Kateryna Chuieva, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy, thanked the international community for its support and engagement.

According to earlier reports, representatives of international organizations tasked with preserving and protecting cultural and historical sites worldwide came to Ukraine on a weeklong visit; on July 12 and 13, they visited the towns of Kyiv and Chernihiv Oblasts ruined by russians.

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