On July 10, a meeting took place involving Mykyta Poturaiev, Chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Yevheniia Kravchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Committee, representatives from the UNESCO Office in Ukraine led by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, experts from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine represented by Acting Minister Rostyslav Karandieiev, and representatives from the Analytical Center “Institute of Legislative Ideas” and the RES-POL project.
During the meeting, discussions focused on the analysis and synchronization of Ukrainian legislation in the field of cultural heritage protection.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mykyta Poturaiev, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for the opportunity to engage leading experts in cultural heritage protection in the process of refining Ukrainian legislation. In particular, there is a need to harmonize provisions contained in laws such as “On Culture,” “On Protection of Cultural Heritage,” “On Protection of Archaeological Heritage,” “On Museums and Museum Affairs,” and “On Export, Import, and Return of Cultural Values.”
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Yevheniia Kravchuk, emphasized that a significant achievement in the current struggle has been the recognition of culture as a distinct segment under attack by the russian federation, requiring assistance in its restoration efforts.
This viewpoint was also supported by the head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi. The institution’s leader noted that for the first time on such a scale, the cultural sphere has been integrated into the country’s recovery program and is considered by the global community not only as factual institutions or entertainment sectors but more profoundly, encompassing issues of national identity.
“We are pleased with the high level of partnership we currently have with UNESCO, so I emphasize once again that only through combined efforts can we achieve results,” emphasized Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandieiev during the meeting.
Previously, the UNESCO Bureau of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization conducted a competition aimed at reforming and ensuring the implementation of legislation in the field of cultural heritage protection. The Analytical Center “Institute of Legislative Ideas” won the selection process. Anastasiia Petsenchuk, a representative of this center who also participated in the meeting, assured that analysts would make every effort to ensure timely and high-quality execution of the necessary tasks.
According to Olga Sahaidak, the lead expert in the cultural heritage sector at the RES-POL project, the project also aims to research issues within the cultural heritage sphere. The analytical part of the work has already been completed. Currently, 40 significant policy issues relevant to the field have been identified.
Overall, according to members of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, for effective legislative work in the cultural heritage field, it is important to focus on the following directions:
– Analyzing the implementation practice of legislation in the sphere of cultural heritage conservation and researching sectoral issues.
– Drafting bills / legislative initiatives.
– Providing consultations.
– Studying public opinion, advocacy, and promoting changes.
