On December 12, in Paris, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska together with Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, met with Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO. The topic of the meeting was the needs for culture and education.
“We will be grateful for the comprehensive implementation of the program of protection and promotion of culture and cultural heritage in Ukraine, in particular, for international financial assistance. I welcome the decision to appoint a UNESCO representative in Kyiv. This is an important gesture of solidarity, especially now, during the war. The organization carries out monitoring: the situation with cultural heritage objects is monitored through the satellite systems of other UN agencies. This is important for documenting all the crimes of the aggressor,” said Olena Zelenska.
In general, Ukraine is counting on a comprehensive and systematic aid program from UNESCO. The parties discussed the list of necessary equipment for Ukrainian cultural institutions so that they could survive the winter. These are generators, which are currently in short supply, means of conservation of buildings, and financial assistance.
“Soon, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will consider Odessa’s dossier for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. We hope for a quick and positive result. Protecting the culture and heritage of Ukraine is a stress test for the international system of preserving world heritage,” said Oleksandr Tkachenko.
The Minister gave Audrey Azoulay a present for the 300th birthday of the outstanding Ukrainian philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda and emphasized: “In case of a blackout at the UNESCO headquarters, the picture with the inscription “The light of freedom prevails over darkness” will shine even in the dark.”
It should be reminded that UNESCO is the key international organization in the world for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage. Earlier, at the UNESCO headquarters, Oleksandr Tkachenko and Audrey Azoulay agreed that the organization would help preserve the cultural heritage of Odessa.
