On March 17, 2025, Sergii Bieliaiev, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, took part in the second extraordinary session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Paris, France.
During the General Assembly session, several key issues were discussed, including preparations for the 25th General Assembly, leadership elections, and approval of the agenda.
As part of his visit, Sergii Bieliaiev met with Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO. They discussed Ukraine’s role in involving experts to examine international legal accountability for violations of the immunity of cultural heritage sites under enhanced protection.
The Deputy Minister highlighted that Ukraine has already begun using the “special monitoring” mechanism (ad hoc monitoring) to document damage to cultural sites, such as the State Industry House in Kharkiv (Derzhprom) and the Odesa Regional Philharmonic. Ukraine was the first to apply this mechanism, which enables accurate damage documentation, coordination of restoration efforts, and provides evidence for future prosecution of russian war criminals.
“Ukraine is actively using UNESCO’s mechanisms to protect cultural heritage during the war, while russia is violating international law and its obligations to UNESCO. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine has called on UNESCO to prepare a detailed report on the damage, which will be submitted to the International Criminal Court to hold russia accountable for the destruction of our cultural heritage”, said Sergii Beliaiev.
He also expressed gratitude to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for its continued support of Ukraine and emphasized the importance of ongoing cooperation.
