UNESCO to provide Ukraine with an emergency assistance package

UNESCO adopted a decision on actions and a program of emergency assistance to Ukraine.

This is stated in the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

"From now on, the Director General of UNESCO will actively monitor the situation in Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders to ensure UNESCO's direct participation in measures to restore Ukraine within the framework of the organization's mandate," the message reads.

The decision, in particular, provides for the Director General of UNESCO to actively monitor the situation after Russia blew up the Kakhovskaya HPP dam. The result of the monitoring should be the preparation of an action plan to overcome the negative consequences for the environment in connection with this ecocide.

In her turn, the Director of Strategic Planning of the UNESCO Secretariat presented the report of the Director General of the organization on the measures taken to implement the "UNESCO Program of Action and Emergency Assistance to Ukraine". The report covers the period from September 2023 to January 2024.

The representative of the secretariat of the organization emphasized that UNESCO has mobilized more than 66 million dollars. to help Ukraine.

The ICRC noted that the delegations of Great Britain, the United States, Spain, Austria, Australia, France, Lithuania, Japan, Italy, Slovakia, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Chile, Poland, and Ireland expressed support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, condemned Russian aggression and Russia's crimes against the cultural heritage, education system, and science sector of Ukraine.

In addition, the delegates condemned the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia, as well as the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP dam.

The delegations confirmed their readiness to continue financial support of UNESCO programs for Ukraine in certain areas, in particular for the protection of cultural heritage sites in Odesa, Kyiv, Lviv, and other cities, and called on the organization to continue mobilizing resources for the restoration of the areas of UNESCO's mandate in Ukraine.

The statement of the group of friends of Ukraine to UNESCO in support of Ukraine with a strict condemnation of Russian aggression was announced by the delegation of Great Britain on behalf of 44 states.

In turn, the delegation of Ukraine to UNESCO in its speech emphasized the importance of emergency assistance to Ukraine for the restoration of areas of the organization's mandate that were damaged as a result of Russian military aggression.

"Ukrainians have once again emphasized that the targets of Russian missile attacks are power plants, telecommunications, ordinary residential buildings, and public transport, i.e. civilian infrastructure," noted the ICRC.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 29/03/2024