Ukraine: UNESCO gathers military, cultural, and justice personnel for the protection of cultural properties

This initiative, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, and the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, is one of UNESCO's numerous responses to the increasing damage of cultural sites all over Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, 432 cultural sites have been verified by the Organizationas damaged or destroyed.

To enhance the preservation of Ukraine's cultural heritage, UNESCO has gathered over 45 participants from across Ukraine, uniting three key sectors closely involved in safeguarding cultural property. The course, focusing on the implementation of UNESCO 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflictand its two Protocols, was designed by both international and national experts, and featured a mix of joint sessions and specialized parallel modules aimed at fostering strong collaboration among all national entities.

Throughout the training, participants engaged in a combination of technical modules, practical exercises, and scenario-based learning, led by experts in their respective fields. The focus was on the specific roles and responsibilities each entity holds in protecting cultural property, as well as the critical importance of intersectoral cooperation.

The third and fourth days of the workshop were dedicated to hands-on exercises in collaboration with the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Central House of Culture in Irpin. Here, participants practiced assessing damage to cultural property using the UNESCO-ICCROM International Form and unified methodology. They also identified first-aid recovery measures and performed evacuation drills, working closely with museum staff to simulate real-life scenarios.

Participants also deepened their understanding of international legal obligations under UNESCO's normative texts, particularly the stipulations of the 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999) and the 1970 UNESCO Convention governing the protection of cultural property.