First Lady Zelenska urges UNESCO to expand its presence in Ukraine
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Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska delivered a poignant speech at the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on Nov. 8, during which she described the devastating impact of Russia’s invasion and war on Ukraine’s cultural heritage and society.
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Expressing gratitude for UNESCO’s support in safeguarding Ukraine’s cultural treasures, Zelenska noted that landmarks in Odesa, Kyiv, and Lviv had been listed as endangered sites. The organization has also provided enhanced protection for 20 more objects and documented the destruction of protected monuments during one-and-a-half years of full-scale war.
Zelenska’s address took a somber turn as she recounted the recent attack on Odesa, particularly the historic center where the Odesa National Art Museum sustained damage. Shocking the audience with grim statistics, she reported that over 1,700 cultural objects have been affected by the war.
She also noted that in Ukraine, 3,428 educational institutions have been damaged, and 365 completely destroyed, with a third of Ukrainian children learning only online. Additionally, 343 sports facilities have been damaged, and 95 completely destroyed. In the span of one-and-a-half years, approximately 360 prominent Ukrainian athletes and coaches have lost their lives.
“These are just numbers, but behind each of them is a story of loss,” Zelenska said.
“We’re suffering loses. The whole world is suffering loses. For us, all these museums, churches, theaters are not just abstract monuments. They’re a part of us.”
Zelenska emotionally recalled the tragic fates of Ukrainian cultural figures, including the director of the Kupyansk Local Lore Museum, Iryna Osadcha, killed by a Russian missile; 85-year-old artist Lyubov Panchenko, who died of hunger in occupied Bucha; and children’s writer Volodymyr Vakulenko, killed by Russian invaders in Izyum.
Zelenska also called for an expansion of UNESCO’s presence in Ukraine.
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“What Ukraine is going through shouldn’t be Ukraine’s problem alone. It’s a demonstration of what modern barbarism can do if not stopped,” she said.
“It’s an attack not just on us, but on everything valuable for a normal person. It’s an assault on civilization itself, the one UNESCO passionately protects.”
“Today, we find ourselves caught between barbarism and civilization, trying to protect lives from destruction, from being erased. So that no one loses their history or life anymore.”
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
