UNESCO, as an agency specialising in international cultural, educational, and scientific cooperation, issued a decision in which it expresses its grave concern over a serious humanitarian crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in civilian casualties, including among children and youth. Russia’s attack on Ukraine deprived more than six million school-aged children and 1.5 million university students of access to education. Many educational and scientific facilities were bombed and destroyed. Nearly two million people had to flee their homes.

The Executive Board members also condemned the dramatic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine for the safety of journalists. They called on Russia to stop deceitful disinformation, propaganda, and cyberattacks.  

The Executive Board member states strongly opposed the violations by the Russian Federation of its obligations under international law, including those relating to the protection of cultural and natural heritage. They condemned the irretrievable damage to memorial sites and cultural monuments in Kharkiv, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and many other places in Ukraine. The members deemed scandalous the shelling by Russia on 1 March 2022 of a television tower located in Babyn Yar, a ravine and a site of a German concentration camp during World War II, where tens of thousands of Jews were killed. In protest against Russia’s actions, some countries, including Poland, called for the upcoming session of the World Heritage Committee, originally planned to take place in Kazan on 19-30 June 2022, to be held at a different location.

The decision was co-sponsored by 64 UNESCO member states. In a vote during the UNESCO Executive Board session, only Russia voted against it. Therefore, the decision sends a strong message of solidarity with Ukraine and of clear opposition to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which caused a humanitarian crisis of an unprecedented scale.

The decision gives UNESCO’s specialised bodies a mandate to take concrete and robust actions aimed at supporting Ukrainian educational, academic, cultural, historical, and museum institutions. It also obliges UNESCO to take all possible efforts to ensure safety of journalists and media professionals who are risking their lives while working in Ukraine.

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Press Spokesperson