Culture Ministry signs memo with UNESCO on restoration of cultural institutions

The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine signed three memorandums of cooperation with the UNESCO Office in Ukraine and national cultural institutions - the Kharkiv Korolenko State Scientific Library, the Kharkiv I. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts and the Stolyarsky Odesa State Musical Lyceum.

"I am sincerely grateful to UNESCO, the Government of Japan and everyone who supports Ukraine in this difficult time. The willingness not to stop at formal steps, but to move on to real actions is especially valuable. We are working together to preserve the Ukrainian cultural heritage, national memory, art and identity," the press service quoted Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna as saying.

It is noted that this is already the second stage of such cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and UNESCO - the first memorandum was signed within the framework of the project with the Kyiv Academy of Arts named after Boychuk.

Thus, the concluded memorandums of cooperation provide for the implementation of comprehensive measures to restore cultural infrastructure facilities damaged as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.

"The Kharkiv State Scientific Library named after Korolenko - the largest library in Eastern Ukraine with more than 7 million units of stock - was seriously damaged due to Russian shelling. The memorandum provides for the modernization of the heating system of the entire library complex in order to preserve the stock and the building itself - an architectural monument," the message says.

Odesa State Music Lyceum named after Professor Stolyarsky - a unique music school founded by the legendary teacher, was damaged by a blast wave in July 2023: hundreds of windows and doors, the ceiling were destroyed, and thanks to the support of UNESCO and the Japanese government, the building will be restored and strengthened, which will allow the educational process to be restored and the tradition of music education to be preserved.

The Kharkiv I. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts - one of the leading art universities in Ukraine suffered significant damage in March 2022, and within the framework of the memorandum, UNESCO will help restore heating, water supply and sewerage systems to ensure safe conditions for student learning and the preservation of cultural space.

According to the report, financing of the projects, organization of the work, technical support and monitoring of their implementation are carried out by UNESCO with the support of the Government of Japan.