Zelensky meets with UNESCO Director General, receives certificate on Odesa

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay and received a certificate on the inscription of the historic center of Odesa city on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“Had a meeting with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay. Thank you for the real results of work and supporting Ukraine. We are fighting on the battlefield for the values of democracy, our freedom and independence, for the future of our children, as well as for our historical values and cultural heritage. It is very important to protect them,” Zelensky posted on Telegram.

During the meeting, Azoulay handed over a certificate on the inscription of the historic center of Odesa city on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger to Zelensky.

Expressing gratitude for the decision regarding Odesa, Zelenskyy expressed his belief in the importance of including other Ukrainian cultural heritage sites, in particular, the historical center of Chernihiv, in the UNESCO list.

As the President’s Office informs, Zelensky held a meeting with the UNESCO Director General in Chernihiv region.

The President pointed out the importance of UNESCO's solidarity with the people of Ukraine amid full-scale Russian aggression.

The proof of solidarity of this international organization with Ukraine was, in particular, the establishment of its institutional presence in Ukraine – the creation of a UNESCO Liaison Office in Kyiv.

The parties noted the importance of Ukraine's membership in UNESCO, which has been ongoing for 69 years and is characterized by active international cooperation in the scientific, educational and cultural spheres.

The President separately emphasized the inadmissibility of Russia's membership in UNESCO and the importance of a clear and powerful response by the organization and its bodies to the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

Zelensky informed Azoulay about the Ukrainian cultural objects destroyed and damaged by Russia, stressing that their total number is about 1,190, as well as about the theft and illegal removal of Ukrainian cultural values from the temporarily occupied territories.

In this context, the President emphasized the importance of UNESCO's leadership role in involving international partners in restoring the damaged cultural heritage of Ukraine.

The Head of State highly appreciated UNESCO's help in implementing a number of projects in our country, in particular, in ensuring the continuity of education and the mental health program implemented under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.