UNESCO and ICOMOS Visit Odesa to Assess Risks to World Heritage Sites

On Wednesday, February 12, a mission of UNESCO and ICOMOS is on an official visit to Odesa.

As reported by the Odesa City Council, representatives of both organizations came to collect information and consultations on the preservation of World Heritage sites in the face of threats.

Ms. Berta de San Cristobal, Head of the Europe and North America Division of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, welcomed the Mayor of Odesa and noted the importance of assessing the condition of the site, in particular, preserving the historic city center unchanged despite all the challenges. The mission was supposed to arrive in 2023, but due to intense shelling, the visit was postponed.

The purpose of this visit is to assess the condition of the World Heritage Site and verify the implementation of previous recommendations. The mission will last for several days, during which the factors affecting the preservation, protection and management of this unique cultural site will be discussed.

Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov emphasized that the issue of preserving historical heritage is not political, but important for the city's residents and their future.

According to the mayor's office, over the 3 years of full-scale war, about 10 large-scale attacks have been carried out on the territory of the World Heritage Site and its buffer zone. In total, about 170 cultural heritage sites in Odesa have already suffered varying degrees of damage.

The international charitable organization ALIPH has allocated 30 thousand dollars (1.26 million hryvnias) to eliminate the consequences of the rocket attack on the historic center of Odesa that took place on the evening of January 31.

Ukraine's Ministry of Culture recently appealed to UNESCO to take the necessary measures under the Hague Convention to protect the organization's protected sites in the center of Odesa.

Ірина Глухова