14:18 24.05.2023

Ukraine, Poland signs memo of cooperation on inventory of cultural heritage losses caused by war

3 min read
Ukraine, Poland signs memo of cooperation on inventory of cultural heritage losses caused by war

Ukraine and Poland have signed a memorandum of cooperation on the inventory of cultural heritage losses caused by the Russian invasion.

"The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, represented by Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland, represented by Professor Dr. Piotr Gliński, have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the inventory of architectural and archaeological losses caused by Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine," the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said in a press release.

The goal of the Project to Save the Ukrainian Heritage initiative is to support efforts to save and preserve Ukraine's cultural heritage, which is under threat of destruction or damage, with a particular focus on UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the sites included in the Tentative List for inscription on the World Heritage List, documenting and analyzing its current state of conservation and the degree of its damage in certain administrative units, especially those affected by hostilities, and analyzing the effectiveness of the methods and procedures used today to document cultural losses in hostilities-affected territories.

According to the report, all of the above will be implemented, in particular, through the preparation of documentation on the destruction and damage of cultural heritage sites due to military operations of the Russian Federation using modern non-invasive methods. Satellite technologies and macro- and micro-spatial analysis for identifying the state of conservation of cultural heritage in territories liberated from occupation and post-conflict territories will be used. The collection of evidence of crimes against cultural heritage to investigate by an international criminal prosecution will be facilitated.

Factual support for the process of building a new system of integrated protection and management in the field of Ukraine's cultural heritage; training a group of Ukrainian specialists to document the damage caused by the war to cultural heritage, based on international and Polish experience in protecting the cultural heritage of post-conflict territories will be provided. Theoretical foundations and procedures for an updated interdisciplinary methodology for the field inventory of military damage in the cultural heritage area, adapted to the conditions of the European theater of war, will be developed.

"As part of the project implementation, Ukraine and Poland pledged to take several steps, both common and each separately, to bring the initiative to life. The project is planned to implement before December 31, 2023, with the possibility of extension with the parties' consent," the ministry said.

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