UNESCO is committed to continue monitoring the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea, as stated by Assistant Director-General of UNESCO F.E.Matoko on September 23, 2019, at the 9^th Information Meeting on monitoring the situation in the occupied Crimea in the areas of competence of the Organization, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, OSCE, ICOMOS, and the Amnesty International reiterated the concrete facts of ongoing violations of human rights by the occupying authorities, oppression of national minorities, repressive policy against media freedom, the safety of journalists, the suppression of education in the languages of persons belonging to national minorities, etc.

Ambassador of Ukraine to France, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UNESCO O. Shamshur, noted the significant deterioration of the situation on the peninsula in all spheres of competence of the Organization. He emphasized the importance of the direct monitoring of the situation in Crimea by UNESCO.

During the meeting, a joint statement was issued on behalf of 31 countries, emphasizing the need to monitor the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea in accordance with UNGA Resolution 28/262 of 27 March 2014 on Territorial Integrity of Ukraine.

The event confirmed that the issue of the occupied Crimea remains among UNESCO's priorities and reiterated the continued support of Ukraine the by member states of this most representative international Organization of the UN system.