On May 13-14, at the invitation of the Government of the Netherlands, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Iryna Borovets took part in UNESCO's events in The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Iryna Borovets intervened at high-level panel discussion at the opening of the International conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

Deputy Minister shared Ukraine's expertise on the implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention and the First and Second Protocols hereto. She also informed of the devastating consequences of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine for the cultural heritage of our country.

Iryna Borovets expressed the gratitude to UNESCO and partners of Ukraine for their constant support and emphasized the importance of increasing fundraising for projects for Ukraine on cultural heritage protection and in other areas of UNESCO's mandate.

In addition, Iryna Borovets emphasized the need to improve the monitoring mechanisms and the effectiveness of the 1954 Hague Convention in order to bring  the aggressor - Russia - to justice for crimes against Ukraine and its cultural heritage.

"Ukraine's participation in the International Conference to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Hague Convention of 1954 has a special symbolic meaning, taking into account the 70th anniversary of Ukraine's membership in UNESCO, which is being celebrated in the same period. The current situation in Ukraine who is protecting its cultural heritage from the aggression of another country participating in the Hague Convention of 1954, has become a serious challenge for the entire UNESCO convention system, created and developed over the past 70 years to protect the cultural heritage of humanity," - Deputy Minister said.

During the negotiations with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Hanke Bruins Slot and Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kaisa Ollongren, Iryna Borovets thanked the Dutch side for large support for Ukraine in the political, humanitarian and military spheres, and also leading role of the Netherlands in bringing Russia to accountability for the crimes committed in Ukraine. Deputy Minister separately focused on the importance of the highest level of state representation at the Global Peace Summit, which will take place on June 15-16 in Switzerland.