On April 13, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Representative of Ukraine to the UNESCO Executive Board, and Chairperson of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO Mariana Betsa took part in the general policy debate during the 224th session of the UNESCO Executive Board and outlined Ukraine’s priorities as a member of this governing body of UNESCO.
This is the first session of the Executive Board in which Ukraine participates as a member for the 2025–2029 term following its election at the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in November 2025, which marked an important diplomatic achievement for Ukraine.
During the general policy debate, Mariana Betsa drew attention to the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which continues to cause significant damage across all areas of UNESCO’s mandate. As of early April, 1,723 cultural heritage sites and 2,524 cultural infrastructure facilities had been damaged or destroyed.
The representative of Ukraine stressed the growing challenges facing global security and the rules-based international order, while reaffirming Ukraine’s commitment to strengthening UNESCO’s role as an effective international organisation.
In her statement, Mariana Betsa outlined Ukraine’s priorities within the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025–2029 across the key areas of education, science, culture, communication, and information, taking into account cross-cutting issues such as the protection of cultural heritage from the consequences of armed conflicts, the development of education and science, communication, gender equality, and artificial intelligence.
The representative of Ukraine underscored that Ukraine supports international efforts aimed at strengthening education systems, promoting open science and international scientific cooperation, as well as UNESCO’s activities to protect freedom of expression, counter disinformation, and ensure the safety of journalists.
Particular attention in her address was devoted to threats facing Ukraine’s cultural heritage, including as a result of recent attacks against the historic centre of Lviv, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Mariana Betsa stressed the need to deploy a UNESCO monitoring mission.
The Deputy Minister called for intensified international efforts aimed at protecting cultural sites, documenting destruction, and ensuring the digital preservation of heritage.
Mariana Betsa also raised the issue of the illegal removal of cultural property from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and stressed the need to strengthen UNESCO’s role in documenting violations, ensuring accountability, and facilitating the return of cultural property.
“These criminal actions by Russia are not only grave violations of international law. They are also attempts to erase our identity. That is why this issue must remain at the centre of UNESCO’s attention,” Mariana Betsa stated.
Mariana Betsa expressed gratitude to UNESCO for its support for Ukraine and called on Member States to continue providing assistance. Particular emphasis was also placed on the importance of continued monitoring of the situation in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
In her statement, the Deputy Minister also referred to the approaching 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster as a reminder of the need to uphold international norms and ensure accountability. She called on the international community to support Ukraine’s initiative to properly commemorate this date and to take its lessons into account in the context of contemporary global challenges.
Mariana Betsa reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to continue actively contributing to addressing key tasks within UNESCO’s mandate and to remain a contributor to international security.