On June 26, Deputy Minister and Chair of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO Mariana Betsa held a meeting with ambassadors and representatives accredited to Ukraine from Australia, Argentina, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, Moldova, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, and France—all of which are members of the UNESCO Executive Board—to discuss ways to strengthen the Organization’s response to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

During the meeting, Mariana Betsa emphasized that Russia continues to deliberately and cynically destroy Ukrainian identity, particularly through attacks on cultural heritage sites, educational institutions, and scientific facilities.

“The Russian Federation’s criminal actions are a direct challenge not only to UNESCO’s protection mechanisms and international obligations regarding world cultural heritage, but also to the fundamental values of peace upon which the organization is founded,” noted Mariana Betsa, referring in particular to the recent Russian attack on the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra—part of a UNESCO World Heritage site currently under threat.

The Chair of Ukraine’s National Commission for UNESCO emphasized that, given the scale and systematic nature of the destruction perpetrated by the Russian Federation, the current situation in Ukraine requires a more decisive and targeted response from UNESCO.

Mariana Betsa thanked international partners for their unwavering support of our country within the framework of UNESCO and other international organizations amid the ongoing Russian aggression, and called on foreign diplomats to make more active use of all available UNESCO tools in responding to the Russian Federation’s crimes against culture.