From September 21 to 22, 2023, USAID/ENGAGE organized the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Forum #ActForHeritage, bringing together voices from civil society, the cultural community, government, and international actors to launch a platform to preserve Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage. Read this special newsletter issue for a vivid recap of our Forum and dive into the latest insights on strategies and priorities for the preservation of cultural heritage, advocacy efforts, and how to protect Ukraine’s cultural legacy during wartime.
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has inflicted lasting wounds upon the country’s cultural and civilian infrastructure. In response to Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s cultural heritage, the USAID/ENGAGE partner Anti-Corruption Headquarters (ACHQ) has taken the lead in documenting these crimes. Armed with exclusive access to Project Providence – a secure and provenance-based documentation platform – the CSO documented damage to 572 objects of cultural heritage and civilian infrastructure, including schools, churches, and museums. A total of 14 statements, supported by verified photographic evidence collected by the CSO, were formally submitted to national law enforcement agencies. This has resulted in the initiation of 10 separate criminal proceedings against those responsible for the devastation.
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On September 21-22, USAID/ENGAGE hosted the “Ukrainian Cultural Heritage: #ActForHeritage” Forum in Kyiv in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Watch the video to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of our Forum!
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The Forum was inaugurated by esteemed speakers:
Theodora B Dell, USAID Ukraine, Deputy Mission Director
“To enhance Ukraine’s capacity to recover and safeguard its cultural heritage the U.S. Department of State has allocated $7 million to its Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative. We are expanding and reinforcing public-private partnerships with civil society organizations in Ukraine. We are building on over two decades of U.S. engagement in protection and preservation efforts, in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine through the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation”
Rostyslav Karandeev, Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy
“Russia’s war against Ukraine is not only a war for territory. It’s a deliberate effort to erode Ukrainian identity and everything associated with Ukraine– language, traditions, Ukrainian cultural heritage.”
Prof. Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Desk in Ukraine
“Culture has a powerful driving role in sustainable development but equally in emergency response and in the recovery and reconstruction of the country, being at the center of community ties, collective memory, social cohesion, collective and individual well-being.”
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The Forum drew attention to the following issues of cultural heritage protection:
- There is an urgent need for a comprehensive cultural heritage strategy, encompassing a clear definition and a reevaluation of what heritage represents at the governmental level.
- It is imperative to urgently advocate for legislative changes and the establishment of a Unified State Register of Movable and Immovable Historical Monuments in Ukraine, ensuring public access to this resource.
- Urgent funding is needed for the digitalization of cultural institutions. Currently, information on museum holdings is largely paper-based, necessitating the creation of a centralized register.
- “Cognitive demining” programs should be carried out in all territories that were occupied. The issue of cultural heritage is currently at the center of cognitive de-occupation efforts, aimed at the mental return of people who were under occupation.
- Challenges persist with historical sites and archives in occupied or mined territories. Lack of guidance on handling damaged cultural structures and restricted access compounds the issue. Thus, urgent deployment of “military mobile groups” in liberated zones for damage assessment and reconstruction planning is essential.
- Ukrainian heritage is determined not only by geographic or ethnic origin. Destroying connections with European heritage or that of other nations undermines the idea of multiculturalism in Ukraine and its history.
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Six CSOs presented projects dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage during the pitching session
Among the proposed initiatives were innovative ideas such as digitizing museum collections, fostering museum collaborations, creating a virtual museum and art exhibition in partnership with artists with disabilities, and utilization of 3D scanning technology for museum collection preservation.
The jury recognized the “Museum Contract” NGO as the winner, granting them a $1000 certificate for acquiring essential project equipment. This team will focus on visualizing the restored Memorial Museum-Estate of V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko and M.O. Korf, currently situated in temporarily occupied territory. Through the application of digital solutions, the team will actively engage in museum restoration and archive digitization.
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To create the identity of the Forum, the Ruthenia font by Vasyl Chebanyk was used.