ICOMOS Statement on Ukraine
Paris, 24 February 2022
ICOMOS deplores the lives already lost and threatened by the deterioration of the situation in the Ukrainian territory. ICOMOS also fears that serious threats weigh on Ukraine’s heritage. As one of the foremost organisations in the heritage field and Advisory Body to the World Heritage Committee, it reminds all involved of the extreme fragility of the cultural heritage during armed conflict, even to unintentional damage, and the commitments of care they have made under the UNESCO Cultural Conventions – in particular the 1954 Hague Convention and its two Protocols, the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage – and their absolute duty to do everything in their power to preserve all heritage, in all its components and layers, from damage. ICOMOS is at the disposal of its colleagues and the authorities in Ukraine for any support or advice it may be able to give in safeguarding cultural heritage or risk preparedness measures.
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The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is a non-governmental, not for profit international organisation, committed to furthering the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of the world’s cultural heritage. ICOMOS has built a solid philosophical, doctrinal and managerial framework for the sustainable conservation of heritage around the world. As an official advisory body to the World Heritage Committee for the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, ICOMOS evaluates nominations and advises on the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. ICOMOS is a founding member of the Blue Shield. For more information see www.icomos.org
Read the entire statement from ICOMOS in English and French here.