EU Statement on UNESCO’s Emergency assistance programme for Ukraine – 43rd Session of the General Conference, UNESCO
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden as well as candidate countries Albania, Ukraine, Georgia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Moldova and the Principalities of Andorra and Monaco and the Republic of San Marino.
Over three years have passed since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia has inflicted a heavy toll on civilians and civilian infrastructure and on Ukrainian education, culture, sciences and free flow of information.
The EU reaffirms its continued and unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
The EU commends UNESCO’s emergency assistance programme for Ukraine and thanks the Secretariat and donors for mobilizing over 70,6 million USD for Ukraine. The EU expresses appreciation for the programme’s work in all aspects of UNESCO’s mandate, such as supporting artists and cultural professionals, journalists and media workers, capacity building as well as protecting and conserving cultural heritage. The EU recalls the universality of the 1954 Hague Convention in the protection of Ukrainian cultural property under Russian occupation.
The EU welcomes the implementation of the International Coalition for Science, Research, and Innovation, co-developed by the European Commission and UNESCO, as an important tool to support the recovery and long-term development of Ukraine’s research and innovation ecosystem.
The EU reiterates its support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law. We welcome all efforts, and commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, to that end. We call on Russia to immediately and unconditionally agree to a full ceasefire.