The 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan: Key decisions for Ukraine and the world

The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has concluded in Busan, Republic of Korea. During the meetings, the Committee reviewed the state of conservation of World Heritage properties, new nominations, issues of international assistance, responses to the consequences of armed conflicts and emergencies, as well as the further development of mechanisms under the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

One of the key decisions of the session for Ukraine was the inclusion of the property Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora in the List of World Heritage in Danger.

“The results of the 48th session show that the World Heritage List continues to expand, but at the same time the number of properties requiring urgent international protection is also growing. For Ukraine, it is important not only to ensure the representation of our heritage within UNESCO mechanisms, but also to achieve proper international responses to occupation, armed attacks, and the loss of state access to its own properties. The decision on Chersonese is the result of Ukraine’s systematic work and clearly demonstrates: changes to authenticity, illegal works, and large-scale construction on occupied territory cannot remain outside international assessment,” said First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Ivan Verbytskyi, who led the Ukrainian delegation in Busan.

The Committee kept properties in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

In its decision on Odesa, the Committee expressed grave concern about the consequences of russian aggression. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 60 cultural heritage monuments within the property have been damaged. The Committee once again called on the russian federation to refrain from any actions that could directly or indirectly harm Ukraine’s World Heritage properties.

Regarding Lviv, the Committee welcomed the joint reactive monitoring mission of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, which is to assess the state of conservation, influencing factors, and management system of the property, as well as contribute to preparing the desired state of conservation and corrective measures.

In addition, the Committee approved international assistance to Ukraine in the amount of USD 77,000 for the development of a Management Plan for the property Lviv – Ensemble of the Historic Centre in terms of conservation and risk management.

An important systemic outcome of the session was the continuation of work on an issue raised by Ukraine during the previous session of the Committee. This concerns cases where World Heritage properties face threats not due to the actions or inaction of the State Party, but as a result of armed conflicts, occupation, natural disasters, or other emergencies beyond its control. The Committee confirmed the relevance of this work and continued implementation of the corresponding decision.

During the 48th session, the Committee did not support the participation of two russian organizations — RAIPON (Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North) and the Expert Council on Protected Areas — as observers. This decision sent an important signal about the need to preserve the independent and professional nature of the work of the Convention’s bodies and demonstrated Member States’ support for an approach aimed at preventing the use of UNESCO’s international mechanisms to promote political narratives or legitimize the actions of the aggressor state.

The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee confirmed that the World Heritage system continues to adapt to contemporary challenges — armed conflicts, occupation, climate threats, illicit trafficking of cultural property, and the need to preserve memory of events shaping world history.

For Ukraine, the session was not only an important stage in advancing national interests in cultural heritage protection, but also proof that international mechanisms can respond to the challenges of war, record threats to heritage in occupied territories, mobilize international support, and develop new approaches to safeguarding cultural values in conditions of armed conflict.

The decision on Tauric Chersonese, the continuation of work on threats beyond state control, support for Ukrainian World Heritage properties, and approval of international assistance for Lviv demonstrate that Ukraine remains an active participant in shaping the international agenda in cultural heritage protection and consistently uses UNESCO mechanisms to safeguard its cultural heritage during wartime.