Around UAH 100 million for Ukrainian culture and new partnerships: the Ministry of Culture brought together 40 international delegations in Lviv to strengthen support for Ukrainian culture

Around UAH 100 million in new support, the expansion of the Cultural Resilience Alliance, new international agreements, and the launch of joint projects — these are the key outcomes of the International Conference “Cooperation for Resilience” held in Lviv and organized by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

The event brought together 40 foreign delegations, including those led by 10 European ministers of culture, as well as diplomats, UNESCO representatives, and other international partners, all united in their support for Ukrainian culture during wartime. Participants worked on concrete mechanisms for cooperation — from protecting cultural heritage to developing long-term models for recovery and growth.  

“The Netherlands is providing EUR 1 million to support Ukraine’s cultural sector, the United Kingdom is allocating GBP 250,000, and Luxembourg is contributing EUR 350,000. European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef also announced EUR 250,000 for Team Europe. UNESCO, within the framework of the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention, is allocating USD 60,000 for the protection of cultural heritage,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine -Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna.

The Ministry of Culture signed a Memorandum on cooperation with Spain, focusing on cultural policy and recovery projects. New members joined the Cultural Resilience Alliance, including Luxembourg, the East Europe Foundation, Portugal, Flanders, and Austria. 

European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef addressed the conference participants online with his opening remarks.

He emphasized that international support for Ukraine’s cultural sector would continue to grow in response to russian attacks on cultural heritage. He noted that European countries had already joined forces under the Team Europe approach, which mobilizes funding, expertise, and practical assistance to protect and restore Ukrainian culture.

“Culture is what brings people together. It stands for democratic values, open dialogue, diversity, and freedom of expression. That is why it must never be used as a tool of propaganda or to justify aggression,” the European Commissioner stated.

Ukrainian poet, volunteer, and combat medic Yaryna Chornohuz shared her personal experience of living and creating during the war. She spoke about how the language of culture evolves alongside the realities of the frontline, loss, and struggle, emphasizing that Ukrainian culture today exists simultaneously in several dimensions — as memory, as resistance, and as the creation of the future.

“For me, culture is a space of trust and a place where language can exist. It is a way to preserve humanity when reality is falling apart. The most important mission of culture is memory and names”, she said.

Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine -Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna stressed that Ukraine had already moved from a phase of chaotic response in 2022 to a systematic approach that includes digitalization, evacuation protocols, international coordination, and the integration of culture into the national security strategy. She also highlighted the crucial role of international support, which enables the development of contemporary Ukrainian culture even during wartime.

She noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, 1,707 cultural heritage sites and 2,503 cultural infrastructure facilities had been damaged, including 513 that had been completely destroyed.

Tetyana Berezhna expressed her gratitude to all international partners — governments, institutions, international organizations, and foundations — for their consistent support of the cultural sector, from the protection and evacuation of cultural assets to project funding and expert assistance. She emphasized that such cooperation forms the foundation of shared resilience and the long-term preservation of cultural heritage

Among the conference participants were: Minister of Culture of Italy Alessandro Giuli; Minister of Culture of Spain Ernest Urtasun; Minister of Culture of Latvia Agnese Lāce; Minister of Culture of Lithuania Vaida Aleknavičienė; Minister of Culture of Moldova Cristian Jardan; Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland Marta Cienkowska; Minister of Culture and Media of Croatia Nina Obuljen Koržinek; Minister of Science and Culture of Finland Mari-Leena Talvitie; Minister of Culture of Sweden Parisa Liljestrand; Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of Culture Marilin Piipuu; Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturaiev; Deputy Chair of the same Committee Yevheniia Kravchuk; Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska; as well as diplomats, representatives of international organizations, and media.

“The war against Ukraine has, in many ways, become unprecedented in terms of the efforts of the international community and UNESCO to protect and preserve culture in all its forms and expressions. It has demonstrated that culture matters and that it is not only vulnerable. More importantly, this war has shown the power of culture as a source of resilience and recovery. It is also a matter of national security. UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2347, recognize this, but it is important to continue international advocacy efforts in this direction, especially among stakeholders beyond the cultural sector. That is why we seek to promote the contribution of culture to development and recovery and hope that future Ukraine Recovery Conferences will uphold this approach,” said Krista Pikkat, Director for Culture and Emergencies at UNESCO.

Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of the UNESCO Antenna in Ukraine, emphasized that the organization is implementing a comprehensive approach in Ukraine, combining emergency assistance with long-term recovery of the cultural sector.

According to her, since 2022 UNESCO has been supporting Ukraine in two key areas — the protection of cultural heritage and the development of human capital. Thanks to international partners, more than USD 20 million has been mobilized, enabling the evacuation of collections, support for artists, and the implementation of new solutions. She also noted that Ukraine has already transitioned from crisis response to strategic recovery, with culture playing a central role.

The conference program included three key modules focusing on cultural resilience and recovery, as well as international coordination of support. Participants discussed the scale of losses in the cultural sector and approaches to its restoration, and presented practical tools to support Ukrainian institutions and professionals.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska expressed her gratitude to international partners for their support of Ukraine and emphasized that cooperation in the cultural sphere was becoming systematic and regular. She highlighted the importance of restoring cultural heritage, countering russia’s attempts to appropriate Ukrainian culture, and developing Ukraine’s own cultural product.

“Our task is not only to rebuild what has been destroyed, but also to preserve, study, and promote Ukrainian heritage and the names of our artists. We need our own Ukrainian cultural product that will shape our cultural space. This means supporting creators and developing cultural industries. Ukraine stands strong thanks to our defenders and the support of partners like you. I sincerely thank you for this solidarity and partnership,” she said.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Mykyta Poturaiev stressed that russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine bore the hallmarks of a systematic policy of cultural destruction aimed at erasing the identity of the Ukrainian people.

“Culture is not decoration — it is the foundation of existence. And today, it is being deliberately targeted,” he stated.

The conference also featured bilateral meetings and presentations of international initiatives. Particular attention was given to the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund.

During the event, participants outlined joint steps to strengthen the institutional capacity of the cultural sector, develop partnerships, and mobilize resources for recovery. The conference reaffirmed the readiness of international partners to continue supporting Ukraine in preserving its cultural identity.

Participants honored the memory of those killed in the russian-Ukrainian war at the Field of Mars in Lviv.

As part of the conference, participants also visited the Zenyk Art Gallery, which hosts the exhibition project “HE: Taras Shevchenko. The Artist,” created in cooperation with the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko. The exhibition brings together 58 paintings and graphic works from different periods, presenting Shevchenko as an artist of European stature — an innovator, an experimenter, and a subtle observer of human dignity. The project invites audiences to see Shevchenko as a living interlocutor whose visual language remains relevant today. 

The conference was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in cooperation with the Lviv Regional Military Administration and the Recovery Support Unit, implemented in partnership with UNESCO.