On 24 December, on the occasion of the Day of Employees of Archival Institutions of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna met with the leadership of the State Archival Service and employees of central state archives.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked the archivists for their daily work. She emphasised that the Ministry of Justice, which oversees and coordinates the State Archival Service, prioritises the development of the Service’s capabilities and the protection of the archival fund of Ukraine.

“It is an honour for me to be with you today. In the conditions of a full-scale war, you had an extremely important task: to preserve not just archives, but, in fact, the history of the Ukrainian statehood. Our statehood, along with our achievements, is what led us to the decision to start negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the EU. There are still many challenges ahead. However, my personal priority is to build the infrastructure of the State Archival Service and to raise the importance of your work to the highest state level. This is crucial for the present of Ukraine and future generations. I am grateful to each and every one of you for your contribution,” Olha Stefanishyna stressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that on the same day, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Strategy for Protection of Documentary Heritage until 2027 and the operational plan for its implementation. The purpose of the Strategy is to define an integral system of modern archival affairs that meets the existing needs and tasks and is able to respond to current challenges.

“The next step is to start working on amendments to the legislation in this area. This will allow us not only to work more efficiently and quickly, but also to update and modernise the State Archival Service,” the official said.

Olha Stefanishyna also thanked the employees of the archival service for demonstrating unique archival documents, testimonies and artworks that revealed the long-standing and strong ties between Ukraine and other European countries. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that a separate area should be raising awareness of these ties among Ukrainians, presenting the treasures of the archival fund of Ukraine, in particular through the use of modern technologies. In this context, the activities of the archival service in digitising archives were also positively noted.

“We are grateful for the attention you, as the Minister of Justice, pay to the work of the State Archival Service, as well as for the priority of the development of archival affairs in Ukraine. Approval of the Strategy for Protection of Documentary Heritage, a document that sets the tone for the development of the industry, is a confirmation of the high attention to our work in practice. We are actively preparing for its implementation and development of the archival service,” said Anatolii Khromov, Head of the State Archival Service.

Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna and Head of the State Archival Service Anatolii Khromov presented employees of archival institutions with letters of appreciation for their special contribution to the development of the Ukrainian archival service.

The award ceremony took place at the Metropolitan’s Residence in the National Conservation Area St. Sophia of Kyiv.