The World Heritage Committee inscribed the Historic Center of Odessa, Ukraine on the World Heritage List.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky made the submission of Odesa to become a World Heritage site official in October 2022 when he spoke to UNESCO online.
UNESCO agreed with Zelensky and decided:
As early as in the summer of 2022, UNESCO linked international experts with Ukrainian experts to prepare the nomination, with the support of Italy and Greece.
UNESCO recognizes the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it.
The city center of Odessa with a population of one million is a true architectural masterpiece.
In 2008, the Odesa Opera Theatre was named among the “11 outstanding Eastern European sights” in Forbes magazine.
The monumental Potemkin Staircase, immortalized in the film “Battleship Potemkin”, leads to the harbor with the Vorontsov lighthouse. Parallel to the water runs the magnificent Primorsky Boulevard, a popular promenade with mansions and monuments.
WTN Hero Ivan Liptuga appointed as acting director
After the UNESCO World Heritage inclusion was official, Ivan Liptuga, head of the national tourism organization and former adviser to the minister, has become acting director of the municipal department of culture, international cooperation, and European integration.
Ivan Liptuga is a board member of the World Tourism Network and was awarded the Tourism Hero title by WTN in March 2022.
He wanted the tourism world to scream for Ukraine.
Ivan’s appointment was signed by Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov.
“The Russians have been saying for so long that they love our city and are proud of our cultural heritage.
But we once again saw their true face.
Just like on February 24, when the rockets flew, then the statements of Russian politicians, and now opposition and resistance during the consideration of our application for admission to the UNESCO Main List.”
Odessa mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov told eTurboNews
Odesa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port that has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced protection of the international community. While the war continues, this inscription embodies our collective determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction.
Audrey Azoulay UNESCO Director-General
Under the terms of the World Heritage Convention, the 194 States Parties of the Convention commit not to undertake any deliberate step that may directly or indirectly damage the World Heritage site and to assist in its protection.
Russia and Ukraine are UNESCO members.
Odesa was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, which gives it access to reinforced technical and financial international assistance, which Ukraine may request so as to ensure the protection of the property and, if necessary, assist in its rehabilitation.
An accelerated procedure due to the war
In view of the threats to the city since the beginning of the war, the World Heritage Committee has used an emergency procedure provided for in the Operational Guidelines of the World Heritage Convention. As early as the summer of 2022, UNESCO linked international experts with Ukrainian experts to prepare the nomination, with the support of Italy and Greece.
UNESCO ƒevaluation bodies examined the nomination over the following weeks, allowing for a review at this week’s extraordinary World Heritage Committee in Paris.
UNESCO deploys emergency measures on the ground
In recent months, in parallel with the process of inscribing the Historic Centre of Odesa on the World Heritage List, UNESCO implemented emergency measures on the ground to help protect the site.
UNESCO has notably ensured the repairs to damages inflicted on the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts and the Odesa Museum of Modern Art since the beginning of the war. The Organization also provided equipment for the digitization of nearly 1,000 works of art and of the documentary collection of the Odesa State Archives. Equipment was also delivered to protect the buildings as well as the open-air works of art.
These measures are part of UNESCO’s overall action plan in Ukraine, which has already mobilized more than $18 million for education, science, culture, and information.
Odesa’s mayor comments on the appointment of Ivan Liptuga:
Appointing Ivan Liptuga as the interim director in charge of the UNESCO achievement is a good step forward. Ivan is a well-known tourism professional in our city, in Ukraine, and around the world.
