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UNESCO launches initiative to preserve the Jewish documentary heritage of Ukraine
Following her participation in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz Birkenau, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, visited the city of Lviv in Ukraine. During her visit, she announced the launch of this new initiative, funded by the European Union with a total budget of €2.2 million.
Ukraine has a very important Jewish heritage, which is also threatened by the war and must be protected. Thanks to the European Union, UNESCO will contribute to advancing historical research and preserving the archives of Jewish culture in all regions of the country.
Three years of war have exacerbated existing problems in the management and preservation of documentary heritage, limiting academic research on cultural heritage. Archives and memory institutions, currently at risk and underfunded, face a lack of emergency preparedness measures and risk management plans, as well as a shortage of appropriately qualified personnel.
This UNESCO initiative will focus on digitizing at-risk and damaged documents from 10 memory institutions, training over 50 culture professionals in preservation techniques, and supporting artistic and research endeavors that highlight the contributions of Jewish heritage to Ukrainian culture. By doing so, the initiative underscores the vital role of collective memory in fostering respect for cultural diversity and human rights. In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the initiative will strengthen Ukrainian archives and memory institutions and their ability to preserve and create access to documentary heritage.
The project will foster collaboration among researchers, artists, and journalists. Scholars will be supported to conduct studies on Jewish heritage, while journalists will be equipped to utilize archival materials for investigative and educational media projects. Additionally, grants will be provided to artists for creative interpretations of Jewish cultural heritage through visual arts, film, literature, and music. These collaborations will culminate in public events and multimedia projects that amplify the historical and cultural narratives of Jewish communities in Ukraine.
This project joins other measures already taken by UNESCO to protect Jewish heritage in Ukraine. In December 2024, Babyn Yar, the site of one of the largest massacres of the 'Holocaust by bullets', has been granted temporary enhanced protection by UNESCO under the 1954 Hague Convention, in addition to its inscription in 2023 on UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
