UNESCO emerged immediately after the end of the most devastating war in human history 75 years ago. Its founders were convinced that "the idea of protecting peace must be rooted in the minds of the people".
We, Ukrainians, understand well the wisdom of these words from the UNESCO Charter.
We suffered huge losses in that war. And now we are defending our freedom.
We appreciate and support the important mission of UNESCO.
UNESCO has a unique role to play in protecting world heritage so that we can pass it on to future generations. Ukraine is proud of the sites and places included in the World Heritage List. And I hope that there will be even more of them.
UNESCO's strength also lies in its ability to find adequate responses to complex challenges. Ukraine has been involved in this process since 1954, and we are ready to work actively with other participating countries to achieve goals.
There is no doubt that we all need UNESCO, an effective and open world organization.