First team of cultural first aiders created in Ukraine – photos

Ukraine has created the first national team for rapid response to damage to cultural monuments. The team consists of 22 Ukrainian specialists who underwent training between April and July 2024. The team was established under the project Enhancing Capacities in Ukraine for Cultural Heritage First Aid and Recovery Planning, as reported by Ukrinform news agency, citing Anastasiia Bondar, Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy.

"A total of 1,085 cultural heritage sites have been destroyed or damaged between 24 February 2022 and 25 June 2024... We are constantly monitoring the situation and consulting with our foreign partners, such as ICCROM [International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property], which has created a network of over 2000 experts - cultural first aiders in more than 120 countries," Bondar said.

Therefore, ICCROM, in collaboration with Ukraine's Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, launched a project aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness and planning for the recovery of all types of cultural heritage.

"During the training, our goal was to determine preventive measures to safeguard Ukrainian cultural property from all impact factors, ranging from environmental hazards, such as floods, to missile attacks, how we can help people in such extreme danger conditions, and how to assess the damage that has been done," said Aparna Tandon, Head of the ICCROM Cultural Heritage First Aid and Recovery Planning programme.

Representatives from 11 Ukrainian oblasts attended the training, which included national and foreign experts. The attendees gained practical experience in assessing and managing damage at sites such as the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Viazivka, Zhytomyr Oblast, which was destroyed by Russian attacks in March 2022.

They learned techniques for documenting damage, evaluating risks, and implementing safety and stabilisation measures for damaged heritage sites.

Ihor Poshyvailo, Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, said the training provided an opportunity to acquire practical skills in cultural rescue. "Such a blend of experts can further initiate the creation of grassroots networks to save culture," Poshyvailo believes. Background: In early June this year, Ukraine joined the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the first time. The Ukrainian delegation was elected during the 10th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Its member states are collaborating to develop recommendations for the protection of cultural heritage.

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