Lviv, In response to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the subsequent damage to cultural heritage sites, UNESCO, in collaboration with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), conducted a vital training program in L’viv in October 2023. This initiative was specifically designed to enhance the skills of Ukrainian cultural heritage professionals in risk management and damage documentation.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, over 20 cultural heritage experts from 14 regions, including Odesa, Kyiv, and L’viv, participated in this 5-day intensive training. The program’s relevance is underscored by the constant attacks on cultural sites in Ukraine, necessitating new competencies for rapid response to damages inflicted on historical buildings.

The training comprised both theoretical and practical components, customized to the specific challenges faced in Ukraine. Participants gained insights from best practices in protecting forensic evidence at a damaged cultural heritage site in L’viv, where a residential and cultural building was struck by a Russian missile in July 2023.

This on-site training followed an online workshop held in October 2023, which attracted over 150 participants from various international and national institutions. The online event facilitated the development of a standardized methodology for on-site assessment of damage and risk to cultural properties in Ukraine.

Utilizing the newly established UNESCO/ICCROM methodology, aligned with Ukraine’s national legal framework and the 1954 Hague Convention, the trainees conducted an on-site assessment of an architectural monument in the buffer zone of the World Heritage site “L’viv – the Ensemble of the Historic Centre,” hit by a missile on 6 July 2023.

This training is part of UNESCO’s broader project to support Ukraine in several areas, with funding from Japan. UNESCO remains dedicated to preserving Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage amid the war and assisting the country’s professionals in collaborating effectively with national, regional, and international partners.