UNESCO Declares Odesa ‘A World Heritage Site’ Amid War Threats

• UNESCO has declared the Odesa region of Ukraine ‘a World Heritage Site’ amid war threats.

• The 21 member states of UNESCO’s world heritage committee approved the decision with six votes in favour, one against and 14 abstentions.

• The decision is designed to protect the ‘outstanding universal value’ of the historic Black Sea port.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the United Nations’ cultural agency has decided to add the historic centre of Ukraine’s Black Sea port city of Odesa to its list of World Heritage sites to recognise “the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it” as the city faces the threat of destruction.

The 21 member states of UNESCO’s world heritage committee approved the decision with six votes in favour, one against and 14 abstentions.

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Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year and has bombed Odesa several times, tried to delay the vote repeatedly.

“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,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said after the decision.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who requested the listing in October, welcomed the designation.

The status is aimed at helping protect Odesa’s cultural heritage and enabling access to financial and technical international aid.

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“Today Odesa got UNESCO protection,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter. “I’m grateful to partners who help protect our pearl from the Russian invaders’ attacks.”

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