At a time when the cultural heritage of Ukraine is under very real and immediate threat, we send our support to the cultural heritage community in Ukraine and ask that all national and international agencies do their utmost to protect the country’s rich heritage from damage.
We believe that cultural heritage is a public good – that should be protected from damage in times of conflict – and ask that all those engaged in military action are reminded of their obligations under international law, notably the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols. We also call for the relevant agencies and observers to record accurately the time, nature and agents of any damage that takes place to assist subsequent investigations.
We stand with those in the archaeological and heritage world who are showing solidarity for their colleagues in Ukraine, and fully support the call by Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General for the “protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage, which bears witness to the country’s rich history, and includes its seven World Heritage sites – notably located in Lviv and Kyiv; the cities of Odessa and Kharkiv, members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network; its national archives, some of which feature in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register; and its sites commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust”.
A link to the University’s statement on the events in Ukraine, and how the Durham Community is helping can be found here:
Full Statement - Durham University
How our Community is Helping - Durham University
Responses from international cultural heritage bodies and organisations can be found here:
UNESCO
ICOM
Blue Shield
European Association of Archaeologists
The Prehistoric Society
We’d also like to highlight initiatives aimed at helping scholars at risk, including those from Ukraine:
PAUSE
Global Archaeology, Sustainable Archaeology and the Archaeology of Sustainability Fellowships
Ukrainian Researchers At Risk Fellowships
Philipp Swartz Initiative
Science for Ukraine
We’d welcome suggestions for further resources that we can share via our social media channels.
