site.btaBulgaria Pledges to Support UNESCO's Efforts to Rebuild Ukraine's Cultural Sector

Nearly thirty countries, including Bulgaria, pledged to help the reconstruction of Ukraine's cultural sector through UNESCO coordination during a meeting Friday in Vilnius at the initiative of Lithuania, the UNESCO press centre said.

A medium- and long-term action plan drawn up by UNESCO in consultation with more than 40 international and Ukrainian institutions will be implemented.

The participants in the meeting pledged to increase their support for artists and cultural professionals in Ukraine, to protect and restore sites, and to revitalize cultural life through UNESCO coordination.

The number of cultural monuments for which UNESCO was able to confirm damage exceeds 400. These include 191 buildings of historical and artistic interest, 137 religious sites, 31 museums, 25 monuments, 15 libraries and one archive. 

Among the countries that will provide support to the Ukrainian cultural sector are Bulgaria, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  

UNESCO and the countries participating in the Vilnius Forum are due to meet again on June 11 and 12 in Berlin to work on the implementation of the action plan, the release said.