The Permanent Delegate of Ukraine to UNESCO, Vadym Omelchenko, stressed that the initiative to declare the International Day of the russian language, which russia is actively promoting in UNESCO, is a hypocritical and cynical attempt to use the Organization to justify russian war crimes in Ukraine.
At the debate of the 214th session of the UNESCO Executive Council, Omelchenko said: "russia has made the russian language an instrument of aggression. It is russia that is destroying civilization."
"russia is killing. It is no longer a country of culture and education. In response to yesterday's speech by the russian ambassador, who pretends that russia is not waging war against Ukraine, I want to say that you are also responsible for the crimes of this war, sir!" - said the delegate of Ukraine.
Besides, according to the Head of the Ukrainian Diplomatic Mission, "russia's presence in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) distorts the noble mission of this Committee. It is russia that violates the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage."
Omelchenko addressed the WHC member states and the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage member states to consider the inadmissibility of russia to be a leader of the WHC and find a solution to change the venue of the 45th WHC session previously planned to be hosted in Kazan.
"Bucha. All of you have known this name for several days now. This is the name that is now associated with the atrocities of the russians. Were you prepared for the massacres in the heart of Europe in the twenty-first century?" - he addressed UNESCO member states.
In his speech, Omelchenko, with sadness, mentioned the murder of the famous documentary photographer Max Levin killed by the russian militaries; the photographer was wearing a vest saying "PRESS." Vadym Omelchenko said he knew Max Levin personally and worked with him for more than ten years.
Max Levin became one of many Ukrainian and foreign journalists who died in Ukraine at the hands of the russian aggressor and whose memory was honored by UNESCO.
In their speeches, the vast majority of delegations condemned russia's aggression against Ukraine and called for depriving russia of the right to be a leader of WHC and host its next session in russia. In addition, the meeting participants honored the memory of the victims of russian aggression.
Now the 214th session of the UNESCO Executive Board is happening in Paris; it brought together representatives of more than 190 member states and observers of the Organization. The day before, on 15-16 March 2022, a special session of the UNESCO Executive Council occurred. It was convened at the initiative of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission and with the support of 19 member countries of the Executive Council. The main topic of the special session was the situation in Ukraine, which is fighting against russian military aggression.