UNESCO will finance and organise the restoration of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design, which was destroyed during a Russian missile attack on 25 March 2024. According to Suspilne, the relevant memorandum was signed on 12 March by representatives of UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the administration of the educational institution.
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According to the document, UNESCO will not only finance, but also monitor the implementation of all stages of the reconstruction. The work will begin in a few weeks and is expected to be completed within five months.
According to Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, this is the first time that not only a cultural but also an educational institution is being restored: ‘When we work with educational institutions, we are investing in the future of artists, Ukrainian artists and young people who want to continue working in Ukrainian culture.’
The rector of the Academy, Olena Osadcha, stressed that the destroyed building contained archives — samples of decorative art, sacred painting, iconography, stained-glass, mosaics, textiles, and embroidery. Some works are likely to be saved, but even the loss is an important testament to the destruction of Ukrainian culture.
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