Russia-Ukraine war: UNESCO urges Moscow to swiftly withdraw forces from Kyiv for peace

Amid Russia's ongoing military operations in Ukraine, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has demanded Russia immediately cease its use of force against its neighbouring country. In a statement released on Thursday, the UN agency said it has been working tirelessly to ensure the protection of historical buildings in Ukraine and also maintained that the organisation engaged its volunteers in assessing damage across the country. "Following the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the Resolution on Aggression against Ukraine, and in light of the devastating escalation of violence, UNESCO is deeply concerned by developments in Ukraine and is working to assess damage across its spheres of competence (notably education, culture, heritage and information) and to implement emergency support actions," it said. 

Further, it maintained that the UNGA Resolution reaffirms the paramount importance of the UN Charter and its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. In order to restore peace across the war-torn country, the UN agency has demanded immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.
The statement further said that UNESCO's Director-General Audrey Azoulay fully concurs with the opening remarks made by the Secretary-General at the Special Session of the General Assembly, during which he stated that "this escalating violence -- which is resulting in civilian deaths, including children - is totally unacceptable."

Besides, she also called for the "protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage, including 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."

"We must safeguard this cultural heritage, as a testimony of the past but also as a vector of peace for the future, which the international community has a duty to protect and preserve for future generations. It is also to protect the future that educational institutions must be considered sanctuaries," said Azoulay.  

It is to mention that the country has been witnessing a full-scale invasion of Russian forces since February 24, after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called a military operation against his neighbouring country, Ukraine.

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