UNESCO Officially Responds to Odesa’s Letter in Defense of ‘Polyphonic Cosmopolitanism’

UNESCO has officially responded to the letter written on Oct. 21 and signed by 150 figures from all over the world, to inhibit an order of the Odesa Regional Administration to remove 19 historical monuments from the city to apply the "decolonization" law, as it was already written here.

UNESCO’s reply, signed by the Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, acknowledges receipt of the appeal, mentioning “the threat to the architectural ensemble of Odesa posed by a decision to remove monuments and rename streets, including within the boundaries of the World Heritage property ‘The Historic Center of Odesa.’”

Moreover, it is mentioned that the issue was also brought to their attention by the Mayor of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, who recently visited the UNESCO office in Paris. However, Odesa’s Mayor is not among the signatories of the Odesa Letter.

UNESCO formally announces its intention to follow up with the competent authorities of Ukraine on the actions reported in the appeal. Finally, Mr. Ottone Ramirez expresses that UNESCO is “committed to promoting dialogue and participation of all stakeholders as an essential means of decision-making in the field of culture,” which reflects the spirit of the appeal’s senders, who asked for greater citizen participation in decisions on the cultural heritage of their city.

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