On the basis of the Crimean Platform Delegation/Office, UNESCO representatives in Ukraine met with members of the Crimean Platform Expert Network to discuss the problems that have emerged in Crimea since 2014 and have become more acute since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

UNESCO was represented by the Head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Senior Administrative Assistant of the Office Oleksandr Deyneko, Head of the Global Citizenship and Peace Education Section Dov Lynch, Project Manager Melika Lonkarevic, and Head of the UNESCO Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Artur Oganov.

The meeting was joined by the Expert Network of the CP: Denys Yashnyi, leading researcher of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” and analyst of the Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies, Evelina Kravchenko, senior researcher at the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Serhiy Voronov, director of the Central Naval Museum of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Yevhen Khlobystov, professor of the Department of Ecology of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Andriy Zubarev, director of the Human Rights House “Crimea”, Natalia Kyzmenko, case manager of the Protection Program of the Human Rights House “Crimea”, Head of the Board of the ZMINA Human Rights Center Tetyana Pechonchyk, Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center Eskender Bariev, Deputy Head of the Crimean Human Rights Group Volodymyr Chekrygin, Head of the Board of the Ukrainian Independent Center for Political Studies, Yulia Tyshchenko, analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies; Daryna Pidhorna, lawyer at the Regional Human Rights Center; Valentyna Potapova, head of the Almenda Center for Civic Education; and Volodymyr Lyashenko, representative of the Crimean Ukrainian Council (KRUK) and lawyer at the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Permanent Delegate Tamila Tasheva made a welcoming speech. Then the Head of the Office, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, took the floor to welcome everyone and to tell about the activities of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine.

During a lengthy discussion, the experts spoke about the current situation in Crimea and the biggest challenges in the areas of ecology, preservation of cultural heritage, freedom and safety of journalists, and education in the temporarily occupied Crimea caused by the actions of the Russian occupiers. In turn, the UNESCO representatives asked clarifying questions with keen interest.