the historic center of Odessa listed as World Heritage in Danger by Unesco

BULENT KILIC / AFP

War in Ukraine: the historic center of Odessa listed as World Heritage in Danger (Photo taken in the streets of Odessa on January 25, 2023)

UKRAINE – The historic center ofOdessa in Ukraine was registered this Wednesday, January 26 on the list of world heritage in danger of Unesco because of the “threats of destruction” hovering over this site since the beginning of the Russian invasion, a decision judged ” Politics “ by Moscow.

During a sometimes stormy extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, the inscription of this city, in the middle of the war, was voted by six votes in favor, one against (Russia) and 14 abstentions.

” Odessa, free city, world citya legendary port that has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced protection of the international community”welcomed the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) Audrey Azoulay.

Although generally spared since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022, Odessa, particularly known for its monumental Potemkin staircase and its architecture, has however been hit several times by Russian bombardments.

BULENT KILIC / AFP

War in Ukraine: the historic center of Odessa listed as World Heritage in Danger (Photo taken in the streets of Odessa on January 25, 2023)

Moscow denounces a “political decision”

The conflict is “a danger for the historic center of Odessa”whose “cultural heritage is threatened with destruction”, had estimated the representative of Icomos, a specialized NGO partner of Unesco, in presenting the file. She also insisted on the multiethnic, multiconfessional and multicultural character of Odessa.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced “a political decision” taken by “a group of countries belonging to the collective West, with the flagrant help of the UNESCO Secretariat, which has lost its impartiality”.

Russia, which multiplied the procedural maneuvers during the session, had earlier risen against a “superficial file”, accusing the Ukrainian authorities of having mounted a candidacy on the basis of “a copy and paste of the Wikipedia page on Odessa”.

A “diplomatic victory”

It is “diplomatic victory”reacted for his part the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Djeppar on the side of Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced in October the candidacy of the historic center of Odessa.

The Ukrainian President welcomed, in his daily address, the “protection provided by the world, (while) Russia can only provide terror and bombing”.

“Given the threats that have weighed on this heritage since the beginning of the war, the World Heritage Committee has had recourse to an emergency procedure”, underlined in a press release Unesco, recalling also “having ensured the reparation damage inflicted since the beginning of the war on the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Modern Art in Odessa”.

One of the highest levels of protection that the international community

In view of the context, the file was eminently political. Even before the opening of the session, Ukraine had protested in an open letter to the members of the committee against the reference made to Empress Catherine II of Russia as the founder of Odessa at the end of the 18th century. “The development of Odessa as a port city dates back to the 15th century”protested the Ukrainian authorities in their open letter.

In November, the Odessa city council voted to unbolt the statue of Catherine II, based on the result of a local consultation. The monument to the tsarina, which has become for many a symbol of Russian oppression since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, was removed at the end of December. Odessa, located 500 km south of the Ukrainian capital kyiv, is very symbolic for Russia. It was the third city of the Russian Empire and its second port.

In April 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted that it was historically not part of Ukraine but of Novorossia (New Russia) which he would like to see established.

The listing of Odessa as a World Heritage Site is one of the highest levels of protection that the international community offers to a heritage site, recalls Unesco. The list ” in danger “ provides access to strengthened mechanisms for emergency, technical and financial international assistance, she adds. The World Heritage Committee meets once a year and is composed of representatives of 21 States Parties to the Convention.

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