Ukraine: The historic centre of Odesa, a port city on the Black Sea in Ukraine, has been added to the list of World Heritage sites by the United Nations Cultural Agency in recognition of “the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it” as the city is in danger of being destroyed.

The decision was approved by the 21 member nations of UNESCO’s world heritage committee with six votes in favour, one against, and 14 abstentions. The vote was continuously postponed by Russia, which regularly bombed Odesa and invaded Ukraine in February of last year.

“While the war continues, this inscription embodies our collective determination to ensure that this city, which has always surmounted global upheavals, is preserved from further destruction,” UNESCO Director-General Ms. Audrey Azoulay stated.

Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, welcomed the listing after asking for it in October 2022. The designation aims to facilitate access to international financial and technical aid while assisting in the protection of Odesa’s cultural heritage.

Odesa was one of the most significant ports in the Russian empire when it was established in the closing years of the 18th century close to the location of an Ottoman fortification that had been seized. It was one of the richest and most cosmopolitan cities in Eastern Europe as a result of its role as a trading centre.

Both Ukraine and Russia accepted the 1972 UNESCO treaty, which requires members to “assist in the protection of the listed sites” and to “refrain from taking any deliberate measures” that would harm World Heritage sites.

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