On December 11, during the 19th session of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve and the Odessa Literary Museum were granted "enhanced protection" status under the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol of 1999.

This designation provides these cultural sites with international immunity from being targeted in attacks, significantly strengthening criminal accountability for such violations under international law. With the addition of these two sites, the list of Ukrainian properties under enhanced protection, which grew by 25 last year, continues to expand.

“For the Babyn Yar Reserve, this is a vital step in the international recognition of the site's significance as a place of memory that honors the victims of Nazi atrocities and the Soviet regime”, – said Roza Tapanova, Director of the Reserve. “This decision reinforces both the legal and moral safeguarding of the site, which is crucial for preserving historical heritage during the ongoing war”.

The Committee also approved a mission to assess damage to the Derzhprom building in Kharkiv caused by a Russian attack on October 28, 2023. The mission will commence as soon as security conditions permit.

Additionally, the Committee adopted a resolution to conduct an expert study on the legal implications of violating the immunity of cultural properties under enhanced protection. UNESCO has allocated $50,000 to fund this initiative, aimed at strengthening the mechanisms of the Second Protocol and enhancing the concept of "immunity" to ensure it becomes an effective tool for protecting cultural heritage from external attacks.

The session included the participation of the Ukrainian delegation, comprising representatives from Ukraine’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Association of International Law, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Crimean Institute of Strategic Studies. The delegation played a key role in advancing these critical measures to safeguard Ukrainian cultural heritage amid the ongoing war.