Second UNESCO/ICOMOS Technical Assistance Mission to the World Heritage property “The Historic Centre of Odesa”, Ukraine
From 23 to 27 June 2025, the second UNESCO/ICOMOS Technical assistance mission took place in Odesa, Ukraine, within the framework of the joint UNESCO/ICOMOS project aiming to provide technical assistance in the revision of the Draft Management Plan of the World Heritage property ‘The Historic Centre of Odesa’, and for the establishment of the Desired State of Conservation and a Programme of Corrective Measures (DSOCR).
Introduction
Funded by the World Heritage Fund and the Government of Japan, the project is part of the UNESCO Emergency Assistance Programme for Ukraine, a multi-sectoral programme initiated to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage from threats posed by the ongoing war, while using heritage to support community resilience and recovery and ensure its protection for current and future generations.
The five-day technical assistance mission built on the outcomes of four online workshops, held between December 2024 and May 2025, and the preliminary field mission to Odesa, organised from 17 to 20 February 2025.
Objectives of the UNESCO/ICOMOS Technical Assistance mission and contents
The objectives of this last mission were twofold. Firstly, the mission aimed to present the draft recommendations and guidelines for revising the Management Plan, including an Emergency Preparedness Plan for the property, and to build capacity for carrying out this revision. Secondly, the mission focused on supporting the establishment of the Desired State of Conservation and a Programme of Corrective Measures (DSOCR). Throughout the mission, both sets of recommendations and guidelines are being refined based on feedback from Ukrainian heritage stakeholders’ and information and data collected.
During the mission, ICOMOS was represented by the following members: Zeynep Gül Unal, ICOMOS expert on Disaster Reduction and Emergency Preparedness, and Gráinne Shaffrey, ICOMOS expert on Urban Morphology and Historic Centres. Additionally, Katarzyna Piotrowska, ICOMOS expert on Conservation and Management of World Heritage sites, and Nicholas Clarke, ICOMOS World Heritage expert, participated remotely.
These international experts, together with representatives of the World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Antenna in Ukraine, delivered presentations and ran workshops for representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the Odesa City Council, the Odesa Regional State Administration, the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, the Odesa State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture, the Emergency Response Agencies, and Representatives from the Civil Protection Service, and ICOMOS Ukraine.
Results of the UNESCO/ICOMOS Technical Assistance Mission
As a result of this mission, the relevant Ukrainian stakeholders now have a thorough understanding of the recommendations and guidelines – for revising the Management Plan and for establishing the DSOCR – and they have the enhanced capacities to carry this work forward.