Zelenskyy: Ukraine elected to UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-29

Ukraine has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-2029 with the largest number of votes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced.

"Together with Romania and Moldova, we have overtaken Russia: for the second time in a row, Moscow has lost the elections and will not be included in the Council," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Friday.

He thanked the member states that supported Ukraine's candidacy.

"Together with our partners, we will use all the opportunities provided by UNESCO to restore life, protect our culture, heritage and people. We will ensure that all forms of Russian aggression — be it war or hybrid threats — are adequately repulsed. There is no alternative to peace. It is time for Moscow to realize this," Zelenskyy added.

As reported, on October 9, the UNESCO Executive Board adopted a decision to continue monitoring the situation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

The Czech delegation issued a statement on behalf of 44 UNESCO Member States condemning Russia's actions in occupied Crimea - the persecution of Crimean Tatars, the destruction of Ukrainian-language education, religious and cultural monuments, as well as the damage caused by Russia to the environment as a result of irresponsible activities. The delegations of Lithuania, Turkey, Germany, Albania, and Chile made separate statements in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemning Russia's violations of international law and human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UNESCO, Ambassador Vadym Omelchenko, in his statement, stressed the importance of continuing monitoring in the areas of UNESCO's mandate to maintain international attention to the situation on the occupied peninsula and to counteract violations of international law by Russia.