Working closely with national authorities and international partners, UNESCO is responding to urgent needs in Ukraine, while contributing to longer-term recovery and reconstruction. Its activities range across the mandate of the Organization, from advancing digital learning and providing psychosocial assistance to enhancing the safety of journalists, preserving its rich heritage, strengthening the governance of heritage institutions, investing in the skills and the continuity of work of cultural professionals, as well as researchers and scientists.
On the occasion of its 975th anniversary, the Director-General visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra ensemble, a World Heritage site affected by significant damage during the reported strike on 15 June 2026. He addressed the ceremony organized in this context, opened by the President of Ukraine, and pledged UNESCO's firm commitment to assisting the protection and recovery of one of Ukraine's most significant spiritual, historical and cultural landmarks.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra carries exceptional importance for the people of Ukraine, and for humanity as a whole. Its protection is a responsibility shared by the international community, and UNESCO will continue mobilizing its expertise and partners to safeguard and restore this extraordinary World Heritage site.
Khaled El-EnanyUNESCO Director-General
UNESCO's wide-ranging action in Ukraine
Since the escalation of the war in Ukraine following the invasion by the Russian Federation in February 2022, UNESCO has mobilized, through its partners, USD 79 million for Ukraine's recovery, representing currently the Organization's largest crisis response worldwide.
These efforts include the provision of more than 58,000 Chromebooks to teachers and learners, the training of over 77,000 educators in digital pedagogy, psychosocial assistance to more than 170,000 children, and backing to more than 5,100 journalists through safety training, equipment, grants and psychological assistance.
UNESCO has also worked with more than 2,500 Ukrainian cultural professionals, contributed to the rehabilitation of cultural sites, and established the Lviv Culture Hub, while strengthening the resilience of Ukraine's science sector through collaboration with researchers and scientific institutions.
Across these areas, UNESCO's approach is to respond to urgent needs, while laying the foundations for the country's long-term recovery.
Protecting and restoring Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra forms part of the World Heritage property "Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1990. The property has also been included since 2023 on the List of World Heritage in Danger and was simultaneously granted provisional enhanced protection under the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention.
As part of the visit, the Director-General addressed the ceremony marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and reviewed ongoing work at the Dormition Cathedral. Following the damage from the strikes in June 2026, UNESCO mobilized technical expertise in coordination with the Ukrainian authorities and partners, to assess the building, identify emergency measures and prepare for stabilization and future restoration.
A first assessment completed in July confirmed extensive damage to the Dormition Cathedral, including more than 80% of its roof, as well as parts of its upper structures. While emergency measures have helped stabilize the Cathedral in the short term, UNESCO experts identified a series of urgent interventions required before comprehensive restoration can proceed, including the stabilization of the north-eastern dome drum and other damaged architectural elements, securing affected masonry and cladding and installing temporary protection against weather exposure. In parallel, further structural investigations and detailed project design will be required to prepare the permanent reconstruction of the roof and the long-term consolidation of the Cathedral. With funding from the Government of Japan, UNESCO is performing a 3D laser scan and digital survey of the Dormition Cathedral, creating a precise record of the damaged structure that will inform stabilization, conservation and future restoration.
During his visit, the Director-General announced USD 100,000 from UNESCO's Heritage Emergency Fund to provide for urgent stabilization measures at the Dormition Cathedral in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
In addition, Switzerland has decided to provide USD 732,000 through UNESCO to support the preparation of the full design documents for the reconstruction of the permanent roof, and emergency consolidation works.
Work at the Lavra will continue in cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities and heritage professionals, in accordance with international conservation standards and with a view to safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage property.
UNESCO will pursue its broader action in Ukraine, assisting the Ukrainian people, through emergency measures in the Organization's fields of competence while contributing to the country's long-term recovery.
