Special session of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA), of which the UCF is a member, held

An extraordinary session of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA) was held last Friday (April 01, 2022) in order to discuss support measures for Ukraine. The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation is a member of the IFACCA. The event was attended by European members from 20 countries, as well as representatives of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Vladyslav Berkovski, the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, appeared in a video message and talked about the cultural sites that the Russian army has partially damaged or destroyed in Ukraine.

«During the 36 days of the war in Ukraine, more than 20 museums and art galleries, more than 100 reserves and cultural heritage sites, more than 500 cultural hubs, creative workshops and art centers were destroyed, damaged and looted…But the worst loss is the loss of people. More than 2,000 civilians have already died, including more than 140 children»,- told Vladyslav Berkovski.

The Executive Director of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation also spoke about daily work and activities for supporting the cultural community during the war and called on the world cultural community to support Ukraine and join us in creating a strategy for future cultural reconstruction.

«We are always open to discussing joint programs to support the cultural community and restore Ukrainian culture together with our international partners»,- added Vladyslav Berkovski.

Most of the countries during the session presented their actions of support to Ukraine and Ukrainian artists.

Oleksandra Yakubenko, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, answered the participants' questions during the discussion and stressed that international organizations have to publicly condemn russia and refuse to cooperate with russian cultural institutions and also to revoke russia’s right to hold the 45th session of the Committee in Kazan, Russia and transfer it to Lviv, Ukraine.

All participants expressed their full support and solidarity with Ukraine and assured that this support is long-term.

As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed to consolidate information on different supporting activities and projects for Ukraine to effectively disseminate among representatives of the Ukrainian cultural community. The UCF and the Federation administration agreed on joint coordination to implement this initiative.