Parliament intensifies protection of UNESCO sites

The Verkhovna Rada has passed in the second reading the overall draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Cultural Heritage” (concerning the preservation of cultural heritage sites listed in the United Nations World Heritage List on Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO).

The draft law was supported by 232 MPs during the morning plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, ZIK reports.

As the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy said, the Council now starts its work with the set of cultural issues, which consists of seven bills.

The first draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Cultural Heritage” was proposed to the MPs in the second reading (concerning the preservation of cultural heritage sites included in the United Nations World Heritage List on Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) No. 1553.

Mykola Knyazhitsky, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Culture and Spirituality, informed that the draft adds new terms, which are necessary for the selection of the sites from the UNESCO list, clarifies the powers of the central executive bodies in the sector of cultural heritage, giving the right to approve the mode of use of the sites from the UNESCO list, their buffer zones, approval of plans for the management of such sites, as well as the establishment of their management bodies.

“There is a requirement to carry out any work at the UNESCO objects and in its protected area,” the chairman of the Committee noted.

Mykola Knyazhitsky stressed that the placement of advertising on the World Heritage sites is prohibited. The placement of advertising in the buffer zones of the World Heritage sites is carried out on the basis of the permission of the central executive authority, which implements the state policy in the field of cultural heritage protection.

Mykola Knyazhitsky also noted that the enemies of this bill are “non-respecting law-makers,” or various organizations that were always consuming the grants allegedly defending the cultural heritage and selling their point of view to these developers.”

The draft law was supported by 232 MPs (212 deputies supported the draft law during the first voting) at the second attempt.