Throughout these years, UNESCO has been fulfilling its important mission - ensuring everyone's access to quality education, preserving cultural and natural heritage, protecting equal respect for all cultures and freedom of expression as a fundamental right and a necessary condition for democracy.

What does Ukraine's membership in UNESCO mean?

It means the involvement of the country's intellectual potential in global processes in the fields of science, culture and education. It means the protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage. It means the popularization in the world of Ukrainian cultural heritage and traditions, educational and scientific potential. These are our common gains, but our temporary losses are also common.

UNESCO chairs operate on the basis of Ukrainian universities and research institutions, but as a result of the Russian occupation, some Ukrainian chairs ceased to exist or were relocated. Ukraine is an active member of UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme; in our country a National Center "Small Academy of Sciences of Ukraine" as a UNESCO Center Category 2 is established. Ukraine together with other countries researches World Ocean within the UNESCO International Oceanographic Commission despite the loss of its research centers in the occupied Crimea There are UNESCO associated schools in Ukraine, 4 of which are in the occupied Crimea.

The UNESCO World Heritage List includes outstanding Ukrainian cultural and natural values - Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Historic Centre of L'viv; Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians; the architectural ensemble of the Chernivtsi university; Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine; Struve Geodetic Arc. And the Ancient Chersonese - in the occupied Crimea.

Since 2014, UNESCO has been monitoring the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea in its areas of competence. And this important mission of UNESCO is fully in line with its goals and values.

Today we congratulate UNESCO on its birthday. We congratulate all those who support this Organization in carrying out its humanistic mission and contribute to strengthening its capacity to respond to modern challenges.

And we are together - Ukraine in UNESCO and UNESCO in Ukraine!