On September 7th, Rostyslav Karandieiev, the Temporary Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, participated in the opening of the Lviv Culture Congress - 2023. This year's theme is "Ukraine! Unmuted: Ukraine takes a voice".

"Today, it is important to emphasize the need for the collaboration between the state and local self-government bodies, as well as local authorities, to ensure citizens have access to high-quality cultural services. I want to stress that it is the synergy of efforts between individuals and institutions that will yield results. Ultimately, we must always stand on the side of the cultural service consumer. The key is that it should be of high quality. Right now, it is crucial to do everything possible to unite competitive environments. Collaboration is the means of this unity. We need to formulate an action plan so that after the liberation of our territories by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, we have clear algorithms and people who will reintegrate these territories into the Ukrainian cultural space," said Rostyslav Karandieiev.

Over the course of three days, the organizers of the event plan to work together with the participants, including renowned speakers, to identify the new realities and challenges that have emerged for Ukrainian society and the cultural sphere, both for Ukraine and the world, after February 24, 2022.

The event program consists of three parts: a discussion programme, a "Together" accompanying program, and an artistic component, which will be presented by the triennial of contemporary art called "Ukrainian Cross-Section".

The Congress was also opened by Maxim Kozytskyi, the head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, human rights defender and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, and the writer, poet, artist, and member of the Ukrainian PEN, Anatolii Dnistrovyi, who is also an officer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.