On February 23, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP) to discuss projects for the restoration of Odessa, which are financed by Italy.

Among the participants were the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Rostyslav Karandieiev; Deputy Minister for European Integration, Taras Shevchenko; Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization, Anastasiia Bondar; UNESCO Representative in Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi; Consul of the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Ukraine, Stefano Moser, as well as representatives from the MCIP, UNESCO, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Odessa City Council, and the Odessa Regional Military Administration.

"As a result of this meeting, we, together with colleagues, need to develop a position regarding participation in a large-scale project for the restoration of Odessa, including involvement from other countries. We also need to document the entire process, as there are many participants at various levels," said Rostyslav Karandieiev, the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

He thanked the Italian side for their solidarity with Ukraine and Ukrainian culture, as well as for their assistance and financial support.

To strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and Italy, the meeting participants discussed possible ways of collaboration and considered the conceptual note "Enhancing the resilience of cities to anticipated consequences of war and promoting an integrated approach to the recovery and revitalization of cities through culture in Odessa."

"To rebuild the city, a comprehensive and multi-year approach is needed. This can also be a wonderful model in a sense for other cities. We have started this process," noted Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, the UNESCO Representative in Ukraine.

Among the common goals of the joint large-scale project are the protection of Odessa's cultural heritage from further damage and destruction, urgent protection, documentation, and monitoring of urban development; protective measures in real conditions, equipment for providing first aid, stabilization, reinforcement, and repair of damaged cultural buildings and structures at risk, and more. All measures aim to promote the development of culture as a source of new jobs and better inclusive recovery.

It is worth noting that earlier, the Italian side confirmed its intention to finance a major project for the reconstruction of Odessa through UNESCO.