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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky made official the candidacy of the historic centre of Odessa for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in a speech to the Organization’s Executive Board on Tuesday afternoon, UNESCO reported.

Receiving the application, Audrey Azoulay, the Organization’s Director-General, stressed that “this initiative marks confidence in UNESCO's protection mechanisms.”

President Zelensky made the announcement in a pre-recorded video message to the 58 Member States of UNESCO’s Executive Board on Tuesday afternoon. He formalized the World Heritage nomination of the historic centre of Odessa and expressed “gratitude” to the UN organization for actions it has led in Ukraine under its mandate, and called for an “expansion of joint efforts” to protect the country's cultural heritage.

UNESCO had formally received the nomination file from a delegation led by Ambassador Vadym Omelchenko, Permanent Delegate of Ukraine to UNESCO, and by Hennadiy Trukhanov, Mayor of Odessa on Tuesday morning. The file will be reviewed by the consultative bodies and examined at the next session of the World Heritage Committee, whose 21 Member States will be responsible for deciding on the nomination.

"The fabric of the centre of the port city of Odessa, a melting pot of exchange and migration, reflects multiple influences. It bears a heritage and a history that resonates with people around the world and stands as a powerful symbol," Audrey Azoulay said.

In line with established procedures, and with the notable support of Italy and Greece, UNESCO mobilized international experts to provide the Ukrainian authorities with technical assistance in preparing the application file, in view of threats linked to the ongoing war.

The inscription of the historic centre of Odessa on the World Heritage List would recognize the exceptional universal value of this site and the duty of humanity as a whole to protect it. In legal terms, it would establish an extended protection zone under the 1972 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Indeed, under the Convention, ratified by both Ukraine and Russia, signatories undertake to assist in the protection of listed sites. They are furthermore obliged to refrain from taking any deliberate measures which might directly or indirectly damage World Heritage.

Inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger would moreover open access to emergency international assistance mechanisms, both technical and financial, to strengthen the protection of the property and help its rehabilitation.

To date, none of the Ukrainian cultural sites benefiting from UNESCO’s protection by virtue of their inscription on the World Heritage List have been bombed.