ISTANBUL

Ukraine has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2025-2029 term with the highest number of votes, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday.

“Together with Romania and Moldova, we have overtaken Russia: for the second time in a row, Moscow has lost the elections and will not be included in the Council,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram, expressing gratitude to the member states that supported Ukraine’s candidacy.

“Together with our partners, we will use all the opportunities provided by UNESCO to restore life, protect our culture, heritage and people. We will ensure that all forms of Russian aggression — be it war or hybrid threats — are adequately repulsed. There is no alternative to peace. It is time for Moscow to realize this,” he added.

Earlier, UNESCO’s Executive Board decided to continue monitoring the situation in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Czech delegation, on behalf of 44 UNESCO member states, condemned Russia’s actions in the peninsula, citing alleged persecution of Crimean Tatars, destruction of Ukrainian-language education, and damage to cultural and environmental sites.

Ukraine’s permanent representative to UNESCO, Vadym Omelchenko, emphasized the importance of maintaining international attention on the peninsula and continuing monitoring within UNESCO’s mandate to counter violations of international law.