WMF Honors Ukraine Deputy Minister for Culture and Information Policy
World Monuments Fund Honors Kateryna Chuyeva, Ukraine Deputy Minister for Culture and Information Policy, with the Watch Award for Her Commitment to Ukrainian Cultural Heritage
June 16, 2022, New York, NY—On Wednesday, June 15, World Monuments Fund (WMF) honored Ukraine Deputy Minister for Culture and Information Policy, Kateryna Chuyeva, with the 2022 Watch Award in recognition of her commitment to and urgent advocacy for the preservation of the cultural heritage of Ukraine. The ceremony took place as part of WMF’s first annual Summer Soirée hosted by WMF’s Junior Board and the Junior Board Co-Chairs, Henry Iseman and Annie Liang-Zhou, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in New York City.
The evening celebrated hope, resilience, and advocacy for cultural heritage with a special focus on WMF’s recent work in Ukraine and an update from WMF’s heritage crisis specialist, Kateryna Goncharova.
“Mrs. Chuyeva has been instrumental in coordinating experts and professionals in Ukraine to act quickly to support the protection of cultural heritage across the country. Since the start of the war, she has worked tirelessly to share information with national and international actors, highlighting the importance of efficient cooperation with the international community to document and protect damaged heritage sites and support local professionals on their mission to safeguard cultural heritage in Ukraine,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, WMF President and CEO. “She has demonstrated leadership and commitment in the face of danger and destruction. We are in awe of her dedication and thank her for her heroism.”
Since the invasion of Ukraine, at least 139 cultural sites have sustained damage, according to UNESCO, including 62 religious sites, 12 museums, and 26 historic buildings, such as the Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum and its collection; the Holy Mountains Lavra, a seventeenth-century monastery in eastern Ukraine; and the historic center of Chernihiv, which is on the Tentative List for World Heritage status.
World Monuments Fund has a longstanding history of serving as heritage first responders with a well-established crisis response infrastructure to address emergency situations for cultural heritage sites around the globe. WMF has recently undertaken crisis response projects in Yemen, Tanzania, Mexico, Peru, Japan, and Iraq. The current crisis in Ukraine requires an immediate response from the heritage preservation community, including WMF, to address the short-, medium-, and long-term needs of the country and its heritage professionals.
In April 2022, World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced the launch of a Ukraine Heritage Response Fund with seed funding from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation. The fund aims to address the immediate critical needs of heritage professionals in the country and to lay the groundwork for future rehabilitation.
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About World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. The organization is headquartered in New York City with offices and affiliates in Cambodia, India, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. Since 1965, our global team of experts has preserved the world's diverse cultural heritage using the highest international standards at more than 700 sites in 112 countries. Partnering with local communities, funders, and governments, WMF draws on heritage to address some of today’s most pressing challenges: climate change, underrepresentation, imbalanced tourism, and post-crisis recovery. With a commitment to the people who bring places to life, WMF embraces the potential of the past to create a more resilient and inclusive society.
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Media Contact
Judith Walker, Vice President of Communications, World Monuments Fund, jwalker@wmf.org
