Ukraine elected to UNESCO’s Executive Board, outpacing Moscow once again — Zelenskyy
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (facebook.com/zelenskyy.official)
Ukraine will become a member of UNESCO’s Executive Board. It received the highest number of votes in the election, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram.
"Today, Ukraine has been elected to UNESCO’s Executive Board for 2025–2029 with the highest number of votes. Together with Romania and Moldova, we outpaced Russia: for the second time, Moscow lost the election and will not join the Board," the president noted.
The head of state thanked the countries that supported Ukraine’s candidacy.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine will use all the opportunities provided by UNESCO to rebuild lives and protect Ukrainian culture, heritage, and people.
"We will ensure that all forms of Russian aggression — whether war or hybrid threats — receive an appropriate response. There is no alternative to peace. It is time for Moscow to understand this," he added.
UNESCO Executive Board
The UNESCO Executive Board is one of the organization’s three constitutional bodies, alongside the General Conference and the Secretariat. It consists of 58 member states elected by the General Conference for a four-year term.
The Board is responsible for preparing UNESCO’s work program and budgets, as well as implementing the decisions of the General Conference. It reviews projects submitted by the head of the Secretariat and provides recommendations to the Conference.
In addition, the Board is tasked with overseeing the implementation of approved programs, convening extraordinary sessions of the Conference, and recommending candidates for the position of UNESCO Director-General.
Notably, back in July, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Ukraine would introduce the post of ambassador to UNESCO due to Russia’s attacks on cultural heritage.
