ICOM launches the Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk – Ukraine

ICOM has launched the Emergency Red List of Cultural Objects at Risk – Ukraine in an effort to help protect endangered cultural heritage of Ukraine for future generations in light of the recent invasion by Russian forces.

Following the announcement of 28 June 2022, experts from 11 museums across Ukraine have collaborated with ICOM’s Heritage Protection Department to research and prepare this comprehensive Emergency Red List, which is composed of 53 type of objects pertaining to 7 categories that span archaeology, books and manuscripts, numismatics, and folk, religious, applied and fine art. The wide variety of objects represented highlights the rich, longstanding, and diverse cultural heritage in Ukraine – from the Scythians to the Avant-gardes of the 20th century.

The Emergency Red List is the result of a coordinated effort with both national experts and international partners. ICOM would like to express its gratitude to the volunteer experts from the following museums in Ukraine, who have expeditiously conducted and contributed research for the Red List while dealing with the emergency situation in their midst:

ICOM is also grateful to the national committee of ICOM Ukraine for their immense coordination efforts in the preparation of this important resource in just a few months, as well as the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) for providing their expertise on library and archival material.

The arrival of this Emergency Red List comes at a pertinent moment in the ongoing battle against the illicit trafficking of Ukraine’s cultural heritage – a phenomenon that has long existed in the region and has been amplified by the Russian invasion. Indeed, reports of the mass looting of the Oleksiy Shovkunenko Kherson Art Museum by Russian troops as they retreated from the city on 11 November demonstrate that this threat is current and systematically executed. ICOM hopes that this Red List will therefore continue to be a relevant and effective tool for the identification of looted and stolen cultural objects from Ukraine as they begin to circulate over the weeks, months, and years to come.

@UK_ICOM