The Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, Davide La Cecilia – accompanied by a delegation from the Italian Embassy and by the Head of the AICS Kiev Regional Office, Pietro Pipi – visited Odessa together with the Director of UNESCO for Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, with the aim of establishing a coordination mechanism for the reconstruction project of the city. The project envisages rebuilding the Transfiguration Cathedral; securing the cultural sites in the historic centre that are on the UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger; and implementing the city’s master plan, as the first stage of the patronage taken up by Italy over Odessa on 2 October with the visit to Ukraine of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani.
During the mission, La Cecilia, who was accompanied by Father Myroslav, visited the Cathedral and held a coordination meeting with Odessa’s municipal and regional authorities, cultural institutions, the business community and representatives of civil society, during which he illustrated the project of Ukraine Reconstruction Workshop, created upon the initiative of the Milan Triennale and the MAXXi Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome, which the Foreign Ministry and MIC are carrying out in partnership with UNESCO.
The first project, supported by a financial contribution of 500,000 euro from the Italian Cooperation, which will be implemented shortly, after Ambassador Zazo signed the contribution agreement on 7 February, aims to provide – in cooperation with UNESCO – an initial covering for the roof of the Cathedral, which was severely damaged by Russian bombing on 23 July, to protect one of the buildings that epitomizes the cultural and religious history of Odessa and Ukraine.
The Special Envoy said: “The project on Odessa has a strong symbolic value for the city’s historical and cultural ties with Italy and for the prestige of the initiative, which places us at the forefront of the reconstruction process, in a year in which the Italian G7 Presidency aims to keep Ukraine at the centre of the agenda, placing growing emphasis on the country’s recovery and reconstruction. The transformation of the city in a modern and sustainable way corresponds to the idea of reconstruction based on the logic of “build back better” that underlies the project that Minister Tajani launched in Milan on 31 October, together with Minister Sangiuliano, the Triennale and MAXXI. We obviously expect our companies to contribute to this initiative with their expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, and we will work in this direction”.
The Head of the AICS Kiev Regional Office, Pietro Pipi emphasized: “AICS can boast a solid range of skills and collaborations in the field of cultural heritage protection and preservation, operating also in conflict and post-conflict contexts. Together with local institutions, civil society and partners, we place ourselves at the service of cultural protection, thus contributing to the promotion of a prosperous future for the country.”
