Rome to Host Ukraine Recovery Conference with Culture in the Spotlight
On July 10–11, Rome will host the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (URC2025), where for the first time at this scale, culture will be addressed as a key element of Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, The Gaze reports, citing the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
Ministers of culture from several countries are expected to participate, reflecting growing international recognition of the role cultural resilience plays in national recovery.
Alongside high-level policy discussions, the conference will feature a series of cultural events organized by Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications in partnership with international institutions.
These events will showcase both modern and traditional Ukrainian culture, emphasizing the uniqueness of Ukrainian identity and the power of culture to sustain communities during times of war.
Ukraine’s effort to embed cultural policy into the international recovery agenda has been a steady diplomatic priority since 2022. That year, the Lviv Declaration, signed by the culture ministers of 10 European countries, named Russia as an aggressor threatening Ukrainian cultural heritage.
This declaration laid the groundwork for lasting international support for Ukraine’s cultural sector even during wartime.
Building on that foundation, UNESCO developed a joint Action Plan for Culture in Ukraine in cooperation with over 40 partners. The plan outlines six key priorities and became the first large-scale international roadmap for restoring a cultural sector under active conflict.
Momentum continued into June 2024, when 30 countries signed the Vilnius Call to Action, urging that culture be placed at the heart of Ukraine’s reconstruction process. Priorities include reintegration of de-occupied territories, rebuilding cultural infrastructure, and ensuring long-term societal resilience.
Culture was first officially included in the Ukraine Recovery Conference agenda at URC2024 in Berlin, where Ukraine advocated that 20% of recovery resources be allocated to the “human dimension,” with culture as its cornerstone.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Internal Resilience Plan (announced in November 2024) further elevates culture through the proposed creation of a major cultural coalition and the development of a “Cultural Ramstein” format. The plan’s “Cultural Sovereignty” priority also emphasizes cultural diplomacy to amplify Ukrainian narratives abroad.
“Ukraine comes to URC2025 with a clear strategy, intergovernmental backing, and cultural diplomacy as an instrument of national security, social cohesion, and development,” said Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
Tochytskyi added that culture is not only about heritage — it’s also about resilience, memory, identity, and shaping the Ukraine of tomorrow.
Read more on The Gaze: Ukraine at Rome 2025: Rebuilding as a Strategy for Peace and Security