STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURE
in Ukraine until 2030
UKRAINIAN CULTURE TODAY
OUR CHALLENGES
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Fragmented and frequently inconsistent cultural policy
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Inefficient network of cultural institutions and uneven access to cultural services
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Insufficient funding and a lack of effective support mechanisms for the cultural sector
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Shortage of qualified personnel and outflow of human capital
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Limited global competitiveness and integration of Ukraine’s creative industries
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Marginalisation of cultural heritage, often perceived as archaic and costly, without economic or social value
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Low public awareness of protecting and preserving cultural heritage
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Slow pace of digital transformation within the cultural sphere
OUR GOAL
The objective of the Strategy is to establish culture in Ukraine as a vital component of Ukrainian national identity and state security. It aims to strengthen national unity, preserve and promote cultural heritage, and enhance human capital through the cultivation of values, creativity, and self-expression. Additionally, the Strategy seeks to lay the foundation for the recovery and further development of the cultural space, while increasing the country’s visibility and competitiveness.
How is the document structured?
In accordance with Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 950 of 18 July 2007 (“On Approval of the Rules of Procedure of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine”)
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Description of challenges and relevant legal and regulatory framework
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Analysis of the current situation and rationale for addressing identified issues
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Defined goal, strategic objectives, and tasks
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Procedures for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
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Operational Action Plan for Implementation in 2025–2027
Strategic Cultural Objectives of Ukraine for 2030
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1 ─ Strengthening Human Capital through Cultural Practices
Integrating Culture within the National Security System
•Recognition of culture as a priority of Ukraine’s national interest at the legislative level •Updating the legal and regulatory framework governing the preservation and development of cultural heritage, and the safeguarding and restoration of national memory as integral components of national security •Ensuring counteraction to the threat of cultural erasure resulting from the occupation of Ukrainian territories, preserving the identity of Ukraine’s Indigenous peoples, and protecting intangible cultural heritage •Engaging cultural experts as key actors in strategic planning for security and recovery processes at all levels of government •Integrating cultural practices as a driver of national and local identity into educational programmes •Encouraging representatives of the security and diplomatic sectors to pursue additional qualifications in contemporary cultural and artistic contexts, as well as in the field of cultural heritage
Operational objectives
Decolonisation and Overcoming Imperial Narratives in Culture
•Introduce initiatives to decolonise cultural frameworks and heritage •Reconceptualise memory culture as participatory •Stimulate public dialogue around contested imperial and Soviet legacies •Encourage contemporary art as a vehicle for historical reinterpretation
Stimulating the Creation and Demand for High-quality Cultural Products
• Strengthening local and national cultural initiatives through support for individual artistic practice, institutional and project-based funding, and the promotion of partnerships • Expanding the range and availability of high-quality and accessible Ukrainian-language cultural and creative content, along with the development of effective mechanisms for its broad public dissemination • Developing interactive digital products to promote Ukrainian culture and provide online access to cultural services • Designing educational programmes in creative entrepreneurship • Creating enabling conditions for access to financing tools for the development of the creative industries (including grants, copyright protection, and monetisation mechanisms) • Raising awareness of intellectual property rights in the cultural sphere and promoting their practical application
Supporting Mental Health through Cultural Practices
•Design cultural art programmes for psychological support and social reintegration targeting war veterans, internally displaced persons, and other vulnerable groups •Incorporate cultural practices into mental health and psychological support initiatives
Development of Social and Civic Competencies through Culture and the Creative Industries; promotion of Ukrainian National Identity
•Implementation of support programmes for cultural projects that foster critical thinking, creativity, civic responsibility, tolerance, inclusivity, and liberal values, while reinforcing Ukrainian national identity •Researching and supporting cross-sectoral practices that connect culture and the creative industries with other fields (such as social policy, healthcare, environmental protection, community recovery, and entrepreneurship) to address key societal challenges at the local, regional, and national levels
Restoring Human‑Resource Capacity in the Cultural Sector
•Introduction of a system for the regular analysis of human resource needs in the cultural sector across regions •Implementation of incentive and support mechanisms for cultural professionals and managers who remain in areas with high security risks •Development and implementation of a model to encourage the return of cultural workers, managers, and public officials responsible for culture to de-occupied territories and communities located near active combat zones •Improvement of the contractual employment system for directors and creative staff in cultural institutions •Strengthening the competencies of cultural and creative industry professionals in audience engagement and development •Reforming the professional qualifications system in the cultural sector and creative industries, including the film industry •Enhancing the effectiveness of professional pre-tertiary and higher education in arts and culture
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2 — Protection, Preservation, Enhancement, and Utilisation of Cultural Heritage and Assets
Ensuring the Safety of Cultural and Documentary Heritage in Wartime and Emergency Situations
•Establish a rapid-response system for threats to cultural and documentary heritage caused by various emergencies (technogenic, natural, social, or military); •Introduce a risk assessment system for museum collections and territories potentially affected by military operations or emergencies; •Improve the regulatory framework for the evacuation process of museum collections and items in case of security threats; •Create conditions for the timely evacuation of cultural assets; •Regularly inventory and monitor the condition of the Museum Fund of Ukraine while in evacuation; •Establish and maintain secure, specially equipped storage facilities (depositories) for museum items and collections; •Enable the preservation of Ukrainian cultural assets in EU state storage facilities; •Ensure implementation of obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocols; •Support the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property (Nicosia Convention) and implement obligations under this Convention; •Ensure conservation and restoration of immovable cultural heritage objects damaged or destroyed during hostilities; •Prioritise digitisation (creation of digital copies) and registration of cultural property in electronic registries, especially from territories close to conflict zones; •Recover data on lost heritage objects and those located in occupied territories; •Review and develop effective methodologies for assessing cultural heritage damage and losses, and implement support systems for owners of heritage properties used as residential housing; •Conduct regular damage and loss assessments.
Operational objectives
Institutional and Legal Strengthening of the Heritage Protection System
•Systematise and review the regulatory framework for cultural heritage protection; •Enrich cultural heritage by integrating contemporary art through museumification models, recognising modern works as new heritage; •Update registration procedures for museums of all ownership types and ensure mandatory inventory of all collections; •Develop a scientific and methodological base for restoring monuments damaged in warfare; •Ensure monitoring of the state of national and local cultural heritage sites; •Ensure development and approval of boundaries and protection regimes for historic areas of settlements, cultural heritage protection zones, management plans for historical-cultural reserves, and UNESCO World Heritage site management plans.
Strengthening and expanding the digital infrastructure of the cultural and documentary heritage sector, including the preservation and promotion of cultural assets
•Launch the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as an information and communication system for heritage records; •Build a system for populating registries with the involvement of various sectors and tools; •Create digital copies of heritage objects and related documentation for preservation in case of destruction or theft; •Implement a unified Museum Fund Register of Ukraine; •Develop and launch electronic conservation (restoration) passports for cultural heritage objects and items; •Enhance records for non-state heritage funds and integrate them into national registers; •Create and implement national registries/databases/lists for sheet music, photo, film, and unique documentary heritage; •Ensure electronic interaction between cultural sector systems and national systems for damage/loss accounting caused by the Russian Federation's armed aggression — including compliance with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Resolution CM/Res(2023)3; •Guarantee open data access regarding destroyed heritage sites, museum collections, and lost/exported/returned cultural property; •Ensure integration with international heritage databases to foster entry into European and global cultural spaces.
Restoration Sector Development
•Establish the profession of conservator, with relevant qualifications and education standards; •Update restoration and conservation educational programmes to align with European standards; •Introduce certification for conservators and restorers of movable and immovable heritage; •Support higher and vocational institutions in training restoration, conservation, and heritage professionals; •Promote international internships for Ukrainian restorers and encourage foreign specialists to work in Ukraine; •Ensure certification of architects working on heritage restoration; •Reevaluate the role and function of the National Scientific and Restoration Research Centre of Ukraine and create a market for restoration services.
Searching for and Returning Cultural Property
• Ensuring the return of cultural property and the alignment of Ukrainian legislation on the movement of cultural assets with international legal standards • Training legal professionals with expertise in the transfer and restitution of cultural property, and facilitating Ukraine’s integration into international databases of missing or stolen cultural assets, including Interpol’s databases
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3 — Strengthening the Resilience of Culture as a Societal System
Supporting the Governance Capacity of the Cultural Sector
• Ensuring a functional governance design and adequate institutional capacities at regional and local levels • Supporting the implementation of systemic reforms and changes • Developing professional standards for management positions across different levels and lines of subordination • Designing and implementing a system of professional development incentives based on the principles of free choice of training programmes, independent evaluation of learning outcomes, and mandatory financial literacy • Providing remuneration that reflects acquired competencies, and introducing comprehensive educational programmes with practical components for managerial roles, based on needs assessments (e.g., Culture Leadership Schools, Young Professionals Programmes for local communities, training for curators and conservators, etc.) • Establishing a system for data collection and evidence-based decision-making across all sectors of culture; developing a transparent system for collecting and distributing royalties, including a model for fair remuneration of authors and performers, and setting fair remuneration rates for the use of audiovisual works (films), audio works, and phonograms
Operational objectives
Institutional Reform of Cultural Institutions
• Development and piloting of models to liberalise the operations of cultural sector organisations • Implementation of a reform of the cultural service financing system • Establishment of a transparent infrastructure for the cultural and creative industries services market, including the revision and modernization of the institutional network architecture in the cultural sector • Annual assessment of the state of the national network of cultural institutions and the development of the creative industries, including cinema distribution networks and studio facilities • Introduction of a mechanism for the evaluation, creation, and regular updating of a list of critically important organisations and specialists across all branches and sectors of culture (resilience and capacity safeguarding) • Introduction of mentorship, support, and exchange programmes among professionals, institutions, creative industry operators, and territorial communities to foster mutual understanding, inter-community cooperation, and societal cohesion
Enhancing the Efficiency of State Cultural Funding Institutions
•Update legislation to expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, Ukrainian Book Institute, and other state institutions under the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications; •Introduce institutional support programmes and incentives for partnerships to foster institutional development of these state bodies; •Establish a Coordination Platform for mobilising international aid for cultural heritage restoration; •Implement regular impact assessments of state funding programmes in culture and the film industry; •Develop state guarantees and insurance mechanisms to support credit access and international cooperation for creative industry operators.
Providing Cultural and Arts Education Services in Local Communities
•Inventory and assessment of the condition and modernization needs of cultural infrastructure facilities •Review and updating of standards and regulations in the cultural sector; support for the development of modern, multifunctional cultural institutions as spaces for community cohesion •Restoration of cultural institutions •Construction of certified shelters •Implementation of barrier-free solutions in cultural spaces of various types •Creation of conditions to ensure access to a basic package of cultural services for the population •Support for mobile cultural initiatives targeting remote settlements and under-resourced territorial communities •Creation of conditions for upgrading the material and technical base of cultural institutions in territorial communities •Enabling the expansion of the range of cultural services offered, including paid services, in line with the needs of various target audiences and local community demands — including veterans, internally displaced persons (IDPs), youth, and the elderly •Creation of conditions to ensure access to basic and specialised arts education •Strengthening the institutional capacity of cultural institutions by enabling access to digital services, including administrative services in the cultural field •Development of standardized library software to provide the public with open access to electronic catalogues, facilitate information exchange, enable database conversion, and integrate collections into a unified Ukrainian electronic library •Creation and implementation of an information and communication system for the National Electronic Library •Creation and implementation of an information and communication system for the National Centralised Cataloguing System •Creation and implementation of an information and communication system for “Digital Book Identification”
Building a System for Preserving and Strengthening Local Identity, Cultural Diversity, Cohesion, and Integration into the National Cultural Space
•Support initiatives researching local culture and traditions, and encourage the use of local cultural features and intangible heritage for community development; •Support artistic and creative projects (publishing, music, video games, animation, audiovisual content) that research and promote local culture; •Encourage cross-sector partnerships and dialogue formats around local identity; •Create conditions for participatory memory practices and memorialisation, developing new memory culture at the community level; •Create conditions for the integrated development of immovable heritage objects in communities; •Assess the economic impact of immovable cultural heritage in communities; •Promote the economic potential of creative industries and cultural heritage in territorial communities; •Create conditions for effectively restoring Ukraine’s cultural system and reintegrating residents of de-occupied territories into the national cultural space; •Develop and implement models for supporting displaced cultural and educational institutions operating in regions far from conflict zones; •Establish platforms for dialogue, experience exchange, and idea sharing among communities across different regions of Ukraine.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4 — Integration of Ukrainian Culture into Global Cultural Processes as an Active Participant and Equal Partner
Operational objectives
Strengthening bilateral cultural dialogue and cooperation between Ukraine and the world
•Develop long-term professional ties and cultural cooperation with institutions and creative industry operators in partner countries; •Introduce and support mobility and exchange programmes for cultural professionals and creative industry operators; •Ensure Ukraine’s active participation in the activities of international organisations in the field of culture and creative industries; •Expand access to funding programmes and provide co-financing for the joint production of cultural and creative products (co-productions, interaction projects, artistic collaborations); •Ensure consistent coordination of Ukraine’s position on the Russian Federation as an aggressor state; •Launch initiatives to engage the Ukrainian diaspora in promoting Ukrainian culture abroad; •Establish mechanisms and tools for building networks of diaspora organisations and cultural professionals to support the promotion of Ukrainian culture in their countries of residence; •Implement programmes supporting international researchers working on Ukrainian culture-related topics; •Support joint research and publications about Ukrainian culture involving Ukrainian and foreign scholars; •Facilitate expanded connections between Ukraine’s cultural and creative sectors and those of EU-associated states and the Creative Europe Programme.
Establishing Mechanisms for Engaging and Empowering the Ukrainian Diaspora Abroad
• Facilitating access to information about Ukrainian cultural products, organizations, and cultural figures open to international cooperation for cultural managers abroad • Generating demand for Ukrainian cultural and creative products among foreign professional communities • Encouraging the integration of Ukrainian cultural managers and artists promoting Ukrainian culture abroad into national projects in partner countries (involving Ukrainian cultural and creative products) as well as into cultural and creative projects in Ukraine (featuring products from their countries of residence) • Co-financing projects aimed at bilateral cultural exchange, initiated by Ukrainian cultural figures abroad • Promoting coordination among cultural actors and organisations involved in cultural diplomacy; establishing the Global Ukrainian Cultural Platform
Expanding the Presence and Enhancing the Competitiveness of Ukrainian Creative Industry Operators in International Markets
• Implementation of programs to stimulate the development and monetisation of the cultural and creative industries’ potential, including the design and deployment of tools to support and incentivise creative entrepreneurship • Introduction of support programs aimed at establishing and expanding the export of Ukrainian creative products • Strengthening capacities related to intellectual property rights management to enhance presence in international markets
Presenting Ukrainian Culture at Key Global Cultural Events
•Coordinate effective representation of Ukrainian culture and creative industries at major international events across all creative sectors; •Support the preparation and adaptation of Ukrainian cultural and creative products for foreign audiences and promote the presence of contemporary works; •Implement training and professional mobility programmes to integrate Ukrainian artists and creative industry professionals into global contexts and promote the participation of foreign professionals, artists, and creative entrepreneurs in Ukraine; •Engage international media to raise awareness of Ukrainian cultural projects in the global information space.
PREPARATION STAGES
