Scientists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine took part in the meeting of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO, which took place on January 30, 2026.
The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was represented at the event by: the president of the Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, national coordinator for the implementation in Ukraine of the UN International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development, academician of the NAS of Ukraine Stanislav Dovhyi, head of the Donetsk Scientific Center of the NAS of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, director of the V.K. Mamutov Institute of Economic and Legal Research of the NAS of Ukraine, member of the working group for the development of the UNESCO Action Plan for the restoration of the science sector in Ukraine, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine Volodymyr Ustymenko, deputy head of the NAS of Ukraine Working Group on cooperation with UNESCO, vice president of the International Coordinating Council of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program Pavlo Cherinko, and head of the UNESCO Department "New Information Technologies in Education for All," which operates at the Institute of Information Technologies and Systems of the NAS of Ukraine Oleksandr Volkov.
The discussion focused on the implementation of the UNESCO Action Plan for Ukraine in the field of science, the restoration of the research sector under war conditions, the development of UNESCO programs, and strengthening the international presence of Ukrainian science in connection with Ukraine's election to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-2029.
During the presentation of the Science Sector activities of the National Commission, Pavlo Cherinko informed about the work of the National Committee of Ukraine on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere program, which operates at the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. In particular, support provided in 2025 to UNESCO biosphere reserves in Ukraine was discussed, including those located in temporarily occupied territories. Developments on creating a new biosphere reserve "Central Polissya" within Kyiv and Chernihiv regions were also presented, which will increase the total area of the Ukrainian biosphere reserve network by one and a half times.
Academician of the NAS of Ukraine Stanislav Dovhyi focused on the implementation of the UNESCO Action Plan for Ukraine in the field of science, which is based on a comprehensive analytical study on the impact of the full-scale war on Ukraine's research sector. This study was prepared by specialists of the Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and presented at UNESCO headquarters, after which Ukrainian experts were involved in further development of the Action Plan.
Special attention was given to Ukraine's participation in the implementation of the UN International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development, coordinated by UNESCO. It was noted that several Ukrainian projects have already received official approval within the Decade. A proposal was also made to celebrate the International Day of Engagement in Science for Sustainable Development at the state level and to jointly prepare with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the NAS of Ukraine a program for its celebration in 2026.
Corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine Volodymyr Ustymenko, in his speech, informed about Ukraine's participation in the development of the UNESCO program on the freedom and safety of scientists. It was emphasized that this program direction is based on Ukraine's unique experience in maintaining the functioning of science during war and is aimed at forming international mechanisms for protecting scientists in conflict zones. Thanks to the interaction of the NAS of Ukraine with the Permanent Representation of Ukraine to UNESCO, the issue of scientists' safety was raised for the first time among the key challenges of sustainable science development.
Following the meeting, the updated composition of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO was approved, and its priorities for 2026 were defined in the context of Ukraine's active participation in the work of the UNESCO Executive Board.
More about the meeting – on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
According to the information of the Environmental Issues Sector of the New Organizational Structure of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine
Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
