UNESCO workshop in Lviv puts culture at centre of Ukraine’s recovery and rebuilding

Developed by UNESCO and the World Bank in 2018, the CURE Framework offers guidance for including culture in damage assessments, policy development, financing and recovery work.

On 15 October 2026, UNESCO and Ukraine's Ministry of Culture held a workshop in Lviv on the Culture in City Reconstruction and Recovery Framework, known as CURE. The gathering focused on bringing cultural heritage, cultural life and community priorities into recovery planning across Ukraine. Around 40 representatives from government, local authorities and international partner organizations took part.

Developed by UNESCO and the World Bank in 2018, the CURE Framework offers guidance for including culture in damage assessments, policy development, financing and recovery work. It links the repair of buildings and public spaces with the values, needs and aspirations of the people who use them. The approach draws on reconstruction experience ranging from post-war Europe to Mostar, Beirut, Timbuktu and Kathmandu.

UNESCO's Head of Antenna in Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, described the framework as a way to connect the recovery of places with support for the people who live in them. For Ukraine, that connection can help communities maintain identity, reconnect and take part in shaping their future. Deputy Culture Minister Anastasia Bondar stressed that cultural considerations belong across recovery planning, from monuments and theatres to schools, hospitals, homes and public spaces.

Planning recovery around culture and communities

Participants examined four connected parts of reconstruction: assessing damage and needs, developing policies and strategies, mobilizing financing, and carrying out recovery interventions. Sessions considered data collection, stakeholder mapping and participatory planning, as well as coordination between institutions. Discussions also covered ways to bring public and private financing into recovery.

UNESCO and World Bank experts connected the framework to practical questions facing Ukrainian institutions, using international reconstruction experience as a reference. The discussions emphasized that culture includes local identity, creativity and the quality of the built environment, alongside historic sites and cultural institutions. By linking people, places and decisions, the CURE approach can help shape recovery that reflects community priorities.

Government and international partners at the table

The workshop brought together ministries responsible for culture, territorial development, infrastructure, the economy and social policy, alongside Lviv City Council, the Lviv Oblast Administration and the Culture Ministry's Recovery Support Unit. International and technical participants included the European Union Delegation to Ukraine, the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and UN-Habitat. Other partners included the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, the City of Tallinn, the DREAM platform and the Kharkiv School of Architecture.

World Bank Group Senior Urban Development Specialist Tengiz Gogotishvili highlighted the value of coordinated planning, clear standards and solutions prepared before construction begins. He also emphasized returning restored places to the people who use them and accounting early for the needs of displaced families. A transparent pipeline for investment, he said, can help communities trust and take part in recovery.

Building on support for Ukraine's cultural sector

The Lviv event builds on UNESCO's work with the Recovery Support Unit, established within Ukraine's Ministry of Culture in 2024 to improve coordination and support recovery across the cultural sector. The initiative connects cultural expertise with wider reconstruction efforts, with a focus on community identity, inclusive participation and resilience. The workshop was financed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and hosted by the Lviv Culture Hub.