Statement on the Conflict in Ukraine

World Monuments Fund (WMF) expresses deep concern as the conflict in Ukraine escalates. We urge that all precautions be taken to protect lives and avoid irreparable harm to cultural heritage in the region. Our experience with post-crisis recovery around the world continues to reveal the lasting consequences of destruction on communities. 
 
Zhovkva Synagogue is one of eight sites where WMF has worked in the past in Ukraine. Constructed in the 1690s for a rapidly growing Jewish community, this site was included on the 2000 World Monuments Watch to ensure that the synagogue, its history, and its community will be remembered as an important part of the community’s legacy. This is just one of many cultural heritage places across Ukraine now threatened by the rapidly expanding crisis.
 
WMF calls for the respect of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.