Ministry: Restoration of Ukraine’s culture sector will cost up to $3.8B

"When it comes to the general restoration plan – $38 billion that the Government is talking about – it is assumed that 1-2% will be allocated for the culture sector. This is quite a large sum – about $3.8 billion. This is a more or less realistic estimate of damages suffered by cultural institutions during the military aggression," Minister of Culture and Information Picy of Ukraine eksandr Tkachenko said at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine-Ukrinform on December 19.

At the same time, Tkachenko added, the EU countries were friendly to the idea of providing 1% of the budgets of their culture ministries for the needs of Ukraine. According to him, these funds will help not only to support cultural institutions but also to start the reconstruction process.

"This is a valid formula since these funds can be transferred to the account of UNITED24 or the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, or the Ukrainian Book Institute. In this case, we, not having adequate funding as the culture spending was reduced in 2023, will have the portunity not only to support culture institutionally but also to start the reconstruction process," he said.

As reported, UNESCO will continue to provide all necessary assistance to Ukraine for the preservation and protection of cultural heritage.

The Government previously stated that about $38 billion per year would be needed to rebuild Ukraine after the war.