Chair of the National Council Olha Herasymiuk participated in the 35th meeting of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council for UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP), representing Ukraine as Vice-Chair and member of the Bureau. The agenda was devoted to issues of reforming the Programme in the face of new challenges. Ukraine submitted a number of proposals aimed at enhancing the efficiency and transparency of the Programme’s work, all of which were unanimously supported.
Among the key topics were the review of IFAP’s past activities and the priorities for 2026 – 2027 in the context of implementing the UNESCO80 Roadmap, which envisages reform of the Organization and a revision of approaches to the work of its programmes.
Proceeding from the need to preserve the institutional capacity of the Programme and to ensure transparency and openness of the budgetary process, Ukraine proposed adding to the agenda a discussion on IFAP’s financial situation. In the course of reviewing the Programme’s results and future prospects, Ukraine introduced amendments to the draft decisions of the Bureau. In particular, these concern conducting an independent audit of IFAP’s activities by the Division of Internal Oversight Services and assessing the implementation of its Strategic Plan for 2023-2029. Such an analysis would allow for an objective evaluation of the Programme’s achievements, identification of existing challenges, and outlining of further directions for development.
Ukraine also advocated for ensuring transparency and efficiency in the work of IFAP’s six Working Groups. Among the proposals was the regular publication on the Programme’s official website of information about planned meetings, events, and the results of their activities.
During the meeting, the high efficiency of the Ukrainian IFAP National Committee was noted, recognizing it as one of the most effective in fulfilling the Programme’s global mandate.
Ukraine’s experience under conditions of Russian aggression is recognized within UNESCO as an example of resilience in conflicts and crisis situations across all spheres of the Organization’s mandate, serving as a source for strengthening UNESCO’s response mechanisms to contemporary challenges.
The meeting was attended by UNESCO Assistant-Director General Ms. Mariya Gabriel, Permanent Delegates of Member States, observers, and media experts.
