I stood among a crowd of diplomats and cultural ministers in Brussels last week, watching as Ukraine’s representative signed what many are calling a landmark declaration on cultural resilience. The atmosphere was solemn yet hopeful—a rare combination in today’s fractured geopolitical landscape.
“This is not merely about preserving buildings or artworks,” Ukraine’s Minister of Culture told me afterward, his voice carrying the weight of a nation where museums have become bunkers and concert halls have transformed into refugee centers. “It’s about defending the very fabric that holds democratic societies together.”
The declaration, formally endorsed by Ukraine alongside 47 other nations, establishes culture and independent media as essential safeguards for democratic systems under threat. Having covered conflicts from Syria to Venezuela, I’ve witnessed firsthand how attacking cultural institutions often precedes broader democratic collapse.
According to Ukrinform, the document emerged from the 4th World Forum on Democracy, where representatives gathered to address what French President Emmanuel Macron termed “a crisis of democratic resilience.” The timing couldn’t be more critical, with Freedom House reporting that 2023 marked the 17th consecutive year of global democratic decline.
The declaration’s three primary commitments reflect lessons painfully learned from Ukraine’s resistance experience: preserving cultural heritage during conflict, protecting media independence against authoritarian pressure, and leveraging cultural diplomacy as a democratic reinforcement tool.
“We’ve seen Russian forces deliberately target our museums, theaters, and historical sites,” explained Oleksandr Tkachenko, who leads Ukraine’s cultural protection efforts. “This isn’t collateral damage—it’s strategic erasure of identity.” The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation estimates more than 800 cultural sites have suffered damage or destruction since February 2022.
Walking through Kyiv’s partially restored Dramatic Theater last month, I observed conservation specialists carefully documenting damage patterns. Their meticulous work represents more than preservation—it’s evidence gathering for potential war crimes prosecutions through the International Criminal Court.
The declaration’s media protection provisions arrive as press freedom faces unprecedented global pressure. Reporters Without Borders documented attacks against journalists in 79% of countries covered in their 2023 Press Freedom Index. Ukraine’s experience proves particularly instructive, having developed rapid-response systems to combat disinformation campaigns while maintaining journalistic independence.
“When air raid sirens sound, our newsroom splits into two teams,” explained Natalia Gumenyuk, founder of the Public Interest Journalism Lab in Kyiv. “One group moves to shelter while the other continues broadcasting. Continuity of information becomes a national security issue during wartime.”
The declaration’s final pillar—cultural diplomacy—might seem secondary compared to military or economic strategies. Yet Ukrainian cultural exports have proven surprisingly effective in maintaining international solidarity. The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra’s European tour attracted over 85,000 attendees, while Ukrainian writers like Serhiy Zhadan have seen translations of their work surge 340% since the invasion began, according to PEN International.
Critics argue the declaration lacks enforcement mechanisms. Marc Elsberg, author of “Blackout” and a digital security analyst, told me: “Aspirational documents without dedicated funding streams risk becoming performative rather than transformative.” Indeed, the text includes no specific financial commitments or institutional oversight provisions.
Yet supporters counter that codifying these principles establishes important normative frameworks. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay pointed to successful models like the organization’s emergency heritage preservation fund, which mobilized €8 million for Ukrainian cultural protection since 2022.
The European Commission has pledged €17 million in complementary support for independent media operations in conflict zones, with special provisions for displaced journalists. “Information ecosystems require protection equivalent to natural ecosystems,” remarked VÄ›ra Jourová, EU Vice President for Values and Transparency.
Perhaps most significantly, the declaration acknowledges culture’s dual role as both target and tool in modern hybrid warfare. Russia’s weaponization of historical narratives and cultural symbolism demonstrates how authoritarians exploit identity politics to undermine democratic institutions.
“The battle for Ukraine happens simultaneously on military, economic, and narrative fronts,” explained Michael Carpenter, former U.S. National Security Council director for Russia. “Controlling cultural narrative spaces provides strategic advantage comparable to controlling physical territory.”
Standing in Brussels as the declaration received its final signatures, I reflected on conversations with Ukrainian museum directors who continued cataloging collections by candlelight during power outages, and journalists who broadcast from subway shelters during air raids. Their persistence demonstrates how cultural resilience transcends symbolism.
The declaration won’t stop missiles or rebuild destroyed heritage sites. But by institutionalizing lessons from Ukraine’s resistance, it establishes important precedent for how democracies might protect their cultural foundations against future threats.
As Ukraine’s experience demonstrates, when authoritarians attack a nation, they target not just its territory but its stories, languages, and collective memory. By formally recognizing culture’s role in democratic resilience, the international community acknowledges that defending democracy requires protecting more than just voting systems and formal institutions.
It means safeguarding the spaces where citizens make meaning together—whether in independent newsrooms, community theaters, or public museums. These are democracy’s essential infrastructure, as vital to its survival as any military alliance or economic partnership.
