CER Regional Hub in the Black Sea

Partner organisations: Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE), Museum for Change, Ukraine Heritage Monitoring Lab (HeMo)

Since: 2024

Region of action: Ukraine and neighbouring countries where possible

Overview: The Black Sea region has recently seen an increased threat to cultural heritage following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The need for heritage protection and commitment to championing independent civil society cultural actors in Ukraine has become crucial to the survival of the region’s heritage post-invasion. The establishment of a Regional Hub in the Black Sea builds on CER's continuing support to Ukrainian heritage protection since the full-scale invasion in 2022, securing support now and for the future.

Extent and sources of risks: High threat of targeted attacks on Ukrainian heritage including deliberate destruction and looting, and of collateral damage from attacks on other infrastructure.

Heritage at risk: Museums, libraries, places of worship, archaeological sites, cultural centres, monuments, and other significant landmarks.

Main goals and activities:

• Continued regional emergency response coordination
• Engagement and training with local grassroots civil society stakeholders
• Mapping of heritage destruction and future risks
• Enhancement of the operational infrastructure for emergency deployment
• Creating and sharing knowledge about heritage protection widely and securely among stakeholders in Ukraine and other states threatened with invasion

Partner profile(s)

Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE)

The NGO “Agency for Cultural Resilience” (ACURE) was founded in 2022 as a response to the war and as a legal entity for the Kyiv office of the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative (HERI). It's mission is to protect cultural heritage in times of crisis, to promote the development of the emergency management system, to facilitate a sustainable and resilient arts and culture sector in Ukraine, and to invest in the preservation of cultural heritage in the world. The main activities of the ACURE include documentation of damage and risk assessment of cultural heritage in times of crisis, providing first aid to culture, professional development in cultural emergency management, research and exhibitions, networking and promoting knowledge, people and events in the arts and cultural heritage field.
Agency for Cultural Resilience closely cooperates with international organizations including ICCROM, Cultural Emergency Response (CER), the Smithsonian Institution, ALIPH, the US Ambassadors Fund, the Ministry of Culture and Informational Policy of Ukraine, and national non-governmental institutions.

Museum for Change

Museum for Change is an NGO that was founded in 2017 with the aim of empowering museums in Odesa and providing support for their communication and fundraising endeavors. However, with the onset of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, the organization's main focus shifted towards supporting Ukrainian cultural institutions in preserving their collections and sustaining their teams during the war. To achieve this, Museum for Change has actively established partnerships with various international organizations and private donors. Over the course of the war, Museum for Change has successfully provided support to more than 60 cultural institutions across seven regions of Ukraine. These efforts have been carried out in collaboration with esteemed organizations such as UNESCO, ALIPH foundation, Cultural Emergency Response, House of Europe, Goethe Institute, World Heritage Foundation, and private donors. By leveraging these partnerships, Museum for Change has been able to contribute significantly to the preservation and resilience of Ukrainian cultural heritage in the face of ongoing hostilities.

Ukraine Heritage Monitoring Lab (HeMo)

Ukraine Heritage Monitoring Lab (HeMo) is an organisation dedicated to documenting, monitoring, and protecting Ukraine’s cultural heritage during times of conflict. Through field expeditions and site surveys, HeMo records damage to historical monuments, compiles data for restoration efforts, and provides evidence for international legal actions against heritage destruction. Their work supports both the preservation of cultural identity and advocacy for accountability in the face of war-related heritage crimes.