On the 25th, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization included the historic center of Odessa, a port city in southern Ukraine, on the World Heritage List.

(Picture taken from twitter.com/UNESCO)

[Central News Agency] The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today added the historic center of the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, known as the "Pearl of the Black Sea", to the World Heritage List despite objections from Russia.

Agence France-Presse reported that the 21 member states of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted 6 in favor to 1 against with 14 abstentions, agreeing to inscribe the designated area of ​​Odessa on the World Heritage List.

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Russia, which invaded Ukraine last February, has repeatedly tried to delay the voting process.

The vote recognizes the "outstanding universal value" of the site and the "responsibility of all human beings to preserve it".

Following the decision, UNESCO Secretary-General Audrey Azoulay said: "While the war continues, the success of Odessa's inscription reflects our common determination to ensure that this country remains standing amidst world turmoil. The unfallen city is saved from further destruction."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the decision.

He filed an application last October to list Odessa as a World Heritage Site to protect Odessa from Russian bombing.

Zelensky tweeted: "Today Odessa received UNESCO protection. I am grateful to our partners who helped protect our pearl from Russian aggressors."

Odessa, about 500 kilometers away from the capital Kyiv, which is often under Russian air raids, is also included in the List of World Heritage in Danger.

"This opens it up to additional international technical and financial assistance" to preserve it, or restore it if necessary, UNESCO said.

UNESCO also said it had helped restore damage to the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts and the Odesa Museum of Modern Art since the start of the war.