russia is trying to regain influence in UNESCO structures
On October 29, the international forum “Dialogue on Fakes 3.0” will take place in moscow — an event included in the calendar of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week of UNESCO. The event is supported by the russian ministry of foreign affairs and involves “international experts” and representatives of kremlin agencies.
▫️ The irony is that the state that has built a large-scale system of disinformation, cyberattacks, and propaganda is now organizing a forum on countering fakes.
Such initiatives are an attempt to maintain the image of a “responsible partner” of UNESCO and influence the position of member states ahead of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, which starts on October 30 in Samarkand.
▫️ On November 7, elections to the UNESCO Executive Board — one of the organization’s key governing bodies — will take place there. For russia, this is a matter of principle: in the previous elections in 2023, it was not elected to the Board for the first time, which was a serious blow to moscow’s international prestige.
russia systematically violates the key principles of UNESCO — it is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, destroying schools, museums, historical monuments, and stealing cultural values. Therefore, russia’s very presence in this organization undermines its authority.
