At the end of March 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Strategy for the Development of Culture for the period 2025-2030, including an operational plan. The strategy is based on analytical research and policies developed by RES-POL (Rapid Expert Support for Culture and Media Policies in Ukraine) project experts, including members of the Coalition. 

The Strategy provides for a number of changes and reforms that are very important for culture, in particular in the field of cultural heritage preservation and protection, improvement of the management system of cultural institutions, etc. Some tasks are already being implemented, but in reality, there are many statements and intentions in the public domain, but few publicly recorded results. Therefore, without monitoring and advocacy from the expert community, civil society organisations and the media, there is a risk that the planned changes may remain at the level of ‘declarations’ or have a purely cosmetic effect. 

That is why the Coalition continues to develop advocacy for important changes and monitor the implementation of reforms through public projects, such as:

• Dec'25 – Curation of the discussion and professional components at the IV Congress of Culture in Lviv, December 2025

• Nov'25 – Moderated workshops and strategy discussions for representatives of local cultural institutions in Odesa region

• Oct'25 – Moderated workshops and strategy discussions for representatives of Kharkiv region

• June'25 – Moderated workshops and strategy discussions with regional cultural workers from Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattia, Rivne, and Chernivtsi regions

• Dec'24 – Public discussion of the RES-POL project in cooperation with the Regional Development Centre and the PPV Economic Development Agency

• Oct'24 – Discussion ‘Culture as a factor of sustainability in a long war’ in Poltava, in partnership with the MISTOHUB community

• July'24 – Event ‘Culture in a long war: challenges and roles’ in partnership with the Frontier Institute

In 2025, the Coalition intensified its work on public positions and advocacy, launched information campaigns, and joined broader civil society initiatives. We respond to situations that directly affect the cultural sphere, support professional communities, and bring important issues into the public sphere. 

Our position is always based on transparency, accountability, and protecting the interests of cultural actors. 

• Harassment in theatre: Statement on the inadmissibility of violence in the cultural sphere

Cases about systemic harassment, psychological pressure, abuse of power and discrimination as in the Molodyi Theatre turned out to be broader than individual incidents — it was a question of the lack of safety standards and mechanisms for responding to violence in cultural institutions.

The Coalition publicly issued a statement on the inadmissibility of any form of violence in the cultural sphere and appealed to the Kyiv City State Administration for explanations about the appointment of Andrii Bilous, a decision that caused concern in the community due to its focus on ‘manual’ appointments and the lack of transparency in personnel decisions.

The statement intensified public debate on ethics in culture and contributed to the active discussion of issues of safety, anti-discrimination policies and response procedures not only within professional communities, but also in the media.

• Dismissal of Minister of Culture Tochytskyi

In May 2025, the Ministry of Culture dismissed Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The dismissal was carried out with violations, and former Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi publicly accused the director of taking a ‘weak stance’ on the implementation of the law banning the activities of Moscow-based religious organisations. The Ministry also systematically ignored the need to urgently abolish the outdated Plan for the Organisation of the Lavra's Territories, which allowed illegal construction, and key officials from the Ministry did not have the relevant qualifications.

The Coalition together with representatives of the museum, human rights and cultural communities, initiated an open letter to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal which directed to the advocacy pressure on the government regarding transparent personnel appointments and compliance with the law in the field of cultural heritage. 

• Evacuation of museum collections

The Coalition drew attention to the fact that more than three million items from the state museum collection remained in threatened frontline areas, with less than 10% having been evacuated. The coalition published an open letter to the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Mykola Tochytskyi, calling for the urgent evacuation of museum collections from dangerous regions and the publication of a public report on the state of preservation of cultural property. They also called on businesses, local authorities, museums and communities to be prepared to accept exhibits in safe regions.

The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications published a comment on its website in response to the Coalition's appeal, reporting on how many evacuation measures had been carried out from how many cultural institutions at that point, but left unanswered the question of whether there was an evacuation plan and did not respond to the proposal for practical solutions and assistance from the international community.