UNESCO has recognized the Ukrainian Easter egg as a cultural heritage of humanity.

On Tuesday, December 3rd, during the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Paraguay, the Ukrainian Easter egg was added to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy announced that this is the first international element from Ukraine registered in collaboration with Estonia. The nomination is titled "Pysanka: Ukrainian Tradition and the Art of Egg Decoration."

“In the struggle for our homeland, our artists – the bearers of living heritage – are dying. Their loss undermines the very heart of our identity. Without people, living heritage cannot exist. We prove that even in the darkest times, we remain unbreakable. The inclusion of the Ukrainian pysanka in the UNESCO Representative List is proof of that. We declare to the whole world: living heritage unites us,” said Minister of Culture Mykola Tochitsky.

Work on the nomination began in 2017 following a meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the Ukrainian diaspora in Estonia. The foundation of the nomination "Pysanka: Ukrainian Tradition and the Art of Egg Decoration" consists of three elements:

• “Ukrainian Pysanka: Tradition and Art,” which unites communities from all regions of Ukraine;
• “The Tradition of Hutsul Pysanka”;
• “Ukrainian Pysanka, Tradition, and the Art of Decorating Easter Eggs,” which is included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements of Estonia.

The Ministry of Culture adds that the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity includes 611 elements from five regions and 140 state parties to the Convention. From Ukraine, the traditions of Petrykivka painting were included in 2013, Kosiiv ceramics in 2019, and the Crimean Tatar ornament Ornек in 2021.