IMZ STATEMENT ON RUSSIA’S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE

The IMZ stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all people affected by this war and strongly condemn the aggressive and unlawful behaviour of the Russian Federation!

Please read the Official Statement of the IMZ Executive Board here:

"The IMZ was founded under the aegis of UNESCO in 1961 to preserve the performing arts as a cultural asset. As an international network, our aim is to work and grow together – not against each other. It is our mission to promote peaceful cultural dialogue globally.

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and all people affected by this war and strongly condemn the aggressive and unlawful behaviour of the Russian Federation.

The IMZ Executive Board has decided to put the memberships of organisations from Russia on hold, effective immediately until further notice. While this war is carried out by the Russian Federation, we don’t believe that all Russians support it. Our respect goes out to all those people in Russia who risk their lives to speak out against this war. We sincerely hope that peace will be restored and the political situation in Russia will allow us to reinstate the memberships of our Russian colleagues, in a near future.

We have created a website dedicated to Ukraine and ask all our IMZ Members to let us know about initiatives + collaborations in the performing arts and cultural sector defending peace + freedom.

Strategies can include:
+ Concerts, Live Performances + Streams
+ Petitions + Letters to the European Union
+ Donation opportunities
+ and many more

Submit them here. The website will be updated regularly.

As an open international network, we will continue to support our colleagues in Ukraine with resources for international cooperation and trade to help the Ukrainian audiovisual performing arts sector to strengthen their international network and give them the opportunity to showcase Ukrainian cultural productions to the world."