UNESCO Brasilia regrets and strongly repudiates the events in Brasília yesterday, January 8, when protesters violently invaded public buildings and depredated works of art and items of the Brazilian cultural heritage. Brasília, the country's capital, has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1987, a recognition which entails the characteristics of Lucio Costa's urban design (the 'Plano Piloto') and Oscar Niemeyer's architectural creations.

Today, the Director and Representative of UNESCO in Brazil, Marlova Noleto, contacted the Minister of Culture, Margareth Menezes, to offer the Organization's expertise to support the restoration of damaged artworks that are already under the coordination of the Brazilian Office and the Institute for National Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). This afternoon, a meeting between UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture discussed the further steps on this matter.
  
Specialists from IPHAN and the Ministry are still gathering data concerning the damages witnessed at the Planalto Palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court (STF) yesterday to certify the exact consequences of the attacks on the heritage and to declare which artworks will need restoration. Furthermore, it is already confirmed that the acts of vandalism have ruined several areas of these buildings, collapsing valuable heritage items. Examples are the canvas "Mulatas" by Di Cavalcanti, the stained-glass window "Araguaia" by Marianne Peretti, and the sculpture "A Justiça" (The Justice) by Alfredo Ceschiatti.