Russian Artist and Ukrainian in Bali Collaborate on Message of Unity

Bird's eye view of Russian Pokras Lampas' calligraphy artworks on the rooftops of Ukrainian Alex Shtefan's villas in Bali, Indonesia on March 5, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. (Reuters)
Bird's eye view of Russian Pokras Lampas' calligraphy artworks on the rooftops of Ukrainian Alex Shtefan's villas in Bali, Indonesia on March 5, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. (Reuters)
TT
20

Russian Artist and Ukrainian in Bali Collaborate on Message of Unity

Bird's eye view of Russian Pokras Lampas' calligraphy artworks on the rooftops of Ukrainian Alex Shtefan's villas in Bali, Indonesia on March 5, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. (Reuters)
Bird's eye view of Russian Pokras Lampas' calligraphy artworks on the rooftops of Ukrainian Alex Shtefan's villas in Bali, Indonesia on March 5, 2022. Picture taken with a drone. (Reuters)

A Russian artist and a Ukrainian owner of a villa complex on the Indonesian resort island of Bali have come together to promote peace and unity through a giant work of art.

The piece of calligraphy - spanning 960 sq m (10,333 sq ft) across the rooftops of nine buildings - spells out "United World" in six languages: Russian, Ukrainian, English, Chinese, French and Indonesian.

"This work is not a political statement, it's a cultural statement, it's a social statement, about people and the way ... we can unite together to create a future in harmony," Russian calligraphy artist Pokras Lampas told Reuters.

Lampas, who has been in Bali since December, said the idea was developed with a group of Ukrainian friends before the war started, but now the work has taken on even more meaning.

The 30-year-old Lampas, who describes his style as "Calligrafuturism" and says it encompasses modern calligraphy and elements of street art, spent three weeks creating the work.

Alex Shtefan, the Ukrainian running the villa complex, said the art work matches his values and sent an important message.

"We can show in our villas to the world our idea that (the) world needs to be united," said Shtefan, who has been living in Indonesia for six years.

Both men said they were shocked by the war in Ukraine.

"If we can find a way to stop it and find a peaceful way to negotiate, we need to make it now," Lampas said.

Even though the two countries have their own cultures, "Russia and Ukraine always was like a brother, we are always ... close, we always help each other and even we look similar," said Shtefan, 35.

"We cannot believe that it's happened," Shtefan said, adding that he was worried for the safety of loved ones back home.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February in a military offensive it describes as a "special military operation".



Countries Agree 10% Increase for UN Climate Budget

Simon Stiell, Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), speaks during an event with the newly announced COP30 President Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, in Brasilia, Brazil February 6, 2025. (Reuters)
Simon Stiell, Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), speaks during an event with the newly announced COP30 President Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, in Brasilia, Brazil February 6, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Countries Agree 10% Increase for UN Climate Budget

Simon Stiell, Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), speaks during an event with the newly announced COP30 President Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, in Brasilia, Brazil February 6, 2025. (Reuters)
Simon Stiell, Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC), speaks during an event with the newly announced COP30 President Ambassador Andre Correa do Lago, in Brasilia, Brazil February 6, 2025. (Reuters)

Countries agreed on Thursday to increase the UN climate body's budget by 10% for the next two years, a move the body welcomed as a commitment by governments to work together to address on climate change, with China's contribution rising.

The deal, agreed by nearly 200 countries - from Japan to Saudi Arabia, to small island nations like Fiji - at UN climate negotiations in Bonn, comes despite major funding cuts at other UN agencies, triggered in part by the US slashing its contributions, and political pushback on ambitious climate policies in European countries.

Countries agreed to a core budget of 81.5 million euros for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) over 2026-2027, up 10% from 2024-2025. The core budget is funded by government contributions.

The deal includes an increase in China's contribution, reflecting the country's economic growth. China, the world's second-biggest economy, would cover 20% of the new budget, up from 15% previously.

Only the United States, the world's biggest economy, was allocated a bigger share, of 22%. However, President Donald Trump quit the UN Paris climate agreement and halted international climate funding. Bloomberg Philanthropies has pledged to cover the US contribution to the UNFCCC budget.

The US did not attend the UN climate talks this week in Bonn, Germany where the budget was approved.

UN climate chief Simon Stiell welcomed the increase as "a clear signal that governments continue to see UN-convened climate cooperation as essential, even in difficult times."

The UNFCCC runs annual climate negotiations among countries and helps implement deals that are made, including the 2015 Paris Agreement, which commits nearly all nations to limit global warming.

The body has faced a severe budget shortfall in recent years, as major donors including China and the US had not paid on time, prompting the body to cut costs including by cancelling some events.

The UNFCC's running costs and headcount - its core budget funded 181 staff in 2025 - are smaller than some other UN bodies facing sharp funding cuts, such as the UN trade and development agency's roughly 400 staff.

Meanwhile, the UN Secretariat, the global body's executive arm, is preparing to slash its $3.7 billion budget by 20%, according to an internal memo.