UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS

№ 4 (20) – April, 2005

The UWC Executive Committee met in Toronto on Saturday, March 19, 2005. The following action was taken: in connection with the upcoming Directors' annual meeting scheduled for August 17-18, 2005 - to sent out formal letters to the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast and Mayor of Kharkiv regarding hosting the event, director of the Kharkiv Philharmonic (the session's venue) regarding rental and Patriarch Lubomyr Husar and Archbishop Ihor Isichenko regarding both a requiem fоr the victims of the 1930 Kharkiv trial and other events, have all Executive Committee members and council and commission chairs submit reports in advance but have only the President on behalf of all present a report at the meeting followed by a discussion, to hear brief reports from national central representation chairs, to pass the 2006 budget, review by-laws and regulations and accept new members, to schedule round tables on the following subjects: Ukraine Diaspora relations in light of current circumstances, UWC activity in the eastern Diaspora, strengthening Ukrainian communities in the western Diaspora, global activity in social service, education and scholarship, culture, human, national and civil rights, sports and youth issues; to issue a bilingual statement in connection with May fundraising and to procure distribution with envelope inserts through various newspapers; to fund the following UWC council and commission projects - a round table on global social service within the upcoming Kharkiv session, to create and maintain a web page on human and civil rights' issues, to organize a conference on migrant workers' rights, to address issues of Ukrainian defamation in Polish media, to assist in publishing a periodical for the Ukrainian community in Russia, to commence defense activity of Ukrainian rights in Belarus, to continue publishing the Ukrainian pedagogical journal Vidhuknitcia, to support educational institutions in the Eastern Diaspora, to prepare and disseminate educational material for educators of Ukrainian youth, to convene a conference on UPA in Kyiv, to compile a compendium on Ukrainian educational institutions in the Diaspora, to convene a conference in Kharkiv on repressions; to reply to membership inquiries from Ukrainian communities in Italy and Slovakia and to visit communities in Austria, South America, Slovakia and Kuban; to actively participate in the upcoming IV Forum in Kyiv; to award the St. Volodymyr Medal to Lidia Krushelnycky.

SUPPORT THE GLOBAL UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY

    The organized Ukrainian Diaspora played a significant role during the Orange Revolution. A record number of Ukrainian citizens in the Diaspora participated in the elections. Over 2,600 Ukrainians, citizens of their own countries, served as international election observers at various polling stations throughout the world. The refrain at Independence Square in Kyiv "Together We Are Many, We Will Not Be Defeated!" is profoundly symbolic for the global Ukrainian community. Considering the demographic factor that one in three Ukrainians lives outside Ukraine (numbering some twenty million), this symbolism becomes an even more significant unifying factor: twenty million Ukrainians in the Diaspora are an integral part of the Ukrainian nation.

    The further development and well being of the Diaspora is no less important than the development of the nation in our ancestral homeland. This is the direction in which the new President and government of Ukraine will be working. However, their priority is safeguarding the well being of the people in Ukraine. Therefore, the community structures in the Diaspora not only continue to fulfill the role of ambassadors of Ukraine that are involved in promoting Ukrainian causes in countries where Ukrainians reside, but also are the principal source for defending the rights of Ukrainians residing abroad.

    The work of the Ukrainian World Congress is well known to most Ukrainians. In the past these efforts resulted in various degrees of success. However, contemporary conditions compel maximum effort. Today Ukraine is a player in world politics, artificial political borders have dissipated and electronic communication has enabled a new interaction and closer ties for bringing to the fore a new concept - a global Ukrainianism. Today, Ukrainians in the West have the wherewithal and ability to help their less fortunate brothers and sisters, i.e. broadening the network of communication among Ukrainians, who find themselves in eleven different time zones in the Russian Federation, assisting the development of a Ukrainian school system in the Trans-Dniester region of Moldova, or establishing a monument to Ukrainian victims of Soviet repression on the territory of Karelia in the Russian Federation. The full development of a global Ukrainian community is the implementation of the sense of the refrain on Independence Square: "Together We Are Many, We Will Not Be Defeated!"

THE MONTH OF MAY IS THE MONTH FOR DONATING TO THE UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS

    We appeal to you - join in building a global Ukrainian community! Help in the realization of the tasks that the UWC has pledged to fulfill. Open your hearts and your financial capabilities and assist the UWC in manifesting to all Ukrainians in the Diaspora that they are a part of our global Ukrainian family. Please send your donations to: Ukrainian World Foundation, 145 Evans, Toronto, Ontario (postal code) or Ukrainian World Congress, 225 East 11th Street, New York, New York 10003. You also may make your donation through your national central representation: Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council, Union of Ukrainian Organizations of Australia, Union of Ukrainians in Great Britain. We sincerely thank you for your generosity and support.

    The Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ will be celebrated in 2005 through an orange prism. Easter – history’s most significant event stands on its own and deserves our undivided attention. Nevertheless, with our human failings, we cannot help but tinge our observances with contemporary matters, particularly those that have left an indelible impression. Fortunately, Our Lord Jesus Christ probably will forgive our lack of concentration. For what transpired over the last year could never have occurred but for the Grace of God. The Resurrection of Our Lord was the precursor for every subsequent triumph.

    The pre-Easter (Lenten) and Easter observance is an opportunity to renew our faith and our love. We should use this opportunity to thank Our Lord for his blessings, which had special meaning in the last year. The events “na Maidani” as well as the smaller “maidans’ throughout the world were a clear manifestation of the will of God loving and pious people intent on forming a society where justice and good would triumph over injustice and evil.

    We take this time to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and scattered throughout the Diaspora. Let our feelings and generosity be felt. Express not only what we feel but manifest our sentiments with concrete deeds. There is no better time to sacrifice and give to each other. Furthermore, there are so many of God’s children who are less fortunate than us. As a nation, let us go forward and concern ourselves with others. The paradigm of the just and good society should be shared with all children of God.

    Let’s us send greetings to the newly elected President of Ukraine, the Prime Minister and government and Parliament. Let us commit to supporting their efforts, giving them the opportunity to implement the basic principles of the “Maidan,” serving the Ukrainian people as honest stewards of their well being. Let us seek guidance from our spiritual leaders of all denominations. The Ukrainian church at all times should stand with the Ukrainian people and serve as the bulwark for what is good and just. We transmit salutations to the governments of our respective countries and seek their friendship for our people and support for the just and good processes within our ancestral homeland. Finally, we remit greetings to our constituent organizations and their members. Their work is what enables the Ukrainian Diaspora to function as a viable and vibrant entity. We look forward to collaborative efforts in the ensuing years.