№ 10 (38) – October, 2006

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UWC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETS IN TELECONFERENCE

     The UWC Executive Committee held a teleconference on September 8, 2006. The following items were discussed:

• the forum and board of directors meeting – analysis and follow-up; financial condition of the UWC and investments;
• preparations for 75^th anniversary Great Famine commemoration;
• 2007 observances and other matters.

The following action:

• the General Secretary was designated to participate in the tentatively scheduled Ukrainian World Coordinating Council meeting in October 2006 and the President was designated to travel to the European Congress of Ukrainians meeting in Zagreb on November 3-5, 2000;
• the UWC’s stock and bond portfolio in Canada is to be liquidated and funds transferred to Ukrainian credit unions in Canada;
• to establish a data bank of material i.e. parliamentary resolutions, exhibits, educational curricula in Ukrainian and English and establish a Great Famine web page on the UWC website;
• to submit for Executive approval the following anniversaries for observance in 2007:

-     75^th of the Great Famine;

-     60^th of Akcija Wisla;

-    100^th of  Roman Shukhevych birth and the 65^th of the UPA’s formation;

-     70^th of the Sandаrmoch executions;

-     350^th of  Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s death and

-     40^th of the Ukrainian World Congress founding.

 
UWC EXECUTIVE TO MEET IN OCTOBER

EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF UKRAINIANS

     The European Congress of Ukrainians has scheduled its annual session in Zagreb, Croatia for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 3-5, 2006. Aside from reports and discussions, the Zagreb Ukrainian-Croatian organizers have programmed governmental visits and a cultural interlude. Additional information is available from the ECU Secretariat at: tel:44 20-7229 8392, fax:44 20 7792 2499, e-mail: ecusec@augb.co.uk  
      

GREAT FAMINE 75^TH ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCES

     An inventory of Great Famine parliamentary resolutions enacted thus far indicates that much remains to be done. The following countries have passed resolutions: Australia, Argentina, Canada, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and the United States. Because of relatively large or influential Ukrainian communities as well as good relations with Ukraine the parliaments of the following countries should be addressed immediately: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Mozambique, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.  Kazakhstan’s and Uzbekistan’s relations with Russia may be a problem. Armenia, Azerbaijan, France, Kazakhstan, Serbia and Uzbekistan may be problematic as well. Armenia would like Ukraine to reciprocate with an Armenian genocide resolution, which is unlikely because of Ukraine’s relationship with Turkey and the current composition of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada. The others have been historically and remain largely pro-Russian and even pro-soviet and pro communist.

IN MEMORIAM

      Aleksander Rudenko-Desnyak passed away on August 30, 2006. Mr. Desnyak was the long time chair of the Ukrainian community in Russia heading both the Association of Ukrainians in Russia and the Federation of Ukrainian Cultural Autonomy. Born in Chernihiv, Ukraine, he spent most of his life in Moscow where he had relocated to study and worked for many years as a journalist and writer. One of his projects was the Ukrainian language translation of former President Kuchma’s seminal work: Ukraina ne Rocija. At the time of his death he was the honorary chair of the Ukrainian-Russian community, the editor-in-chief of the community magazine Ukrainsky Ohliad and was working on a Russian language book about Hetman Ivan Mazepa. He had been a delegate to several UWC conventions and visited the United States and Canada on several occasions, most recently in October 2005. He was of significant help in opening doors to the Ukrainian- Russian community to the Ukrainian World Congress by accompanying the UWC’s president on visits throughout Russia including Moscow, Omsk, Tomsk, Novosybirsk, St. Petersburgh, Petrozavodsk, Sandаrmoch etc. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife and son as well as the entire Ukrainian-Russian community. May he rest in peace!