№ 7 (47) – July, 2007

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On June 26, 2007 the UWC Executive Committee met in Toronto and via teleconference to finalize plans for the upcoming August 20-21, 2007 Board of Directors’ meeting in Donetsk, Ukraine. The program includes two wreath laying ceremonies, one at the Taras Shevchenko monument and the other at the site of a commemorative plaque dedicated to Vasyl Stus. Stus’ son Dmytro is being invited to the event. Additionally, two press conferences, a meeting with the Donetsk community and a reception have been scheduled. The working agenda includes informational remarks by representatives from some forty countries, UWC members and non-members ranging alphabetically from Argentina to Uzbekistan and geographically traversing five continents. UWC standing councils and commissions, ad hoc committees as well as Executive committee officers will render their reports. A discussion should ensue on a variety of topics in particular, the all important 75^th anniversary observances of the Great Famine 1932-33. At the conclusion, action will be taken on the following matters:

• designation of signatures on security accounts;
• adoption of a 2008 budget;
• admission of new members;
• designation of IX Congress date and venue and
• acceptance of UWC By-laws amendments prepared by the By-laws committee for promulgation and membership consideration.

          The meeting as well as all collateral events except the wreath laying will take place at the Hotel Kyiv in Donetsk.  A charter bus will be available for transport from Kyiv to Donetsk on Sunday, August 19, 2007 at 7AM to return on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 at 7PM. Those wishing to avail themselves of this transport service must notify the UWC main office in Toronto no later than by July 31, 2007 at (416) 323-3020 or congress@look.ca.

  

UWC EXPLORES VIABILITY OF PURSUING HUMAN RIGHTS’ VIOLATIONS BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, POLAND AND UKRAINE IN THE EUROPEAN COURT 

A special session of the UWC Human and Civil Rights’ Commission was held in Toronto on June 26, 2007 with the UWC President to consider specific examples of human rights violations against Ukrainians and options for redress. The meeting focused on facilitating access to the European Court on Human Rights in Strasburg, France. The specific cases discussed included:

• the lack of victim protection and meaningful crime solving accorded the murders of Ukrainian activists in the RF (Vladyvostok, Ivanovo and Tula) as well as religious intolerance in the RF (Nohinsk);
• property restitution, specifically community property, the Ukrainian National Home in Przemysl, Poland; and
• the lack of criminal prosecution of the assailant in the Melnychuk case in Luhansk, Ukraine.

MAY FUNDRAISING DEEMED SUCCESSFUL TO DATE

SHEVCHENKO MONUMENT IN BUDAPEST

WORLD PLAST JAMBOUREE IN ONTARIO, CANADA

The 2007 International Plast Jubilee Meet will take place in August 2007 at the Plast Sich in Grafton, Canada. The event will proceed under the mantra of “We are young. The world is open to us” and mark the 95^th and 100^th anniversaries respectively of the founding of Plast in Ukraine and the formation of the world scout movement.  All interested in participating should contact the National Plast Command in Canada at telephone: (416) 763-2186 or e-mail: plast@plastcanada.ca.