UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS DIRECTORS CONVENE IN KYIV

 

       The Board of Directors of the Ukrainian World Congress held its annual meeting August 21-22, 2006 at the Writers’ Union of Ukraine building in Kyiv. The meeting was preceded by a requiem service held at the site of the October Palace which had served in Soviet times as a secret police detention center. The service was celebrated by representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Roman Catholic Church.

In the pictures: At the requem before the memorial to the victims of the Stalinist regime.      

Twenty four countries rendered reports about their communities (Armenia, Australia, Argentina, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, Hungary,   Italy,  Lithuania,  Mozambique,

In the pictures: At the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian World Congress.


Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, United States of America and Uzbekistan). The Ukrainian Youth Association World Executive, the World Council of Plast Organizations and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America gave reports as well.  Additionally the Board heard reports from the World Social Service Council, the World Coordinating Educational Council, the Human and Civil Rights Commission, the Sports Commission, the United Nations’ Council, the Commission against Human Trafficking, the Mass Media Council, the World Council on Cultural Affairs, the Commission to Aid  Ukrainian Citizens Abroad and the World Scholarly Council. The Federation of Ukrainians in Spain replaced Wasyl Borsuk with Antonina Dobrowolska on the Commission to Aid Ukrainian Citizens Abroad, representatives from Scandinavia were added to the commission and Yuriy Chopek from Madrid was elected chair of the commission. UWC Executive Committee members, the president, two vice-presidents (the second from the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations), the secretary general, the treasurer, the financial director and the chair of the UWC Auditing Commission rendered reports as well.

      Five new members from Croatia (Association of Rusyns and Ukrainians in the Croatian Republic as a central coordinating organization), Portugal (Association of Ukrainians in Portugal “Sobor” as a national organization) and Italy (Association of Ukrainian Women in Italy, Association of Ukrainian Women Workers in Italy and Association “Ukraine Plus,” all as national organizations) were accepted. A 2007 budget was adopted and an independent auditor designated. A plan was mapped out and discussed at length for the seventy-fifth anniversary observances of the Great Famine to include parliamentary resolutions in some thirty countries, a UN resolution/statement, a monument museum in Kyiv, educational material for school programs, publications,  conferences and exhibits. To date resolutions on the Famine have been passed in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland and the United States of America. Stefan Romaniw from Australia was asked to coordinate the Great Famine commemoration effort. The IX Congress By-Laws commission was established: Chairperson Olya Danylak from the WFUWO, Bohdan Futey and Roma Dygdalo from the USA, Eugene Czolij and Paul Grod from Canada, Slavko Burda from Europe, Romania Yavir from Asia, a representative to be designated by Argentina from South America and Maria Yarocka from Australia.  Finally, the city of Donetsk was chosen as the site of the 2007 UWC Board of Directors meeting and the city of Kyiv was designated the site of the 2008 UWC IX Congress.