December 17, 2010
PRESS RELEASE
UWC VICE PRESIDENT J. HARTYANYI ADDRESSES “UKRAINIANS IN THE WORLD” PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS
Parliamentary hearings on “Ukrainians in the world” took place in the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv on December 8, 2010. These were the second parliamentary hearings on the topic attended by elected members of parliament, executive branch government officials, Ukrainian cultural and civic activists and representatives of the Ukrainian Diaspora, including the First Deputy President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Jaroszlava Hartyányi.
During her remarks Hartyányi said that the international Ukrainian community, whose representatives are active in the lives of the states where they reside, is committed to supporting the creation of a positive image for Ukraine. She said that the origins of Ukrainian statehood can be traced back to the tenth and eleventh centuries, a time when Ukrainians set an example for nearly all of Europe in spiritual, literacy and cultural matters. Jaroszlava Hartyányi noted the Diaspora’s activities in promoting independent Ukraine as a guarantor of stability in Europe and informing the world about the real facts of Ukrainian history, including those pertaining to Ukrainian heroes such as Symon Petliura, Yevhen Konovalets, Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych. She pointed out that renowned Ukrainians are routinely slandered in Ukraine and that memorial markers erected in their honour are destroyed, as has happened on two occasions with the commemorative plaque to Patriarch Josyf Slipyj in Kharkiv. The First Vice President of UWC also called on all members of parliament and civil servants to speak Ukrainian and respect the Law “On the Holodomor of 1932‑33 in Ukraine.”
Jaroszlava Hartyányi made a number of proposals during the hearings, including for Ukrainian history textbooks to contain information about the Ukrainian Diaspora and its renowned figures. She also suggested the production of national-educational materials about the Ukrainian Diaspora. She said that the history and modern-day life of Ukrainians abroad should be shown on Ukrainian television channels and that a Museum of the Ukrainian Diaspora should be founded in Ukraine.
Information about the “Ukrainians in the World” parliamentary hearings is available of the Verkhovna Rada’s website:
UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS
145 Evans Ave., Suite 207
Toronto, ON
M8Z 5X8 Canada
