UWC’s Golden Jubilee

Information Department of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat
Published on 30 August 2017, at 20:30

Joint meeting of Committees on Foreign Affairs and European Integration with delegates of the Annual General Meeting of The Ukrainian World Congress on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the existence and activities of the UWC

The meeting was opened by Hanna Hopko, the Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. She reminded that the current “round table” is devoted to the 50th anniversary of the existence and activities of the Ukrainian World Congress. H.Hopko noted that the meeting is devoted to discussing issues of cooperation and finding ways and directions aimed at strengthening our state. According to her, we will talk about how to consolidate our independence together, how to make our country more powerful and build a mighty Ukraine together.

She gave the floor to the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy. The Head of the Parliament reminded of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian Revolution, and in this context stressed the need to preserve political unity within the country. The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian diaspora for their support and unity with Ukraine.

The President of the Ukrainian World Congress Evhen Choliy (Eugene Czolij) began his speech from his impressions of the celebrations on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine. He noted that the participation of representatives of the United States, Canada and the European community in the solemn parade in Kyiv is evidence that the world community is on the Ukrainian side, because the truth is on the side of Ukraine. He stressed that this was a success of Ukrainian diplomacy and the Ukrainian diaspora. The President of the Ukrainian World Congress emphasized the need to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons, on the continuation and strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation. He stressed the need for further reforms in Ukraine, in particular in the field of health care. Among other things, the UWC President recalled Ukraine's progress on the path to European integration and expressed confidence that our state should become a full- fledged member of the European Union.

The meeting was also attended by Oksana Yurynets, the Head of the Subcommittee on Regional and Cross-border Cooperation between Ukraine and the EU member states of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration.

She emphasized that “20 million Ukrainians living abroad, which are united by the Ukrainian World Congress are the 20 million of the most loyal lawyers of Ukraine, brand managers, publicists, informers and diplomats”.

According to the member of parliament, a clear strategy is necessary for the effective engagement of foreign Ukrainians in matters concerning Ukraine “and we need a single body of authority, whose work would be devoted to all aspects of the external migration”.

“It is important that Ukrainians from abroad have an opportunity to come to Ukraine, to study successful experience in implementing joint projects and, when returning abroad, to talk about the changes,” said O.Yurynets.

She also reminded of a number of recent foreign Ukrainians activities, namely: Days of Ukrainian Culture in Vienna this spring; Ukrainians-organized meetings commemorating the 70th anniversary of operation “Visla” in Poland, for the first time without financial support from the Polish government; an Alley was opened in France some days ago, named after the Ukrainian Pylyp Konoval (the only Ukrainian-cavalier of the Victoria Cross - the highest and most honored reward for the courage in the face of the enemy, which could be awarded to soldiers from countries subordinated to the British Crown); Ukrainians in Russia under the blue-yellow flags celebrated the anniversary of the executed countrymen in Karelia in early August.

O. Yurynets wished everyone unity.

Nota bene. The UWC at a glance

Ukrainian World Congress

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC is recognized by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization with special consultative status.

UWC Network

The UWC has a network of member organizations and ties with Ukrainians in 53 countries. The UWC has a network of Ukrainian member organizations in the following 35 countries: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Switzerland, United States of America and Uzbekistan. The UWC also has associate member organizations in the following 5 countries: Netherlands, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden and Turkey. The UWC also maintains ties with Ukrainians in the following 13 countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Chile, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mozambique, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates.

Purposes and objects of the UWC

The purposes and objects of the UWC are to:

promote the solidarity and represent the interests of the Ukrainian people throughout the world;
foster and coordinate an international network of member organizations that support and promote the development of Ukrainian religious, linguistic, spiritual, historical, cultural, and social heritage;
support the independence, territorial integrity, national identity and economic prosperity of Ukraine;
strengthen the bonds of Ukrainian communities and Ukrainians in the diaspora with Ukraine, including government and civil society;
secure the rights, status and interests of Ukrainians and Ukrainian communities, and to defend them wherever they are denied, violated or threatened;
promote democracy and human rights around the world, including monitoring democratic processes such as elections and referendums; and
cooperate with governments, nations, organizations, and individuals, to accomplish the above goals in the spirit of peace, freedom, equality and justice.

Current UWC activities

· The UWC promotes the consolidation of the global Ukrainian community; strengthens and builds its network, and promotes current Ukrainian issues on the international level.

· The UWC focuses on: strengthening the international coalition in supporting Ukraine in the defence of its territorial integrity; the release of Ukrainian political prisoners imprisoned by Russian governing authorities, and the defence of human, national and religious rights of Ukrainians in illegally occupied Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and Ukrainians in the Russian Federation; countering Russian disinformation and disseminating factual information about Ukraine by sharing its progress in reforming, modernizing and combatting corruption; providing Ukraine with humanitarian aid to overcome the consequences of Russian aggression; support for Euro-integration processes and its membership in the European Union; support for the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine and its membership in NATO; the provision by the international community of economic and technical support for Ukraine and promoting a Marshal Plan for Ukraine; issuing a Tomos of Autocephaly for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyivan Patriarchate; recognition of the Patriarchal status of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church; recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-33 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people as already recognized by 17 countries; and finding common ground on historical Ukrainian-Polish issues through education and reconciliation.

UWC’s Cooperation with International Institutions

· The UWC is actively promoting relevant Ukrainian issues during international forums and meetings with high?ranking officials of the UN, EU, Council of Europe, NATO and OSCE.

‘If You Want to Change the World - Inspire a Kid’ Project

A member of parliament Mustafa Nayem made a presentation on the topic “If You Want to Change the World - Inspire a Kid”. He remarked that it was so historically that in Ukraine, the voice from abroad is heard more than in the country. “It is important for us to hear your voice here,” he said and called on the representatives of the diaspora to inform the world community of the truth about Ukraine. The parliamentarian said that two years ago an organization was set up in Ukraine which deals with the study of English. He noted that our children receive information from the Internet in Russian, so it is important to teach the younger generation to communicate in English. He noted that the first 127 volunteers who taught the children English had already visited Ukraine. The parliamentarian is confident that 600 new volunteers will be our ambassadors in the world. The deputy called on the Ukrainian diaspora to join in this process: all we need is people to come to our country. At the same time he expressed his hope that in seven years we will not have children who do not know English. “And we will have another country,” he stressed.