NEWSLETTER

UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS

№ 3 (31) –March, 2006

        The UWC Executive held its semi-annual session on February 11, at its Toronto main office. The participants heard reports from the president, both vice-presidents, the general secretary and the treasurer. Council and commission chairs also reported. The following was decided:

• to include in this year’s observances the 15^th anniversary of Ukrainian independence proclaimed on August 24, 2006, the 65^th anniversary of June 30, 1941 and the 60^th anniversary of the forced repatriation to the USSR of Ukrainians in Poland;
• to convene the next UWC Board of Directors session in Kyiv in August;
• to confirm the UWC delegation to the UN in New York and Vienna as proposed by the UWC president;
• to designate an on-site (in Ukraine) UWC March election committee;
• to address a controversial Famine 32-33 related matter with French President Jacques Chirac;
• to further explore organizing a social event (Zabava) in Berlin during the World Cup competition;
• to research available grant money for CD transfer of UWC archives;
• to schedule meetings with the four Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox metropolitans in the United States and Canada and the Evangelical Pastor.   

UWC ADDRESSES FRENCH PRESIDENT ON FAMINE

In a letter dated February 23, the UWC wrote to French President Jacques Chirac:

           “As the representative organization of citizens or simply residents of more than thirty countries who are of Ukrainian ethnicity, we write to you in a matter of grave importance. This matter was brought to our attention by representatives of the French-Ukrainian community and involves an employee of a state operated educational institution.

     Madame le Professeur Lacroix-Riz of the University Paris-7 has written that the famine-genocide in Ukraine 1932-33 is a German-Polish-Vatican fabrication. Additionally, she has labeled the Ukrainian Catholic Church fascist and Nazi. The French-Ukrainian community has written letters to Madame le Professeur Lacroix-Riz, the University’s Rector and France’s Education Minister with no response.

        With consideration for academic freedom as well as freedom of speech, nevertheless we are deeply concerned with historical revisionism bordering on bigotry. The famine of 1932-33 in Ukraine, as the world has recognized, was a heinous genocide of some seven million men, women and children perpetrated by the Soviet regime under Josef Stalin.  Ms. Lacroix-Riz dishonors not only the memory of these innocent victims but also the memories of victims of other genocides. Additionally, her slur against the Ukrainian Catholic Church brings to focus what can only be described as ethnic enmity.

        Given the fact that the reputation of   French education and scholarship is at issue as well as the compassion of the people of France for the suffering of others, we request that you involve yourself in this matter. We do not seek Ms. LaCroix dismissal nor even her condemnation. We do request that the President of France issue a statement disavowing the personal bigotry of one of his employees.”

UKRAINE’S CITIZENS ABROAD LIMITED IN VOTING

    The Central Elections’ Commission has published a list of polling stations abroad totaling 114. The only additional polling station has been opened in the state of Washington, in the United States. Essentially what this means is that a Ukrainian citizen abroad, i.e. in Vancouver must travel to Toronto in order to vote in the March elections. We have been writing to Ukraine’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Ukraine’s Central Elections Commission on this and collateral issues since November. We have received no response from the MFA and irrelevant citations of the Election law from the CEC. More about this in subsequent communications.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER AS AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVER

     As of this writing the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America had registered 105 election observers and the UWC 40. To date the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has not been registered with the CEC as a sponsor of international election observers.  In any event, this is a final opportunity for registration. Please do so at Ukrainian World Congress or on line at ucca.org. A special course on what to look for as an election observer will be held by both the UCCA and the UCC in Kyiv several days prior to the elections. UWC observers may participate in either course.

OUR APOLOGY AND GRATITUDE

     In our last Newsletter we thanked various Ukrainian financial institutions in the United States and Canada for their support. However, we neglected to mention one of our staunchest perennial supporters, the Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union with its headquarters in Chicago. During the year end fundraising flurry last year, the UAFCU contributed 5,000 $US to the UWC. Our apology for the omission and our gratitude for the support.

     Additionally, we are pleased to report that one of our stalwart supporters in the past, SUMA (Yonkers) Federal Credit Union has kicked off this year’s fundraising by forward 5,000 $US to the UWC coffers. Thank you.