The UWC Holds Annual General Meeting in Kyiv on August 21-23, 2011

September 2, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

 

THE UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

IN KYIV AUGUST 21-23, 2011

 

On August 21-23, 2011, the Annual General Meeting of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) was held in the Cultural Arts Centre of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine. The AGM was attended by over 170 delegates and guests from 26 countries.

 

On August 21, in his opening remarks, UWC President Eugene Czolij explained that the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy was chosen as the venue in solidarity with the effort of this leading institution to stop the curtailment of the democratic foundations in the field of education in Ukraine. 

 

After being led in prayer by Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and Metropolitan Adrian Staryna of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyiv Patriarchate, participants were welcomed by the following distinguished guests: President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Serhiy Kvit, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union in Ukraine Maria Jurikova, President of the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation Marta Farion, Vice President of the “Bat’kivshchyna” Party Hryhoriy Nemyrya, Vice-rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University Myroslav Marynovych, President of the Kyiv City organization “Memorial” Roman Krutsyk, newly elected and former Presidents of the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council Mykhaylo Ratushnyi and Dmytro Pavlychko, and the Director of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Relations with the Diaspora Iryna Kliuchkovska. In addition, the UWC President read greetings from the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav Shevchuk and the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine Counsellor Kati Csaba.

 

On that first day, participants also heard yearly reports from the UWC President Eugene Czolij about the organization’s activities, members of the Executive Committee and, in part, UWC Council and Committee Сhairs.

 

The full text of the UWC President’s address is available at: https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/news.php/news/592/lang-ua

 

The agenda of the following two days, August 22 and 23, included reports by UWC Council and Committee Chairs, representatives of UWC Ukrainian national coordinating bodies, international organizations and national organizations. Also addressed were various statutory issues.

 

All UWC Annual General Meeting reports are available on the UWC web site: https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/UserFiles/File/Book2011.pdf .

 

The delegates adopted several resolutions during the AGM, including to mandate the UWC Board to begin work on opening a UWC office in Kyiv, to review the applications for associate UWC membership of the organizations Ukrayins’ka Hromada “Ukrayins’ka Rodyna” (Turkey) and the Association of the Christian Movement of Ukrainians (Portugal),and to cooperate with Ukraine’s Channel 5 regarding a new television broadcast “Ukrayins’ka hromada”.

 

Three round table discussions were held addressing the following topics: “The challenges of adhereing to and protecting human rights and freedoms of Ukrainians”, “Ways of strengthening cooperation and the coordination of the activities of UWC member organizations”, and “The state program for cooperation with Ukrainians outside Ukraine for the period through 2015 and opportunities to obtain financial support from non-governmental organizations.” Participating in the round table discussions, in addition to UWC AGM members, were representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukrainian Catholic University, Kyiv City organization “Memorial“, Civic Holodomor Commemoration Committee in Ukraine, Channel 5, the youth sector of the Council of Europe, and Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

 

In conjunction with the UWC AGM, the following events were also held: a conference organized by the UWC Human and Civil Rights Committee (August 20), a meeting of the UWC World Council of Ukrainian Cooperatives (August 21), and a Forum for Ukrainian youth of the diaspora, “Kyiv-2011” (August 22-30), co-organized by the UWC Conference of Ukrainian Youth Organizations.

 

Information about the 2011 UWC AGM is also available on the Ukrainian media portal VIDIA: http://vidia.us/2011/1639 .