November 21, 2012
MEDIA RELEASE
UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS MARKS 45TH ANNIVERSARY
On November 17, 2012, over 300 guests attended a gala banquet at St. Joseph’s Ukrainian Catholic Church and Heritage Centre in Oakville, Canada, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).
The Honourable Ted Menzies, Minister of State (Finance), brought greetings from the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, and a video greeting was conveyed by the former President of the European Parliament, Prof. Jerzy Buzek.
The key note address of the evening was delivered by the Chief Observer of the UWC International Observation Mission to the 2012 Parliamentary Election in Ukraine, Ambassador Derek Fraser. The former Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine spoke about the role of the UWC in monitoring the recent election and summarized the findings of the mission. At the core of his message was the importance of continued engagement with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
In his address, UWC President Eugene Czolij highlighted the work of the UWC, focusing on the main goals and achievements of the organization throughout its 45-year history.
The President of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and UWC Second Vice President Orysia Sushko,the UWC First Vice President and President of the European Congress of Ukrainians JaroszlavaHartyanyi, the UWC Secretary General and President of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations StefanRomaniw,and the Vice President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America AndrewFutey also extended greetings on this occasion.
Paul Grod, Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) President and Co-chair of the UWC International Observation Mission to the 2012 Parliamentary Election in Ukraine, delivered greetings on behalf of UCC and thanked all those who participated in the mission, as well as everyone who supported it financially.
Written greetings were also read from Patriarch Sviatoslav of the Ukrainian GreekCatholic Church, Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyivan Patriarchate, the United Opposition Batkivschyna signed by Council Chair Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Campaign Coordinator Oleksandr Turchynov, the political party Narodna Samooborona signed by Yuriy Lutsenko, the political party Udar signed by leader Vitali Klitschko. All of the greetings recognized the significant contribution of the UWC to Ukraine’s independence, the country’s further development, democratization and Euro-integration, as well as to the defense of fundamental rights and freedoms of Ukrainians and consolidation of the Ukrainian diaspora.
Video greetings were extended by Ukrainian communities from around the world.
The UWC also recognized its major donors during the banquet: Buduchnist Credit Union Limited (Canada), Ukrainian Credit Union Limited (Canada), Caisse Populaire Desjardins Ukrainienne de Montréal(Canada), The Self Reliance Foundation of Self Reliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union (USA), Self Reliance New York Federal Credit Union (USA), SUMA (Yonkers) Federal Credit Union (USA), The Heritage Foundation of First Security Federal Savings Bank (USA), the Temerty Family (Canada) and the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Reading Society “Prosvita” (Canada).
More detailed information on the 45th anniversary celebration is available on the UWC website.
The UWC is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC has member organizations in 33 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 14 additional countries. Founded in 1967 as a non-profit corporation, the UWC was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status.
