Greetings from the UWC Annual General Meeting

On October 23, 2021, the Ukrainian World Congress held its Annual General Meeting. Almost two hundred delegates and guests, representatives of Ukrainian communities and organizations from more than 20 countries, joined the annual meeting to sum up the year and look into the future of world Ukrainians. The UWC President also announced the date for the 2022 Congress.

For the second time, the UWC Annual General Meeting was held virtually, bringing together key leaders of the Ukrainian diaspora to discuss key issues, challenges, and priorities for the global Ukrainian community.

The UWC Annual General Meeting was opened by the Ukrainian National Anthem performed by the Dudaryk Lviv National Academic Male Choir, conducted by Dmytro Katsal, accompanied by the INSO-Lviv International Symphony Orchestra of the Lviv National Philharmonic.

 

The UWC Annual General Meeting did not go unnoticed by Ukrainian leaders. In particular, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated UWC on the fact that thanks to the coordinated efforts of the international Ukrainian community and fruitful cooperation with the Ukrainian state, Ukraine is confidently becoming a true European nation – a free, democratic, and truly independent member of the international community.

 

The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Shmygal, also stressed that he greatly appreciated the UWC’s efforts to defend Ukraine’s interests in the world.

In his opening remarks, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, emphasized that thanks to the active work of the UWC, Ukraine is becoming more attractive to foreign investors and partners on a daily basis, which contributes to its sustainable economic development.

Among other things, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, thanked the Ukrainian World Congress for their significant contribution to the advocacy of the Crimean Platform, a new international consultation and coordination format whose inaugural summit was the first important step toward the successful de-occupation of Ukrainian Crimea.

The heads of Ukrainian churches blessed all the participants of the Annual General Meeting.

 

Virtual blessing from the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius.

 

In his opening remarks, UWC President Paul Grod acknowledged the large and active Ukrainian community in Russia, whose representatives were unable to join this year due to Russian aggression against them, and expressed the hope that next year all members would be able to meet at Congress on August 25-27, 2022, which will take place, as previously planned, in Kyiv.