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JUDGING COPENHAGEN *80 MOTRIA KUSHNIR Between 14 and 30 July of this year, Copenhagen welcomed a convention group the likes of which the city had never seen before. We came from all over the world: women delegates, press representatives, official and un official observers to the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women and the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Mid-Decade Forum. Among the more than 11,500 participants in these meetings were 22 Ukrainian women from 5 countries representing as an official delegation the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations (WFUWO). Despite considerable obstacles, this group of wo men was able to implement a plan of action designed to focus international attention on the plight of the Ukrainian nation and, in particular, on the fate of our dissident thinkers, scholars, artists and their families. Events conducted by the delegation included: a 2-day hunger strike in solidarity with Ukrainian prisoners of conscience; a workshop about persecution and dis crimination against families of Ukrainian political pri soners; a press conference with Dr. Nina Strokata, a former Soviet political prisoner, as chief speaker; a re ception for an international complement of potential friends to the Ukrainian cause. A sheaf of press clippings from western European newspapers is but one tangible reward for WFUWO’s participation in this international women’s gathering. Of course, factual reports of the delegation’s achievements have also appeared in our emigre press. Now, as community opinion begins to formulate around these facts, we can expect the editorializing impulse to Orysia wrote of her sister:”And so she will remain forever far from her native land. I had so wanted to tear her from the icy embrace of Siberia. But, as you see, I myself now suffer under a foreign sun. And who knows whether this hot, arid land will accept me. All I know is that life demands many sacrifices of us and in return gives us too few moments of joy.” For Orysia, these ’’few moments of joy” are memories of her childhood Plast- scouting adventures in Lviv, a few meetings with friends on the burdensome path of captivity, and five years of freedom in her native Carpathian mountains. During these five years she visited many villages in the Hutsul region, gathering local embroidery designs. She had a dream — to publish an album of 100 folk embroidery de signs. The dream was never fulfilled, although the 100 designs were ready. November 17, 1972 cruelly dashed any hope Orysia had for such a project. Translated by Marta Zielyk For original, see pg. On the back cover of this and other Issues of ’’Our Life” (be ginning with Issue 7/1980) we are publishing embroidery designed by Irena Senyk while she was serving her prison sentence. take over where the journalistic fell off. Post-conference, debriefing meetings will be held within organizations and for the general public to discuss the value, impact and success of the delegation’s efforts. It is a well-known fact that fools rush in where the wise fear to tread. Thus, my being a novice in the ways of international politics and diplomacy is no doubt the root cause of my willingness to venture opinions about the Copenhagen conference experience. My obser vations are offered in an effort to provide a broad con text within which the delegation’s effectiveness can be judged by those who did not attend the proceedings in Denmark in person. My primary reaction to both the official United Nations Conference and the NGO Forum was sheer amazement at the overwhelming numbers and diversity of the participants. As reported in the special conference newspaper, FORUM '80, the official deliber ations attracted more than 1800 governmental de legates representing 145 countries—up from 133 in attendance at the 1975 conference in Mexico City. In addition, 450 persons participated as official observers designated by 131 nongovernmental organizations. The United Nations press office accredited over 1250 members of the mass media. Altogether, this adds up to 3500 participants, not including the hordes of women who never even entered the Bella Center where the UN delegations held their meetings and caucuses. The NGO Forum at the Amager University Center was by far the more populated event: 8000 participants from all over the world arrived in Copenhagen to attend this gathering. Unlike meetings at the Bella Center which were open to authorized persons only, the workshops, discussions, film screenings and other activities at the Forum were open to anyone who wished to attend. I believe that the massive attendance at the Forum amazed even its organizers. In themselves, these numbers do not reflect the mind-boggling range of opinions, problems, political affiliations, ideas, interests, world views and value orientations espoused by the women who converged on Copenhagen. Radical feminists rubbed elbows with Moslem extremists. In one workshop Unitarian women from America met to challenge the doctrines of patriarchal religion; next door in the adjoining room wo men held a meeting to discuss ’’hand lettering for quick and easy posters and signs.” Over the brief period of 16 days, the work of the official government delegations generated 3 million pages of documents. Many of the concerns aired at the Conference and Forum issued from a genuine concern for improving women’s status in society. Health, education and employment did provide three fundamental issue areas around which deliberations and future planning were organized. Statistics on the global position of women — 24 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ, ЖОВТЕНЬ 1980 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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