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Олена Процюк Olena Ргосіик The WMM acts in advisory capacity on every issue regarding its scope of interest. Because its interests have expanded, its influence is far-reaching. As a repre sentative of the organization, Helen Prociuk has tra velled extensively all over the world to voice its concerns. An immensely important accomplishment of the United Nations in 1989 was the adoption of the Conven tion on the Rights of the Child by the General Assem bly. It was a world community effort to establish and safeguard the rights of its children. The NGO’s at the UN have played a major role for many years in the preparation for this action, both in the grass roots envi ronment and in the halls of political influence. The pro tection and rights of children has also been the leading issue on the agenda of WMM since its inception and Helen Prociuk was heavily involved in this project for many years. To celebrate this milestone, the WMM and UFUWO held a reception which I had attended. Among other dis tinguished speakers, Mrs. Prociuk presented the role the WMM had played in the preparation, formation and adoption of the Convention. Mrs. Prociuk’s address was short, summarizing her organization’s input into this project in a general way. But being somewhat familiar with the magnitude of this undertaking and above all with complexity of UN workings, I had a pretty good idea of the Herculean task spanning many years which was undertaken by organizations such as WMM, to cod ify the rights of the children in an international agree ment. At the time of my interview with Mrs. Prociuk, which was in early December of last year, the status of WFUWO in the United Nations was that of an observer. As of November 1990 WFUWO has received the NGO (Non- Governmental Organizations) status with the United Nations Department of Public Information. This is an enormously important attainment, and the WFUWO is the only Ukrainian organization with such international recognition status. According to Lydia Hladky, who has been named as the Official Representative of WFUWO in its new position to the UN, Helen Prociuk has been a strong, positive force and supporter in the long and arduous struggle to achieve this goal. The great desire to see the WFUWO as an NGO in the United Nations was fervently expressed by Helen Prociuk during our interview. She said that the status carries an enormous potential to disseminate informa tion, make new friends for the Ukrainian cause, thus influencing issues which are pertinent to our interest. Mrs. Prociuk spoke at length about Ukrainian women here and in Ukraine, our organizations and our future. She emphasized how important it is for women to join organizations, an action which strengthens the com munity and gives it cohesiveness. She also pointed out tht it is vital for Ukrainian women’s organizations to become members of the WFUWO, which is the unifying force for Ukrainian women which can speak on the international forum on their behalf. Mrs. Prociuk went on to say that it is imperative for women in Ukraine to join women’s organizations so that they too have a col lective voice. What should the future goals of Ukrainian women’s organizations be, I asked Helen Prociuk. In a nutshell, she said, organizations should look after their members and their needs. The broad interpretation of this goal encompasses a whole range of programs, she explained, many non-existent as yet, which deal with matters of education, family care, child care, care for the elderly, preserving women’s rights already achieved and striving for new rights. She specifically pointed out the neces sity of basic public re-education in Ukraine in the mat ters of women’s rights in the family, in the job market and in the empowerment of women in policy formulat ing positions on various social, legislative and executive levels in the community and in the government. What is the responsibility of the Ukrainian woman today and that of her organization, I asked Mrs. Prociuk. She answered very straightforward that our responsibil ity today as women is to come out of the "ghetto” and become a member of the greater community in which we live. She said that getting involved in the social and political milieux of the immediate or broader community can no longer be a matter of a whim, but is a necessity if we are to safeguard and promote a way of life that is beneficial, productive and safe for our families, our children. Women’s organizations also have a responsible role to play in our lives today, according to Helen Prociuk. They must be in the vanguard of changes for improve ments in the lives of their members. Organizations must be aware of everything today, said Mrs. Prociuk, from ecology in the global sense, to immediate local issue
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