Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
STATEMENT OF HER EXCELLENCY NINA KOVALSKA AMBASSADOR OF UKRAINE TO SWITZERLAND, LIECHTENSTEIN AND THE VATICAN AT THE PRE-CONVENTION PROGRAM OF THE 25TH CONVENTION OF THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL WOMEN'S LEAGUE OF AMERICA Distinguished participants of the Conference, First of all, I would like to thank the organiz ers for the invitation to take part in the conference dedicated to the golden anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. It is a great honor and a great pleasure for me to be here. "Round" dates in the lives of individuals as well as in the history of peoples provide a good pretext for self-criticism and self-assessment. The 50th anni versary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is no doubt the key event of this year and is of both in dividual and universal importance. Throughout the year, the document has been mentioned thousands of times, like a magic formula, like a prayer, by individu als and by members of groups, parties, organizations, by members of parliaments and governments. Who can tell how many books, brochures, and articles have been published on this subject, how many conferences, seminars, round tables (both national and international) have been held throughout the world on this occasion, not to mention today's meeting? And what are the outcomes of the tremendous efforts taken under the auspices of the United Nations to urge governments to protect and promote human rights, to raise public awareness about human rights in the world? Who can presume to appraise the outcome of these efforts? And are there any at all? Just look around us: the world is ushering in the dawn of the next century, sunk in violence and intolerance, poverty and disease. Without being too general, I would like to share with you some thoughts on human rights and on the prospects for their promotion in my country, Ukraine. This year, Ukraine celebrated the 7th anniver sary of its independence, proclaimed by the parliament on August 24, 1991. The centuries' old search of the Ukrainian people for freedom was crowned by an act of its own will. In the referendum of that year, the first of its kind in Ukraine's history, the Act of Independ ence was supported by 90.3% of the country's citizens. The magnitude of the challenges faced by Ukrainian society was enormous. The declared re newal of statehood had to be made a reality. Radical transformations were launched in all spheres of social life. Within an unprecedentedly short period of time, totalitarian postulates were rejected and a new legal basis was created to promote democracy. It took but five years to create a new democratic constitution that has become a guarantee of the irreversibility of the process of democratic transformations in the country. Within 7 years, over 800 new laws were enacted, a re liable basis for the creation of a new system of con stitutional rights and freedoms, democratic elections, local self-government, a new court system, etc. However, the process of transition to democ racy in Ukraine, as in other new or renewed independ ent states in the region, is accompanied with upheaval and a general worsening of economic and social con ditions. Economic recession has caused cuts in pen sions and childcare, a deterioration of health care, edu cation and culture. Millions of people have lost social protection, modest as it was. The wage crisis has yet to be overcome. The accumulated arrears in wages, pen sions and scholarships have created a tense social envi ronment and incite political emotions. Raising the efficiency of the national economy is a priority task for the President and the government of Ukraine. The highly centralized economy that used to make up an integral part of the huge military- industrial soviet complex has to be adjusted to the na tional needs. Within this context, urgent attention is being paid to the restructuring of the leading sectors of economy, privatization, administrative reforms, strict economic regime and other important measures. A target oriented and balanced policy of the government aimed at achieving economic stability has yielded the first positive trends. Since the end of last year, for the first time since 1990, we have succeeded in checking the fall of the GNP. Gradually, industrial output is rising; capital investments, transportation and some other indicators are growing. To speed up the course of economic reforms, further investment and regular international financial assistance are urgently needed. This brief account of reforms in Ukraine leads to conclusions that may pose some questions. 16 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИСТОПАД 1999 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.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
