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cil to host the next meeting of the International Council of Women in Kyiv in 2006. I shared this idea with NCW Ukraine President Irena Holubjeva, who was delighted with my proposal. On the following day, the councils and committees of the UWC continued their work. At one of the semi nars, Ukraine's Minster of Family and Youth presented me with a letter of appreciation for my work in the United Nations as a representative of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organization. In accepting the letter of appreciation, I stated that it should go to everyone who has worked with me though the years: Olena Prociuk, Dora Rak, Christina Navrocky, Olha Stavnichyj, Lidia Hladkyj, Nadia Shmigel, and Jaroslawa Rubel. When I invited these wonderful women to join me at the front of the room so that we could accept this letter of appreciation to gether, everyone present applauded. I felt that I had succeeded in delivering an important message to those assem bled—that the work of Ukrainian women's organization is a team effort, an ensemble of creative effort that leads to success. In the evening of the third day of the UCW convention, delegates marched in a procession from the Teach ers Building to the Great Famine of 1932-33 monument located near St. Mychais Church. There, an ecumenical requiem was celebrated by Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Patriarch of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Lubomyr Husar. After formal speeches from church hierarchy and members of various civic so cieties, wreaths were laid at the base of the monument. President Lilia Hryhorowych of Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine and President Iryna Kurowyckyj of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America were third in line to par ticipate in this beautiful ceremony. That day, I was also privileged to attend several meetings at the Verkhovna Rada with Rada Chair Volo dymyr Lytvyn and at the offices of Nasha Ukraina with Viktor Yushchenko. I was also invited to a reception held at the summer residence of the Yushchenko family to celebrate the 12th anniversary of Ukraine's independence. The entire delegation from the United States was invited to a reception hosted at the U.S. Embassy. One of the UCW seminars addressed the 70th anniversary of the Great Famine in Ukraine. The seminar was jointly sponsored by UCCC and the Ministry of Education and Ukrainian studies and was entitled “Time to speak the truth.” It was a seminar during which one of the most critical topics of this time period was addressed and it is my considered opinion that the subject should have been presented during the plenary session, not at a seminar attended by a limited number of delegates. This was a sentiment also expressed by Patriarch Lubomyr Husar who commented that such an important topic should have generated more interest, particularly because so many people from former communist countries were not aware of the atrocities that had occurred during those terrible years. Seminar presenters were Patriarch Lubomyr Husar, Ivan Pluszcz, Dmytro Tabachnyk, Ivan Drach, Atena Pashko, and Lilia Hryhorowych, who is currently president of Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine as well as a deputy in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada. The testimony of famine survivors was especially poignant, as these living witnesses are a physical reminder of an era that was so ruinous for Ukraine. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian World Coordination Council, a concert was held in the auditorium of the Teachers Building. Citations were presented to UNWLA Social Welfare Chair Barbara Bachynsky and to UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj in appreciation for their work with Ukraine's Ministry of Cultural and the Arts. Here again, I was somewhat disappointed by a lack of program coordination. Sadly, the UWCC's tenth anniversary celebration was overshadowed by the UCW convention. For ten years, the UWCC has worked diligently to build a large and significant world organization, and it deserves our admiration and our full support. The small reception celebrating the organization's wonderful achievement was a sad commen tary on how we often neglect the most vital and important institutions in our midst. A concert celebrating the twelfth anniversary of Ukrainian independence was also held. While the program was brief and tasteful, it was held in a venue with limited capacity, and many people were not able to obtain tickets. Other concerts scheduled during the UWC convention were marred by the same problem. A parade was held on Kyiv's main thoroughfare, Kreshchatyk. It was military parade, reminiscent of So viet times. In his speech, President Leonid Kuchma underscored a significant lack of change. Citing Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vynnychenko, he commented, "It hurts how the Ukrainian nation throughout its history con stantly had to fight on all sides. All of its history is about uprisings, wars, intrigues fights. Vynychenko's words can apply to this period in our history too." I believe that everyone attending the Quinquennial Convention of the UWC formed a personal opinion of the event. Mine is straightforward. We came and we showed Ukraine what we have done and how much we have contributed to the Ukrainian people. We voiced our opinions to the Ukrainian government about important issues that should be addressed if Ukraine is to flourish and thrive, and we left. Historians will judge all of us — Ukraine and the Diaspora that has attempted to contribute to its future. Н А Ш Е Ж И Т Т Я ”, В Е Р Е С Е Н Ь 2003 13
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