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On August 24, the 15th anniversary celebration of Ukraine’s independence began with a service at St. Sophia Cathedral. Bells in all the churches in Ukraine were rung at the same time. At the cathedral, clergy representing 20 Christian denominations spoke of peace, respect, and honor. Candles were lit in a solemn ceremony. After the church service, President Viktor Yushchenko spoke to the people on the Maidan. The current uncertainty about the political climate in Ukraine was reflected by the lack of applause from several of the cabinet ministers. A choir sang during a brief program, which was to have included a parade. Because of the Russian plane that crashed in Ukraine, the President proclaimed a day of mourning, and the parade and other scheduled events were canceled. The following day, a reception was held in the gardens of St. Sophia. Many ambassadors, distinguished guests from around the world, clergy, rabbis, and guests from the Forum attended. I attended as well. On August 25,1 attended the blessing of the monument in Kruty, which honors the 280 young heroes who gave their lives for Ukraine in January 1918 while fighting Soviet forces advancing on Kyiv. President Yushchenko and many ministers and deputies were present at this event. I spent September 1 through September 3 with Anamah Tan, the president of the International Council of Women, attending meetings and occasionally serving as her interpreter. On the eve of September 4, we were invited to the Kyiv City Hall for a concert and reception. The concert, featuring classical music and dancers, was lovely, as was the reception, which showed the hospitality and graciousness of our Ukrainian hosts. For some guests, the event was slightly flawed by the number of speeches, which were delivered in Ukrainian and then translated into English. I would like to congratulate the President of the National Council of Women of Ukraine, Iryna Holubyeva for the wonderful work she has done. The Paris office of the International Council of Women had brought everything necessary for the General Assembly on their computer, to be reviewed by the ICW president and printed for distribution. When we met on Friday, September 1, I discovered that nothing had been printed. I almost fainted. Nothing like this had ever happened at previous ICW General Assemblies, and I was afraid that it would make Ukraine’s women look incompetent. The Ukrainian women did not share my anxiety. They approached the work calmly, asking the ICW president when the materials would be ready and when they would be needed. Amazingly, everything was finished on time. I was extremely proud. There were many programs and receptions, and the international delegates were very happy and impressed, although there was some criticism of the speakers on the Ukrainian panel—there were 11 speakers and the panel was timed for one and a half hours, an almost impossible feat. The program ran overtime, partly because some speakers did not listen to those who spoke before them and repeated the same things. The afternoon session was better; the speakers were younger women who relayed their information more succinctly and without redundancy. The reports from the National Council of Women presidents were an integral part of the General Assembly. Australia’s delegation included the Christina Syvenka Bailey, president of Soyuz Ukrainok of Australia, and the NCW president of Australia invited her to give a brief presentation about her organization. It was a wonderful gesture that was most appreciated by our Ukrainian hosts. As Proxy President for the National Council of Women /USA, I spoke of the work of NCW, the history of why the UNWLA was formed, and our achievements over the past 81 years. I also presented a report in my capacity as the main UN liaison for the ICW. On Sunday there was an interdenominational prayer service. After the prayer service, we were enter tained by young children who danced and sang and charmed everyone. That evening, an elegant reception was held at the Presidential hotel. During this event, the title of Honorary President of the ICW General Assembly was bestowed upon Ukraine’s First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko. As the festivities were drawing to an end, ICW President Anamah Tan amused everyone by commenting that she has never kissed a loaf of bread so many times as she had in Ukraine.
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