Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
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
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 2010 21 ICW: FROM SWITZERLAND TO GUATEMALA by Iryna Kurowyckyj T he first Board of Directors Meeting of the International Council of Women following the ICW election s( Johannesburg, South Africa , May 2009 ) was convened by ICW’s President Cosima Schenk Montfrini and held in May 2 010 in Lausanne, Switzerland. UN representatives were invited t o attend the Board Meeting , an innovation instituted by the new ICW president and Board of Directors. Pre - viously, UN reps presented their reports and were excused f rom further meeting proceed ings, an odd “tradition” that prompted many UN reps to stay home rather than spend time and money to travel to distant corners of the world to present reports and then be dismissed. The new president’s decisions to invite UN reps to actively participate in the three - day ICW Board Meeting must be commended as means of changing the ICW, which was established in 1888, into an organization where transparency and inclusiveness are valued and practiced in earnest. The city of Lausanne is beautiful, and those att ending the ICW meeting were fortunate to be housed in a hotel facing the lake and the Alps ; the panorama visible from our windows was breath - taking. A gracious hostess, ICW President Cosima Schenk Montfrini invited us to an evening reception at her home. After the ICW Board meeting, attendees had the opportunity to travel to Geneva and visit the UN Palace of Nations , a magnificent complex nestled in an exquisite setting that makes it understandable why the U.S. government is reluctant to pay for upkeep of the UN. While incredibly beautiful, the Palace of Nations is very expensive to maintain. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our visit. E scorted through the facilities by Jeanne - Marie de Boccard , ICW Liaison Officer with the UN in Geneva , we saw t he General Assembly H all where the League of Nations first held their meetings . But a s we walked th r ough the meeting rooms we were sur prisedtosee that many wer e empty — obviously not used for any practical purpose. Ironically, at the UN facilities in New York , NGOs often have no room to hold their meetings — space is allocated to organizations and groups deemed more important. Our tour inc luded the library and the Palace of Nations Museum. The Palace of Nations in Geneva. It was a memorable trip for all. But as we traveledbytrainfromGenevabacktoLa usanne , w hat I personally found very unusual was the graffiti that covered the conc rete walls we passed — an astonishing view in a country that has an otherwise well - deserved reputation for neatness and cleanliness. The next ICW meeting was the Americ a s Regional Meeting (ARC) held in Guatemala City from October 26 to October 30, 2010. Att ending from the United States were Mary Singletary , President of National Council of Women USA, and Iryna Kurowyckyj , the ICW’s main liaison officer with UN New York . We were met at the a irport by President of Americas Regional Council Ana Maria Valladares de Goyzueta and Vice President Nury Ardebol Licda . The proceedings on the following day began with the n ational anthem of Guatemala, a prayer , and the ARC anthem . Welcoming remarks were offered by the ARC president, t he ICW president, and the NCW/USA p resident. My presentation as a UN representative was the first one of the afternoon . Following the reports, each presenter received ac ertificate of a ppreciation for attending and participating at this meeting. L ate aft ernoons were dedicated to sight - seeing , and we visited some local churches . Most
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 
