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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 2010 17 THE ICW GENERAL ASSEMBLY FROM KYIV, UKRAINE TO JOHANNESB URG, SOUTH AFRICA by Iryna Kurowyckyj Outgoing President Dr. Anamah Tan on the left and President of NCW South Africa Janet Louis with the 121st anniversary cake. The International Council of Women (ICW) holds its General Assembly (GA) every three y ears. In 2003, the 30th ICW General Assembly convened in Perth, Australia. It was in Perth, that the National Council of Women of Ukraine offered to host the 2006 General Assembly in Kyiv. Some ICW members were skeptical about Kyiv as a venue for the 31 st General Assembly, citing Chornobyl and an unstable government as reasons other venues would be more suitable. As NCW/USA delegate with personal ties to Ukraine, I was among those who lobbied to have Kyiv host the 2006 GA, and I was thrilled when these effo rts reaped the desired result. Those who attended the GA in Kyiv were also delighted. For me and other diaspora Ukrainians, it was a momentous occasion — the culmination of a long - held dream that the National Council of Women/Ukraine would resume its rightfu l place in the ICW and host women from around the globe in Ukraine’s capital. It was at this General Assembly that Johannesburg, South Africa, was selected as the site of the next ICW GA. The 32 nd General Assembly of the International Council of Women conv ened from October 13 to 20, 2009, and I attended as the United Nations – New York Liaison Officer for ICW. It took over 20 hours to get to Johannes - burg, and it was a journey I was not sure whether I should t a k e . Because of the global economic crisis, all of the NCW/USA members had declined invitations to the event, and the thought of traveling such a great distance alone was a little unnerving. But my interest in the ICW’s work, in meeting old friends from different countries, and in visiting South Africa soo n convinced me to take the plunge, and I was rewarded by pleasant companions and in - teresting conversations on the flight to and from Johannesburg. At the airport i n Johannesburg, I was met by a shuttle driver from the hotel where ICW delegates were stayi ng and was advised that, for safety reasons, hotel guests should use the hotel shuttle rather than cabs to travel around the city. Once at the hotel, I began to meet with other ICW delegates from around the world. All together, there were 177 attendees — 12 4 delegates and 53 observes — representing 27 countries. In comparison to previous GAs, the number of delegates was rather small — a reflection of the worldwide financial crisis. As a result of the economic crunch, many National Councils had not paid their due s to the ICW and could not propose a candidate to the ICW Board or even vote. Despite financial difficulties, the National Council of Women of Ukraine was represented by 4 delegates: NCW/Ukraine President Tetyana Kondratyuk, Larisa Gerich, Lyubov Mlikhnyak , and translator Ekaterina Druzhinia. P rior to the official opening ceremonies, GA delegates and observers were taken on a tour of Johannesburg and Soweto. From the bus, one could see mountains of golden dust from the gold mines. The dust is everywhere, a n unhealthy side - effect of South Africa’s wealth. There are no plants or bushes to hide the dust or ameliorate its effects. During this trip, we also saw the street where President Nelson Mandela and Bishop Tutu live. The tour guide explained that nowhere else in the world do you have two Nobel Peace Prize winners living on the same street.
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