EDITORIAL: The eighth world congress (09/07/03)

EDITORIAL

The eighth world congress

The recent eighth Ukrainian World Congress was a milestone event - not least of all because it was the first such worldwide conclave held in Ukraine. Some 300 delegates from more than 20 countries and 200 guests attended the congress of what is the worldwide umbrella organization of Ukrainians. The UWC encompasses over 230 organizations (of which 100 were present at the conclave), whose combined membership is over 3 million, but which actually represent a diaspora of nearly 20 million.

As noted by the UWC President Askold Lozynskyj, who was re-elected to his second five-year term at the helm of the worldwide body, "this congress is a turning point ... because, whereas we had one delegate from the eastern diaspora at the Toronto convention [1998], this time there are more than 100." And, as a result of this congress, for the first time in its history the world body's board includes two representatives each for Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan and Poland. "Finally, the Ukrainian World Congress is becoming representative of the distribution within the diaspora as a whole," commented Ukrainian National Association President Stefan Kaczaraj, who was among those elected to the board.

At a press conference at the conclusion of the congress, Mr. Lozynskyj said the UWC is undergoing "cardinal changes" and explained that "we want the UWC to become a truly global organization," adding that the body is trying to establish ties in Azerbaijan and Vietnam, for example. Echoing those words was the UNA's chief, who said he feels the new leadership should help nurture new communities of émigré Ukrainians. "We need to help them organize their communities so that they will grow and Ukrainianize," he noted, adding quite aptly that "there are so many Ukrainians out there [dispersed around the world] who do not know who they are."

Despite troubles with the congress venue - originally to be held at the expansive Ukrainian Home Exposition Center and then moved to the much smaller Teacher's Building - the congress succeeded in tackling myriad concerns of Ukrainians around the globe, including such pressing matters as Ukrainian schools for Ukrainians in the Russian Federation and the hardships encountered by Ukrainians who travel abroad, temporarily or not, in search of work and wages. What is also noteworthy is that during the congress delegates learned much about each other and their diverse communities.

We must note with dismay, however, the Ukrainian government's treatment of the conclave and the UWC as a whole. The lofty words in the official greeting to the congress from President Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych (neither of whom chose to attend), read by Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Dmytro Tabachnyk, did not square with the reality on the ground.

The official greeting noted how Ukraine "highly values the work of this institution, under whose aegis function many authoritative community organizations and structures of the Ukrainian diaspora," how the "diaspora's contribution to the achievement of Ukrainian independence truly is not properly valued" and about how the UWC "unites Ukrainians from around the world and helps them strengthen ties." Meanwhile, in the capital of our common ancestral homeland, there was no room for the UWC at the Ukrainian Home, which is controlled by the presidential administration. Only two weeks later, after the exposition center had purportedly been closed for remodeling, the Home hosted a trade exhibit. The Kuchma administration's lack of respect or concern for its organized diaspora was felt also in the absence of high-level officials from the world congress. Is it good policy to snub the largest body of the world's Ukrainians?

To conclude, we must underscore that the eighth Ukrainian World Congress went a long way toward uniting Ukrainians of the diaspora no matter where they reside. The hope is that such contacts continue on a regular basis, leading to better understanding, communication and joint efforts among all who constitute the Ukrainian people. Hopefully, Kyiv will take notice.

| Home Page |