1991: A LOOK BACK: Canada's reasons to celebrate (12/29/91)

1991: A LOOK BACK

Canada's reasons to celebrate

1991 began with the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States expressing its solidarity with Lithuania. A rally of Baltic and Ukrainian Americans was held on January 13 in Washington, D.C., to protest the Soviet government's military crackdown in Lithuania. The Ukrainian National Association (UNA) Washington Office announced the formation of an ethnic coalition, comprised of eight organizations - the Coalition to Promote Democracy in the Soviet Occupied Republics. The coalition issued a joint statement criticizing the use of Soviet force to suppress democracy and urged the United States to use its influence to stop the Soviet military action in Lithuania.

On January 15, the Canadian Friends of Rukh, in response to ominous developments in the Baltic states and the increasing pressure of reactionary forces throughout the USSR, formed a Crisis Readiness Task Force with the purpose of setting up an information network of contacts to be used if the need arises, to mobilize a strong public reaction to any attacks on the democratic movement in Ukraine.

In the winter months, the U.S. diaspora also consolidated efforts to help Ukraine. The U.S. Coordinating Committee to Aid Ukraine (CCAU), a coordinating body of committees that exist to assist Ukraine through Rukh, the Popular Movement in Ukraine, and other democratic groups, held its founding conference on January 26-27 at the Holiday Inn Jetport in Elizabeth, N.J.

After months of arguing, delegates of committees created across the country to aid Ukraine, or Rukh, or victims of Chornobyl, and delegates of Ukrainian central organizations that have established special funds to provide such assistance, finally gathered together and agreed to consolidate their forces and coordinate their activities.

Mykhailo Horyn, chairman of Rukh's Political Council, delivered the keynote address at the conference, detailing the needs of Ukraine's democratic movement. Some 90 delegates from throughout the United States adopted by-laws and resolutions and elected a board of directors composed of 21 members, an executive board and other leadership organs for the new coordinating body. Bohdan Burachinsky was elected president.

The goal of the convention was to establish an effective and practical mechanism to aid Ukraine in various realms. The by-laws approved at the convention stated that the committee exists "to coordinate the work of branches, societies, funds and other member-organizations of the committee in their efforts to provide professional, scholarly, publishing, financial, technical, economic and other assistance to Ukraine, its Popular Movement (Rukh) and, in general, the population of Ukraine in its national-cultural and state rebirth."

Along with the creation of this new community body, the former National Fund to Aid Ukraine was dissolved, and the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund and the Rukh Fund became member-organizations of the new coordinating committee. The latter two groups also submitted detailed financial reports, thus silencing critics who had charged them with failing to report duly back to the community.

In April, representatives of both the U.S. Coordinating Committee to Aid Ukraine and the Canadian Friends of Rukh met in Washington with leading members of Rukh, in order to identify the most pressing needs facing the national democratic movement in Ukraine and to coordinate all aid activities.

In October CCAU representatives met in Kiev with the newly formed Referendum Council, an ad-hoc committee headed by Ivan Drach, chairman of Rukh, and Petro Talanchuk, dean of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, and comprising various political parties in Ukraine - to discuss campaign strategies for the December 1 referendum. The CCAU appealed to the Ukrainian American community, urging aid to the Referendum Council in their effort to promote an affirmative vote on Ukraine's independence.

In January the World Federation of Ukrainian Women's Organizations (WFUWO), headquartered in Toronto, was granted non-governmental organization (NGO) status with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The federation is the first Ukrainian organization to have achieved this distinction. Lidia Hladky and Nadia I. Ratycz were named official representatives from the WFUWO to NGO/DPI.

Plast, the worldwide Ukrainian youth organization, came officially to Poland. A group of youths and students of Ukrainian parentage, led by a Ukrainian Catholic priest, gathered in Bialy Bor on December 30, 1990, to formally found Plast in Poland, adopt by-laws and resolutions, and elect its leadership. The priest, the Rev. Marko Skirka, was elected head of the National Plast Council, a supervisory organ, while Petro Tyma was chosen head of the National Plast Command, the executive organ.

The Human Rights Commission of the WCFU held a consultative briefing on March 1 in Toronto with the Department of External Affairs, bringing together Canadian East European groups to discuss current concerns regarding the ongoing Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) process.

The Ukrainian viewpoint was delivered by the WCFU Human Rights Commission executive director Chrystyna Isajiw. The Ukrainian community's concerns were presented in the context of the important role played by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the CSCE process and the recent adoption of the "Charter of Paris for a New Europe," a document which set the definition for NGOs.

Ms. Isajiw focused on the major difficulties NGO representatives experienced in gaining access to the Paris meeting and made recommendations for improvements regarding NGO representation in future meetings. She also drew attention to the situation of Ukraine, in view of the fact that the Ukrainian government has made formal requests at the United Nations for equal participation in the CSCE.

The Toronto-based WCFU also submitted a brief to the Conference on the Human Dimension held in Moscow from September 10 to October 2 as part of CSCE. In addition to evaluating the human rights situation in Ukraine, and documenting continuing inconsistencies and shortcomings in this area, the brief stressed that: "In view of the major shift in the balance of powers from central authorities to the newly proclaimed independent republics, the delegation of the former USSR can no longer act as the sole representative of the nation-states of this region. The CSCE process must adopt dramatic changes to reflect this new reality...the legitimate governments of the newly proclaimed independent republics must be given formal access to the CSCE process as full participants."

Ukrainian Americans rallied for recognition of Ukraine nationwide. Three simultaneous demonstrations were held on September 22 in Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. The rallies were organized by the National Committee for U.S.A. Recognition of Ukraine, an ad-hoc committee comprising the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in association with various Ukrainian community organizations, to urge President George Bush to recognize Ukraine's August 24 Act of Declaration of Independence.

Some 5,000 rallied in Washington; more than 2,000 people gathered in Chicago, and approximately 700, along with representatives from other nationalities, in Los Angeles.

The UNA Washington Office organized a letter-writing campaign asking that letters be sent to all members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives urging them to request that President Bush immediately act to establish diplomatic relations with Ukraine.

Americans for Human Rights in Ukraine (AHRU) also launched a letter-writing campaign seeking the support of President Bush and the U.S. government for Ukraine's declaration of independence.