NEWS AND VIEWS: Ukraine arrives in the ranks of the International Council of Women (12/21/03)

NEWS AND VIEWS: Ukraine arrives in the ranks of the International Council of Women

by Iryna Kurowyckyj

The International Council of Women is the umbrella organization for National Councils of Women throughout the world. Under its auspices, members work at every level of their respective societies to create a safe and healthy environment for every woman and girl living on this earth.

Every three years, the ICW holds a General Assembly during which delegates from National Councils of Women present reports on their activities, attend meetings and seminars devoted to women's issues, and discuss important events and situations that have an impact on the lives of women. These General Assemblies, though primarily focused on improving the status of women everywhere, are also a wonderful opportunity for delegates to network, to make new acquaintances and renew old friendships, and to share ideas and concerns.

One of the requirements for membership in NCWs (and by extension, in the ICW) is that member-organizations be citizens of independent nations. Thus, in 1925, at the quinquennial ICW meeting held in Washington, a question was raised about the status of Ukraine's NCW and its affiliated organizations. Ukraine's position was precarious. Its status as a nation that had been absorbed into the USSR meant that Ukraine's NCW did not meet the qualifications for membership and was not in compliance with ICW by-laws.

Ukrainian American women, who attended the meeting as members of NCW/US, were devastated. They later resolved that, since women from Ukraine could no longer represent themselves in the ICW, they would have to be represented by Ukrainian women from the diaspora. It was this resolve that led to the creation of the Ukrainian National Women's League of America.

Decades later, when Ukraine proclaimed its independence and its inviolate right to sovereignty, Ukrainian women's organizations were officially recognized by the ICW, and the National Council of Women of Ukraine was reborn. NCW/Ukraine was determined that its membership in the ICW would never again be questioned and that Ukrainian women's voices would be heard and heeded.

The 30th General Assembly of the International Council of Women was held in Perth, Australia, from August 31 to September 9. The Ukrainian delegation consisted of six women: the president of the National Council of Ukraine, Iryna Holubieva; Minister of Family and Youth Valentina Dovzhenko; the president of Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine and a national deputy in the Verkhovna Rada, Lilia Hryhorovych; and three others who came as observers.

Opening ceremonies of the ICW General Assembly were held in Perth Town Hall. In a magnificent flag processional, each president or proxy president walked behind her country's flag. Ukraine's flag waved proudly among the flags of other nations of the world. During sessions of the General Assembly, delegates representing their respective NCWs presented reports. The president of the National Council of Women of Ukraine, Ms. Holubieva, reported on the work and objectives of women's groups in her country.

At each General Assembly, NCW delegates are asked to consider suitable venues for the next ICW meeting. This tradition was reprised at the 30th General Assembly of the International Council of Women held in Australia. During the session, the minister of family and youth of Ukraine, in the name of NCW/Ukraine and the Ukrainian government, issued a formal invitation to the ICW Executive Committee and proposed that the 2006 ICW General Assembly be held in Kyiv. The invitation was enthusiastically accepted.

Among the delegates representing NCW/US was this writer, the current president of the UNWLA, the United Nations liaison for the International Council of Women and proxy president of the National Council of Women/US.

For Mrs. Kurowyckyj and other UNWLA members attending the General Assembly, it was a significant moment. A mission begun so long ago had been accomplished. Ukrainian women, long oppressed and long dependent on representation by the UNWLA at such international events, were finally representing themselves. Ukraine's National Council of Women, chosen to host the 2006 ICW General Assembly, had truly arrived.

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