TORONTO – The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) obtained participatory status as an international non-governmental organization (INGO) with the Council of Europe as of August 28.
INGOs with participatory status form the Conference of INGOs, which represents civil society at the Council of Europe and works to promote participatory democracy. In addition to holding two annual sessions, it organizes events linked to the priorities of the Council of Europe.
The Council of Europe grants participatory status in recognition of the fact that independent non-governmental organizations are an essential component of every democratic society, guaranteeing freedom of expression and association. The participatory status of the Conference of INGOs paves the way for the initiation of consultations on topics of mutual interest between the INGOs and the Council of Europe bodies, namely the Committee of Ministers and its subsidiary bodies, as well as with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
“The participatory status as an international non-governmental organization with the Council of Europe obtained by the Ukrainian World Congress will enable it to continue to promote and to defend more effectively fundamental freedoms and basic human rights,” said UWC President Eugene Czolij.
“The Ukrainian World Congress will do its utmost to fulfill the participatory status obligations and contribute positively to the work of the Conference of INGOs and the Council of Europe and to promote democratic values,” said the director of the UWC Mission to International Organizations in Brussels, Maryna Iaroshevych.
The UWC is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. It has a network of member organizations and ties with Ukrainians in 57 countries. Founded in 1967, as the World Congress of Free Ukrainians, the UWC was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization with special consultative status.