TORONTO – The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) together with the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany and the Ukrainian community in Germany is launching a series of initiatives designed to help raise awareness of the Holodomor among German elected officials, academics and civil society. The goal of the Holodomor Awareness Campaign is to have the German Bundestag recognize the Holodomor as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Earlier this year, with the overwhelming support of the Ukrainian diaspora, a petition calling for recognition of the Holodomor by Germany obtained the required 50,000 signatures and was subsequently tabled for review and further recommendations by the Bundestag Petitions Committee. The Petitions Committee met on October 21 and, following a hearing on the issue, concluded that it requires further study.
The Holodomor Awareness Campaign is being coordinated by the UWC and brings together key Ukrainian stakeholders including the ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany, the Association of Ukrainian Organizations in Germany and other key Ukrainian organizations and community members.
The campaign will engage a broad spectrum of religious leaders, politicians, scholars and representatives of civil society. The various initiatives will include conferences, media engagement, digital presentation of survivor testimonies, film screenings, social media campaigns, briefings with policymakers and commemorative events to share the story of the Holodomor.
“Guided by the motto ‘Ukraine remembers – the world acknowledges!’ we must address the challenge before us to consolidate the efforts and experience of Ukrainians worldwide into one coordinated campaign to raise awareness in Germany of the Holodomor,” stated UWC Vice-President Stefan Romaniw, who chairs the UWC International Holodomor Awareness and Recognition Committee. “We must act together in memory of the millions of victims of Stalin’s genocidal terror.”