A landmark event took place at Ukraine House in Washington, D.C. — a discussion titled “The Power of Sisterhood: Ukrainian Women in History, Diplomacy, and the Global Women’s Movement.” The event concluded Women’s History Month and marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA) — one of the oldest Ukrainian organizations in the U.S.
This was reported by Ukraine House.
Тhe event brought together Ukrainian and international diplomats, experts, representatives of Ukrainian women’s organizations, media, and guests from various countries, who came to honor the role of women in shaping modern Ukraine.
In her address, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova thanked everyone supporting a strong Ukraine and highlighted the contributions of Ukrainian women leaders heading nonprofit organizations within the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States.
One of the keynote speakers was Dr. Alla Shvets, Deputy Director of the Ivan Franko Institute. She spoke about the Ukrainian women’s movement in the 20th century and the women who laid the groundwork for Ukraine’s sovereignty. Dr. Shvets is also the author of an award-winning monograph on Ukrainian writer Natalia Kobrynska, founder of the Ukrainian women’s movement.
“The sisterhood of Ukrainian women is a force that helped shape the nation in the past and continues to defend it today,” was a message echoed from the podium.
A special guest of the event was Tetiana Sybiha, Head of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine and co-founder of the Association of Ukrainian Diplomats’ Spouses. She shared her experience in promoting lesser-known stories of women in diplomacy.
The discussion was co-moderated by Irena Chalupa, President of the UNWLA Washington Chapter, and Kateryna Smagliy, Counselor at the Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S.
Among the distinguished guests were Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, as well as ambassadors from the EU, Liechtenstein, Mauritania, the U.S., and representatives of international institutions, all of whom expressed solidarity with Ukraine and its women.
The event was co-organized by Ukraine House, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, and UNWLA.
Author: Danylo Pievchev