This post was written for ICAI’s online magazine Winds and Waves – published at Medium.com (see explanatory note).
March 9–20, 2020, 20 women and men from Ukraine, Georgia and Poland will participate in the 64th Session of the UN Commission on Women's Rights (CSW64- 2020), the theme of which was a report on the results of the 1995 Beijing Declaration.
On May 30, 2019, in the capital of Ukraine, ICA Ukraine organized and held a press conference where the civil platform “Geopolitical Alliance of Women” was announced, which brought together women from three countries: Ukraine — Georgia — Poland.
The Alliance includes:
Georgia:
Nestan Kirtadze, Doctor of History and politics, Professor; Candidate for President of Georgia (2013); Former Member of Several Terms of the Parliament of Georgia- Foreign Relations Committee, First Deputy;
Ana Rekhviashvili, European-Georgian Society. International Development and Leadership Network EUGS, President, Brusel, Belgium; International Successful Women Club_ ISWC, President, Brusel, Belgium
Ukraine:
Svitlana Salamatova, Head of Ukrainian Women in the UN Project; Cofounder NGO “The Institute of Cultural Affairs — Ukraine”; International EU Trade, Industry and Investment Chamber, Head of Board; Brusel, Belgium
Natalia Kaplun, Head of Ninel Aesthetic LLC; Managing Partner of Beauty Business Bureau; Author of the book “I Am The Sun”; The leader of the project “Social Women’s Club 55+”
Poland:
Her Serene Highness Princess Angelika Jarosławska Sapieha, Ambassador for Peace by SPIA HSD Soldiers of Peace International, Association Humanitarian Support and Development, United Nations Peacekeepers NGO’s
On September 20, 2019, a space was opened for all women in Ukraine who would like to deliver their message to the international community.
As a result of joint work using ToР technology, a Statement was written by Ukrainian women at the UN, which was posted on October 7, 2019 on the Ukrainian Women at the UN page by English, Georgian, Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish https://www.facebook.com/UkrainianWomenUN/
NGO ICA Ukraine, an organization operated of the Ukrainian Women at the UN project, has publicly invited volunteers to help send ICAI Statement to the 5000+ addresses indicated on the UN website as organizations that have special consultative status ECOSOC at the UN. As a result of the newsletter, it became clear that there is no contact with most organizations. Sites and addresses indicated on the UN website are not working. As a result of the hard work of the volunteers, the ICAI statement to the UN collected 18 signatures of the world’s friendly organizations.
Text of ICAI Statement to the UN:
Joint Statement of Ukrainian, Georgian and Polish Women at the UN
“Women. Peace. Strategic Partnership. Joint Activities”
We are women representing civilian leaders of Ukraine, Georgia and Poland, living in the area of currently rising geopolitical tension that have united into a Geopolitical Civic Alliance of Women to participate in the 64th Session of the Commission of the United Nations on the Status of Women. We are strongly committed to women’s empowerment and enhancing their role as key decision makers in building world peace to ensure fair social and economic processes in each of the countries through gender balance.
We, women of Ukraine, Georgia and Poland, appreciate the great contribution of the world community and recognize the significance of efforts undertaken by the United Nations in preserving world peace, and we commend all persons involved in drafting of the Beijing Declaration 1995, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security and those people who created, approved and at present implement all international documents that are intended to prevent warfare on Earth.
We, women of Ukraine and Georgia and Poland, do not support commitment of some countries’ elite to restore the so-called “national equity” since it leads to people’s aggression, annexation and occupation of territories, ethnic wars, death of many thousands of people and ruined lives of millions of families. As a result of determination of our mutual neighbor, to achieve the “national equity” that is comprehensible only for this country, in the last 2 years our countries have lost more than 45000 citizens, more than 2 000 000 people have become refugees and temporarily displaced persons. There is about 1 million migrants live in Poland, including hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Ukraine.
Approximately 173 000 children live along the “contact line” in the East Ukraine and during the last five years they tend to go to school at risk of shelling. According to international experts, at least 40 thousand people’ lives will be sacrificed in order to determine the frontline of Ukraine.
Right now 13 ongoing decades-long armed conflicts take place in the world. Innocent people die every day in the world. Wars cause common human suffering and unite our nations in aspiration to resolve the multi-faceted conflicts and restore peace in the world.
And we, women of Ukraine, Georgia and Poland just ask ourselves, why the desire to help each other and sense of compassion arise only at the moment of wars and sufferings? Why is it so difficult to stop ruthless killing of people?
This year, world leaders at the General Assembly of the United Nations focused international community’s attention on the significance of demonstrating true leadership nature of large and developed countries with a view to support and facilitate weak countries.
Donald Tusk, Polish man, President of the European Council, noted that today, unfortunately, we face ‘fake leadership” on behalf of successful countries that exploit weakness of other countries for their own profit. President of Ukraine said that nowadays the price of a human life within the world is only 10 US dollars-cost of the bullet that kills people.
We would like to draw your attention to one Georgian village, Gugutiantkari, located close to the occupied region of Tskhinvali (South Ossetia). When the Russian occupation forces recommenced the illegal installation of barbed wire fences they ordered a local villager to demolish his house. The Georgian local, an ordinary man, frightened of death, destroyed his parental house, destroyed his own life, his past and roots, and was left alone, face-to-face with an uncertain future. This case has recently become a symbol of human tragedy and Georgian nation was shocked by this example of lawlessness and cynical violence.
Modern world is still ruled by men in which, we, women perform just administrative functions to satisfy their male ambitions. Why don’t we women fight more actively in our own communities to minimize the impact of the male aggression or their insensitivity? Why don’t we, women, take a lead in our own communities? Why are we still accepting and counting on the men inflicting violence on other people and mankind? Why is this problem in the 21 century still affecting us people of the world?
We, women from Ukraine, Georgia and Poland, are living right now in the warfare zone and the situation of post-traumatic stress. No one else but us know about the state of women, military women and children, about the problems of refugees and temporarily displaced persons, migrants, unemployment of thousands of people and social disintegration. All these people need guaranteed social welfare and security.
We call on female world leaders, female civilian leaders and all the women of the world to assume responsibility for the people affected by armed conflicts. In this regard, we call on men and women to come together to solve the priority world problems and serve as catalysts for reforms in their own countries.
Right now we observe a dangerous rise of populism, nativism, xenophobia, and racism. We need a new model of growth, based on the basic morals and principles. The world needs nowadays leaders with great responsibility and empathy. We strongly believe that women will be the pacifying force.
Millions of children worldwide are affected by armed conflict. They are confronted with physical violence, exploitation, fear, and traumas. We need a safe, inclusive world for the next generations so that they can grow up celebrating diversity. Children, who will have respect for other nationalities, cultures, and religions, will make gender equality a reality.
We call on men and women to create a new culture of cohabitation in their own communities that is based on respect of identities and awareness of each other’s values.
We suggest the women to develop their own model of modern, harmoniously developing and prosperous world order, in which human value and man’s life are the fundamentals of fair social and economic processes of each country of the world.
We call on all women to overcome internal doubts and be the balance for the geopolitical state of the world and become peacekeepers of Earth.
We should remember that only in an equal partnership with men has the world opportunities to develop in a balanced and harmonious manner.
National culture of our countries is the necessary condition establishing appropriate balance between the system of decision-making, economic development and social well-being.
Through mutual consensus of men and women we have discovered an effective way to achieve and maintain peace. Preservation of authenticity and initial culture in the uniformity of diversity, appreciation of each other’s value and development of the sense of compassion towards others is the path that each nation should tread to sustain the world balance.
We, women of Georgia, Ukraine and Poland, right away apply to representatives of educational sphere of all countries to prioritize development of a human, humanity and sense of compassion for other people.
Right now we, women of Ukraine, Georgia and Poland, are obliging the system of government of all countries to ensure career growth only for those leaders that facilitate the way to peace in their countries through decisions that decrease the level of aggression and violence.
We request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to convey to the world leaders’ importance of developing participatory management and female democratic leadership that will promote development of better natural qualities of women and preserve geopolitical balance on Earth.
Dear ladies, let us assume responsibility for ensuring peace in the world and its perfection!
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!”- this should become a basic postulate of women’s movement in the world. We are obliged to move forward along this difficult and arduous way to success in this high and responsible mission.
The Institute of Cultural Affairs International
Camerounaise De Defense Des Droits De L’homme Des Libertes Et Du Bien Etre (ACADEHLIB)
All Christians Welfare Association
Asociación Española Para El Derecho Internacional
De Los Derechos Humanos (AEDIDH)
Asabe Shehu Yar’adua Foundation(ASYARFS)
Community Alliances for Drug Free Yo
Cooperazione Internazionale
Coordination des associations et des particuliers pour la liberté de conscience
Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative
Asabe Shehu Yar’Adua Foundation
Dunenyo International
National Federation of Youth Organizations In Bangladesh
Autre Vie (2013)
Baptist World Alliance Women
Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha
Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW)
World Humanitarian Drive
British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (2014)
By Svitlana Salamatova, Head of Ukrainian Women in the UN Project of NGO ICA Ukraine and members of Independent delegation of Ukrainian and Georgian women to the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW64–2020)