Canadian Friends of Ukraine celebrate 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF CANADA-UKRAINE PARLIAMENTARY CENTRE IN KYIV

KYIV - August 26, 2010

Canadian Friends of Ukraine and cooperation with the National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine in Kyiv marked the 10th anniversary of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Centre in Kyiv.

Opened in November 2000, the Centre was initially finananced jointly by the Canadian International Development Agency and Canadian Friends of Ukraine. The Centre was officially opened by then Ambassador Derek Fraser, Ukraine's  First President Leonid Kravchuk,  the Centre's founder Lisa Shymko, and Anatoly Kornienko, then Director General of the NPLU. The Centre provides essential information services to Ukraine's legislators and parliamentary committees and conducts various Canada-Ukraine knowlege-exchange activities. 

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Centre hosted an open house for Ukrainian parliamentarians and government officials, featuring an information session on the Centre's services, an exbiti, and powerpoint presentation documenting the history of the Centre.

The event was attended by Canadian Ambassador Daniel Caron, as well as a host of Ukrainian dignitaries, including Deputy Minister of Culture, Ohla Bensh, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of the Rukh Popular Movement Party Borys Tarasyuk, former Ambassador to Sweden and current parliamentarian from the Party of Regions, Leonid Kozhara, members of parliament Petro Yushchenko, Hryhorij Omelchenko, former Socialist parliamentarian Vitaly Shybko, as well as guests from Canada.

The Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Centre has welcomed a number of dignitaries, including Canada's current Minister of Defence, Peter MacKay. The NPLU was also the site of the CFU-sponsored International Book Exhibit on the 1932-33 Holodomor Famine Genocide. The unique exhibit showcased a collection of books dealing with Stalin’s forced famine and Red Terror published over the last 60 years and printed outside Ukraine, featuring never-before-seen books in a wide array of languages from countries such as Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Canada, the USA and Australia.

Over the past seven years, the Centre's staff, with support from the NPLU and Canadian Friends of Ukraine, have also published a series of media monitoring and electoral policy reports.

By Lisa Shymko
Lisa Shymko is Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Centre and a Director with Canadian Friends of Ukraine