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Vital Voices, a Leadership Summit for Women from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Former Soviet Union. Kateryna Yushchenko, Welcoming Address

Dear Summit Participants. Welcome to the Vital Voices Leadership Summit for Women and Girls!

I would like to thank Melanne Verveer, the co-founder and chairman of Vital Voices, for organizing this very important Summit in Ukraine.  I have known Melanne for many years as a person who is dedicated not only to the cause of women in the world, but also to Ukraine and its development.

My sincere thanks to all the sponsors who have made this Summit possible.

I strongly support the Summit’s very important goal – to find ways to achieve economic, political and social development through the active role of women.

150 women from Ukraine and many other countries will discuss how to create opportunities to realize the tremendous potential women today have throughout the world.

I would also like to extend warm greetings from my husband, President Victor Yushchenko. He has great hopes that during this conference you will not only identify problems but also discuss effective methods to resolve them.

I think that we all have great expectations for the results of the Summit’s work because the women in this auditorium today have unique experiences and have already improved the lives of countless citizens in their own countries.

Among you are women who have become role models, generators of ideas, and an inspiration for many people. I am proud that I know many of you and have the opportunity to meet all of you.

During these three days we will talk about women, their problems, successes and potential.

Today I will not speak in the language of statistics. I will speak to you as a Ukrainian woman, who, like hundreds of thousands of my fellow citizens, combines work and family, cares about what happens in my country, and tries to change of lives of Ukrainian women for the better.

As the wife of the President and head of the Ukraine 3000 Foundation, I have the great honor and pleasure of meeting and communicating with thousands of women throughout my country and abroad.

Through this interaction I know that, despite geographic and political differences, we are all concerned about the same issues – the health of our children, the quality and availability of medicine and education, jobs, the environment.

These are not the problems only of Ukrainian women or even women in general. They concern each individual and are usually resolved along with the successful economic, political and moral development of the nation and civil society. Ukraine’s well-known author and community activist Solomiya Pavlychko said, “There are no separate women’s problems, there are societal problems.”

The state works to resolve these problems, but without the support of the non-governmental sector and community organizations, without the active involvement of women themselves, we cannot expect quick and effective results. You and I together will decide what role women will play in this development.

The Ukraine 3000 Foundation, which I head, addresses the issues of “Ukraine Yesterday,” “Ukraine Today,” and “Ukraine Tomorrow.” Our main goal is to involve Ukraine’s citizens in the resolution of the nation’s pressing social problems, such as healthcare, education, culture and the integration of the disabled into society.  We hope that our work will help to create a conscious civic society where each individual has the opportunity and feels the need to make his or her contribution into the development of the country, into the creation of prosperity for its citizens.

Our Foundation’s largest projects are:

• “Lessons of History – the Famine (Holodomor) of 1932-33;
• “Center for Museum Development”
• “Joy of Childhood – Free Movement” for children with cerebral palsy
• “From Hospital to Hospital”  which aims to make systemic changes in Ukraine’s healthcare system, especially to lower infant mortality and provide better medical services for children
• “Children’s Hospital of the Future” for Ukraine’s sickest children
• International Humanitarian Forum “Rebirth, Renewal and Development of the Individual” dedicated to the issues of education, environment and healthcare.

Almost 80% of workers in the healthcare, educational and cultural sectors of Ukraine are women.  In my work with women in these fields and community activists, I am convinced that it is due to them, true professionals, enthusiasts and patriots, that Ukraine is successfully renewing itself and developing.  I believe that sometimes even a little assistance or motivation is enough to help these women gain confidence, and feel their ability to make changes for the better.

For years, many women have worked tirelessly to improve the fate of orphans, sick, homeless and poor.

A wonderful example – my friend Jolanta Kwasniewska who was able to achieve great systemic changes in medicine, education and culture in her native Poland.

My friend and colleague Maryna Krysa and her organization “Help Us Help the Children” who over the past 12 years have provided assistance to almost every orphan in Ukraine.

Olena Franchuk, who is raising the consciousness of Ukraine about the scourge of AIDS.

Ruslana Lyzychko, who uses her performing talent to bring attention to human trafficking and other societal problems.

Marta Kolomayets, who in addition to great programs for women and girls, has actively raised funds for breast cancer.

Sonya Soutus, who, through her work with Coca Cola has provided a model for social responsibility of business by supporting many cultural and societal projects around the world.

Natalie Jaresko, who not only funds many small and medium sized business projects throughout Ukraine through her investment company, but also supports numerous cultural and medical projects.

Grace Warneke, who helped many women in Ukraine open up small businesses and thus become more independent.

Kateryna Levchenko and her organization La Strada, who have restored dignity, human rights and sometimes even life to hundreds of Ukrainian women who have been trafficked abroad.

I could go on and on, and mention each and every woman in this hall today.

I have witnessed how this assistance has gradually improved orphanages, hospitals, schools and the arts, and enhanced human rights.  I have witnessed how Ukrainian women can give birth to children, care for their families, create prosperity for the nation, protect its history, help its culture to flourish, improve its health and education.

Today women account for 54% of the population of Ukraine.  Gender equality is officially guaranteed in Ukrainian law.

Unfortunately, however, the reality is not as rosy.  Women are not adequately represented in the highest levels of government, where important strategic decisions are made.  In our parliament, 10% of the deputies are women.  In ministries and in regional government the number of women is also small.

Furthermore, women in Ukraine earn 68.2%, that is 2/3, of the salaries of men.  This problem is magnified when women reach pension age, because the size of pensions depends on past earnings. 

As I mentioned before, in Ukraine, most of the workers in healthcare, education, culture and services are women.  Since these sectors are largely financed by state and local budgets, salary levels are low and its workers are most vulnerable to political fluctuations.

Often this forces women to realize themselves in the informal (shadow) sector, where they lack social guarantees.

Sometimes, women go abroad in search of higher salaries.  There they are often exploited and forced to live illegally.  The topic of our labor emigration is very complicated.  We see that often, after years of work abroad, women break their ties with their homeland, become separated from their families, and their children grow up without their mother’s support attention.  Due to this alienation, sometimes even when new workplaces are created, these women do not wish to return.  When they do, they often find it difficult to reintergrate.  

Few women are represented in big business and finance, though they make up 30% of small and medium size businesses.

But Ukrainian women also have their successes and achievements:

First, there exist numerous women’s organizations that impact on government, politics and social thought.  As a result, we have adopted significant programs in health, homelessness, protection of mother and child, human trafficking.

Second, there is a growing number of women in local government.  Also, in 2005, President Yushchenko appointed Ukraine’s first female governors.

Third, more and more women are opening small and medium sized businesses.

Fourth, Ukrainian women are highly educated.  Last year, at a conference on literacy and child mortality in Jordan, Queen Rania said “give a women an education, and the whole family will be educated.”  And an educated family means a prosperous nation.

In Ukraine, 5 million women have a higher education.  This huge potential of knowledge, ability and intellect can be used for the economic development of our country.

Fifth, the Ukrainian government is implementing policies important to women, including raising salaries, pensions and social payments, increasing government financing for health and education, and creating programs to support children, the disabled and orphans.

Finally, Ukraine is committed to European integration, which promises better conditions for gender equality in the future.

Today I wish to call on governments, NGOs, and the world community to create more economic opportunities for women, provide them with decent jobs, and the ability to combine work and family – and our countries will be more prosperous, have higher standards of living, better healthcare and education, and a safe environment. 

I wish you a successful conference, challenging discussions, productive solutions and a pleasant stay in Ukraine!

Kyiv October 15, 2007