The first meeting of the newly established Supervisory Board of the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide was held in Ukraine. Its membership includes 11 representatives of Ukrainian civil society organizations, and Ukraine’s third President, Viktor Yushchenko, was elected chair, reports UNN, citing the Ministry of Culture.
Details
According to the ministry, the Supervisory Board includes 11 representatives of Ukrainian civil society organizations, international organizations, Ukrainians abroad, and the academic community. The Board will operate on a permanent basis and promote transparency in the museum’s activities, its openness to society and the international community, as well as ensuring a balance between state and public interests.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy – Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna thanked the members of the Supervisory Board for their willingness to contribute to the museum’s development and outlined its priority tasks.
The main role of the Supervisory Board is to ensure proper oversight of the museum’s activities. Among the priority tasks are completing the construction of the second phase of the museum complex and creating a permanent exhibition. Equally important are systematic efforts to attract international funding, as well as the institution’s openness and accountability
She also emphasized that the museum should be a place preserving the memory of the millions of victims of the Holodomor-genocide, as well as a modern space for academic, educational, and international events.
Developing the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide is our responsibility to the dead, their descendants, and future generations of Ukrainians. The museum must preserve people’s names and stories, advance research, work with young people, and present the truth about the Holodomor to the world. I believe that the professionalism and experience of the members of the Supervisory Board will help turn these tasks into concrete results
The inaugural meeting was moderated by First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Ivan Verbytskyi. Under his leadership, a working group was formed to develop the composition of the Supervisory Board.
During an open vote, the Board members elected its leadership:
- Viktor Yushchenko, President of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010, became chair;
- Roman Waschuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, became deputy chair;
- Olha Soroka, founder and chair of the Holodomor Descendants Network, became secretary.
In addition
Viktor Yushchenko named mobilizing funds to complete the second phase of the museum complex as one of the Supervisory Board’s main tasks.
In a country at war, it is not easy to talk about this, because there are always more urgent issues that cannot be ignored. Therefore, seeking funding is of particular importance. Two powerful resources must be engaged: the national resource—the capabilities of Ukrainian businesses and the economy—and the potential of Ukrainians abroad
According to Yushchenko, the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide strengthens Ukraine’s national and state agency. Its full-scale development takes on particular importance amid the war, when Russia is once again committing genocide against the Ukrainian people.
The Director General of the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, Lesia Hasyzhak, presented the institution’s main achievements over the past four years. During this period, the museum’s collection grew by 234%. Museum employees conducted expeditions and recorded testimonies from witnesses of the Holodomor and the mass artificial famine of 1946–1947, compiled the Holodomor Oral History Archive, prepared new publications, and digitized museum objects.
The museum is also continuing work on the permanent exhibition project and implementing an international technical assistance project of the Government of Canada. It is being carried out by Cowater International and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, while the museum is the recipient of the assistance.
The meeting participants paid particular attention to the institution’s work amid the full-scale war, the preservation of the museum collection, and the preparation of the premises for the autumn-winter period.
Following the meeting, the members of the Supervisory Board identified the main areas of work and agreed to prepare specific proposals for the next meeting.