When 12 women NGO leaders from Ukraine visited Washington, DC, on a December 2003 Open World exchange, their questions about U.S. assistance to their homeland were fielded by none other than former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. The lively exchange of views took place at the State Department, where Ambassador Pascual has served as coordinator of U.S. assistance to Europe and Eurasia since returning from Ukraine last summer.

The contributions to civil society for which delegates were nominated varied. For four of the women, fighting domestic violence or human trafficking is their main focus; several are dedicated to helping small businesses or providing greater access to legal and employment services. One delegate promotes women’s rights through her position as manager of a women’s organization that advises Ukraine’s parliament, another works to preserve the cultural legacy of the ancient Crimean city of Kerch, and others conduct youth programs. Despite this diversity of interests, all the delegates were united by their common goal of increasing political and economic opportunities for Ukrainian women.

During their meeting with Ambassador Pascual, the delegates asked specific questions -- and provided recommendations -- on U.S. training programs that could assist their work. A number of concrete ideas emerged from the roundtable, which was also attended by State Department experts on human trafficking and business development. The ideas included training women to open their own businesses, distributing information on domestic violence to women in small cities, educating women about human trafficking, and developing more in-depth training programs for judges, police, and journalists who encounter issues of violence against women.

The delegation’s program, entitled “Women Leaders Strengthening Civil Society,” was organized by Vital Voices Global Partnership, a nonprofit, bipartisan organization dedicated to improving the political, economic, and social status of women. Vital Voices’ agenda for the group emphasized technical training in leadership, communication, and coalition building.

Delegates called the meeting with Ambassador Pascual one of the most important and useful sessions of their 10-day program. Said one participant, “We saw a chance for development, and also the interest in building up civic society in Ukraine.”

Melanne Verveer, Chair of the Vital Voices Board of Directors and a third-generation Ukrainian-American, said, “This Open World and Vital Voices program provided the Ukrainian women participants unprecedented access to U.S. leaders and opportunities to forge valuable and enduring partnerships. This is true of the roundtable meeting with Ambassador Pascual, who spoke to the women about important issues that need attention and solutions in Ukraine and provided them with important contacts. With the high caliber of women in the group, I feel confident that further progress in Ukraine will be made very soon.”

Verveer’s words were echoed by an article in the Ukrainian Weekly commenting that the delegates “were returning home buoyed by the experience and full of new ideas about how to improve their work.”

Published by The PBN Company for the Open World Leadership Center, whose Open World Program has hosted nearly 9,000 citizens from Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan since its inception in 1999. The Center is an independent legislative branch agency that works cooperatively with the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. executive and judicial branch agencies. For additional information, please visit the Open World Leadership Center's website at www.openworld.gov or contact the office at +1 202-707-8943.