UNA-USA Westchester Chapter
First Membership Engagement Forum
Ukraine: A Global Humanitarian Crisis
First Membership Engagement Forum
Ukraine: A Global Humanitarian Crisis
As Membership Chair of the Westchester Chapter of UNA-USA who took this position in the height of the pandemic, I’ve been trying to think what kind of perks we could offer members—members whom I’ve never even met in person. In conversation with another Board Member, Joan Katen, we thought that perhaps the opportunity to be part of discussions of important timely issues was the best perk we could offer.
At around the same time that we developed this idea, UNA-Westchester member Tony Kollarmalil asked if the association would be interested in learning more about Ukraine as the war raged there. He had lived and attended medical school in Russia and knew a lot about the history between these two nations. He first gave a brief talk to the Board and then agreed to be a presenter at our first Membership Forum. Joan suggested we ask Ambassador Francis Okelo to speak as well. Ambassador Okelo has a long history of working throughout the world on peace initiatives, most notably brokering the peace in Sierra Leone.
The informal format for the Member Engagement Forum lent itself to member participation. Yuhanna Edwards, the immediate past President of UNA-USA Westchester, served as moderator and our knowledgeable and indefatigable Chapter President, Marcia Brewster, gave welcoming remarks. Member participants ranged from high school students to senior citizens. Dr. Kallarmalil opened the forum by speaking of the background of the war against Ukraine, and Ambassador Okelo spoke about the global humanitarian crisis that ensued. We then broke into small groups for informal but lively conversations where members could ask questions, offer their insights, and discuss the issues with like-minded people—all of whom expressed a desire to see an end to this war and to help the Ukrainian people in whatever ways possible.
Among the things we learned at the forum were that Ukraine is the second largest country, geographically, in Europe (after the European part of Russia). Its pipeline supplies oil to Western Europe, and it is a large producer of grain for the rest of the world. In fact, it supplies all of Egypt’s grain. We learned that when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it made an agreement with Russia to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for its territorial integrity. We were also reminded of how unspeakably horrific the aggression against the Ukrainian people has been and why the United Nations has its hands tied in trying to effect a political solution—the leadership role and veto power of Russia on the Security Council.
Among the things discussed in the small groups were the possible implications for Ukraine’s having given up nuclear weapons and what that could mean for worldwide nuclear disarmament. Would this deter other nations from making the same commitment?
We talked about what could be done, and Ambassador Okelo noted that the international community has responded to Ukraine’s requests—which are for arms. Both he and Dr. Kollarmalil discussed how individuals could help. Ambassador Okelo works with the Rotary Clubs in Westchester, and they raised enough funds to supply two ambulances to Ukraine. They were told, however, that sending money might be the most effective source of help possible. Dr. Kollarmalil talked about the efforts of the Ukrainian church near where he lives in Yonkers to supply humanitarian aid and spoke of volunteer activities with the Afya Foundation in Yonkers. One of our members mentioned the need for all nations, including the United States, to increase the numbers of refugees it accepts.
In the wrap-up, when the groups came together to report on their discussions, Dr. Kollarmalil offered his view of how the war might end. He suggested that peace might come by dividing the country into East and West—with the Eastern part being ceded to Russia, noting that most of the inhabitants of that part of Ukraine speak Russian, identify with Russia, and may prefer to be part of Russia, while the population in the West wants to be part of an independent Ukraine. He thought perhaps this could be brokered by China. Of course, in the days since this forum, the fighting seems to be escalating and one wonders what the possible end might be.
While, of course, this forum offered no solution, it did give participants the opportunity to learn and to be motivated to increase their contributions to humanitarian aid—perhaps all we can do at this time.
Our Chapter hopes to continue to offer these forums—for now on Zoom (an easy venue for breaking up into groups). One thought that came up during the first forum is to discuss the many current worldwide conflicts, conflicts that have not garnered the attention that Ukraine has. Another idea is water and food security. Please email me with your ideas for future forums. ([email protected])
The flyers for the next forum will be sent via email and will be posted on our website. We hope to see more of you at each of these informative, enlightening, and enriching interactive events.
At around the same time that we developed this idea, UNA-Westchester member Tony Kollarmalil asked if the association would be interested in learning more about Ukraine as the war raged there. He had lived and attended medical school in Russia and knew a lot about the history between these two nations. He first gave a brief talk to the Board and then agreed to be a presenter at our first Membership Forum. Joan suggested we ask Ambassador Francis Okelo to speak as well. Ambassador Okelo has a long history of working throughout the world on peace initiatives, most notably brokering the peace in Sierra Leone.
The informal format for the Member Engagement Forum lent itself to member participation. Yuhanna Edwards, the immediate past President of UNA-USA Westchester, served as moderator and our knowledgeable and indefatigable Chapter President, Marcia Brewster, gave welcoming remarks. Member participants ranged from high school students to senior citizens. Dr. Kallarmalil opened the forum by speaking of the background of the war against Ukraine, and Ambassador Okelo spoke about the global humanitarian crisis that ensued. We then broke into small groups for informal but lively conversations where members could ask questions, offer their insights, and discuss the issues with like-minded people—all of whom expressed a desire to see an end to this war and to help the Ukrainian people in whatever ways possible.
Among the things we learned at the forum were that Ukraine is the second largest country, geographically, in Europe (after the European part of Russia). Its pipeline supplies oil to Western Europe, and it is a large producer of grain for the rest of the world. In fact, it supplies all of Egypt’s grain. We learned that when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it made an agreement with Russia to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for its territorial integrity. We were also reminded of how unspeakably horrific the aggression against the Ukrainian people has been and why the United Nations has its hands tied in trying to effect a political solution—the leadership role and veto power of Russia on the Security Council.
Among the things discussed in the small groups were the possible implications for Ukraine’s having given up nuclear weapons and what that could mean for worldwide nuclear disarmament. Would this deter other nations from making the same commitment?
We talked about what could be done, and Ambassador Okelo noted that the international community has responded to Ukraine’s requests—which are for arms. Both he and Dr. Kollarmalil discussed how individuals could help. Ambassador Okelo works with the Rotary Clubs in Westchester, and they raised enough funds to supply two ambulances to Ukraine. They were told, however, that sending money might be the most effective source of help possible. Dr. Kollarmalil talked about the efforts of the Ukrainian church near where he lives in Yonkers to supply humanitarian aid and spoke of volunteer activities with the Afya Foundation in Yonkers. One of our members mentioned the need for all nations, including the United States, to increase the numbers of refugees it accepts.
In the wrap-up, when the groups came together to report on their discussions, Dr. Kollarmalil offered his view of how the war might end. He suggested that peace might come by dividing the country into East and West—with the Eastern part being ceded to Russia, noting that most of the inhabitants of that part of Ukraine speak Russian, identify with Russia, and may prefer to be part of Russia, while the population in the West wants to be part of an independent Ukraine. He thought perhaps this could be brokered by China. Of course, in the days since this forum, the fighting seems to be escalating and one wonders what the possible end might be.
While, of course, this forum offered no solution, it did give participants the opportunity to learn and to be motivated to increase their contributions to humanitarian aid—perhaps all we can do at this time.
Our Chapter hopes to continue to offer these forums—for now on Zoom (an easy venue for breaking up into groups). One thought that came up during the first forum is to discuss the many current worldwide conflicts, conflicts that have not garnered the attention that Ukraine has. Another idea is water and food security. Please email me with your ideas for future forums. ([email protected])
The flyers for the next forum will be sent via email and will be posted on our website. We hope to see more of you at each of these informative, enlightening, and enriching interactive events.
Ronnie Lichtman
UNA-USA Westchester, Membership Chair
UNA-USA Westchester, Membership Chair