The s2pU Municipal Conference will be held in Oslo on August 29-30. The target group is businesses that want cooperation with Ukraine, municipalities and county councils.
You may join one of these days, or both:
- 29 August: "Norwegian municipalities want to help Ukrainian municipalities"
- 30 August: "Political recognition of the Holodomor as genocide"
- Through municipality-to-municipality cooperation, Norwegian municipalities can make a long-term contribution to reconstruction and development in Ukraine, among other things by strengthening local democracy, says chairman of KS, Gunn Marit Helgesen.
Dr. Liliya Honcharevych, Acting Ukrainian Ambassador says: - Municipal cooperation is a heartbeat in a positive development for Ukraine. Even small municipalities can do extraordinary things, and make the real changes.
As a result of Russia's brutal invasion and warfare in Ukraine, on 20 May 2022 KS's National Board adopted a statement calling on Norwegian municipalities to continue existing cooperation with Ukrainian municipalities, as well as consider the establishment of new cooperation relationships that can make a long-term contribution to reconstruction and development, including through strengthening local democracy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the world to recognize the 1932-33 Holodomor as genocide against the Ukrainian people, as more than 25 countries have already done. Why is this important for the president of Ukraine?
Dr Liliya Honcharevych, Acting Ukrainian Ambassador says: - Recognition of the Holodomor is a powerful signal of support, solidarity and understanding. You can make a real difference to every single Ukrainian, to the unborn due to the deliberate and cruel man-made famine. Recognition of the Holodomor 1932-1933 plays a crucial role for accountability and justice.
Would your municipality want to hear more about this, and help the Ukrainian people to get Norwegian political recognition? There will be skilled lecturers and we refer to the attached agenda, both from Ukraine and from Norway. Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) stated earlier this year that the government does not recognize "the abuse and suffering that the population of Ukraine suffered under Soviet rule", but at the same time gives two reasons why the government will nevertheless refrains from defining the Holodomor as genocide.
Why is the question we have not received an answer to and hope we can get it on the 2nd day of the conference. However, the rest of the world recognizes the Holodomor genocide politically.
Mayor Jan Kristensen, Lyngdal welcomed the guests: Chargé d'affaires at the Ukrainian Embassy in Oslo, dr. Liliya Honcharevych, the Mayor of Mykolajev, Oleksandr Senkevych, the Polish Ambassador to Norway, Iwona Woicka-Żuławska, and the Polish Counselor of the Embassy, Marcin Czech.